Huntsville man believes neighbor's pit bulls severely attacked beloved cow

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (KTRK) -- Michael Smith is a retired security guard and spends a lot of his time nowadays outdoors.

He loves his animals, so when he saw them hurt and helpless, he was devastated.

For years, his property in Huntsville has been home to cows, goats and dogs.

Smith takes pride in his animals and for his little grandchildren, they're pets.

Cinnamon and Sweet Pea, as they are called, were attacked by someone or something, and left for dead.

Smith believes his neighbor's pit bulls are responsible, because they wander into his yard nearly every day.

Smith said he tries to run them off when he sees them, but the day of the attack, Smith couldn't protect the cows.

Cinnamon got the worst of it, and sadly didn't make it.

"They pulled all his bottom lips and shredded his tongue, and for the first few minutes, we found him, he was trying to drink water and feed, he couldn't do either, so we had to have him destroyed," Smith said.

Police in Huntsville said the hard part is physically linking the dogs next door to this attack.

They do, however, say they are actively investigating and building a case.