Dog owner says attack was act of protection - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

A dog owner may lose his pets in the next few days. His Boxers are accused of viciously attacking a student back in April. Prosecutors say a teenage girl is lucky to be alive, but the owner of the dogs says there's more to the story.

Tim Iocoangeli says he's fighting for the lives of his family: his four Boxer dogs. He says, at the very least, he wants to see them one last time.

"I can't even say goodbye to them," Iocoangeli says. "I mean, honestly, it's cruel. I can't say goodbye to them? And they're never going to be around again. They're good dogs. I mean, that's my best friend. All of them are. They slept with me every night, every night since they were born, and then now they're gone."

Iocoangeli says in late April he left his dogs inside his home: Brooklyn, Bhudda, Sweetie and Sheena and five puppies.

While he was gone, investigators say two teens came to his house and opened the front door. One was bitten -- dozens of times. Neighbors say they had to throw bricks at the dogs to make them stop.

Despite the fact that the dogs were left inside the home, they were impounded. It was ruled the adult dogs should be destroyed and the puppies adopted out.

Iocoangeli argues the girl and teenage boy were trespassing, and his dogs were protecting the property – and their puppies.

"I am horrified about this girl that got bit," he says. "But the thing is they're just looking at the bite thing and not around it. Trespassing. They were never allowed in that house."

Prosecutors disagree, and the judge ruled the victim never entered the home, making the incident it an unprovoked dog attack.

Iocoangeli wants to see his dogs, but animal control says allowing anyone to see the dogs would expose the county to liability.

"It's wrong," he says. "Eight months, and I couldn't even go in there. Liability? What liability?"

Iocoangeli is facing four felony counts for the dog attacks.

The prosecution has granted the defense two more days to file a motion before euthanizing the dogs.

Iocoangeli has started a petition to save the dogs. You can also visit the Facebook page he started about the case.