COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The owners of a dog involved in a March 1 attack, which caused a Columbus woman to lose a portion of her left leg, made their initial court appearance in Columbus Superior Court on Friday.

During the court hearing, Columbus Attorney Thomas Gristina gave opening statements, with both defendants Jaqueline Crockett and Edward Murray appearing in court afterward.

After both defendants arrived, the city began presenting evidence and heated questioning between witnesses, and Murray ensued regarding the dog attack.

Witness statements included one from a victim of Cowboy’s attack, Kim Golden, who expressed the trauma she endured during the two-minute and 10-second incident.

“I genuinely felt like I was either a snack or a play toy. And I thought I was not going to leave the scene with my foot that day. I genuinely thought that that was the goal of the dog,” said Golden.

When questioned about Cowboy, Murray, described Cowboy’s breed as a “red devil pitbull,” which prompted gasps from the courtroom gallery.

Animal Control representatives also spoke during the court proceeding claiming that Cowboy is one of the most aggressive dogs they have ever dealt with. They noted both defendants’ repeated refusal to comply and get Cowboy euthanized. Animal Control also claimed that the dog attack occurred nearly 2-3 feet outside the owner’s property.

Attorney Gristina says with all the presented in this case; the defense shouldn’t try to fight the case.

“He might as well have had an alligator chained in his front yard. That’s how dangerous that dog is. And he didn’t. The dog tried to chew her foot off. This was an easy case to file. He should not be fighting us and the city is going to continue to fight him until that dog is destroyed.”

The presiding judge over the case allowed for a temporary injunction, enabling the city to continue to house Cowboy with Animal Control until a decision has been made on the city’s petition to euthanize the dog.

Both defendants filed for an appeal for the dog being labeled as “vicious,” with Murray claiming, “Just a little bit of common sense, and this would have never happened.”

After the conclusion of the court proceeding, Attorney Gristina says that the defense did not present any degree of guilt for the incident or the damage caused to the victims.

“I don’t see any remorse from them when they blame Miss Golden and say she should have exercised more common sense. The dog was chewing on her foot for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. She was walking on other people’s property. The dog went into the yard where she was. They have no remorse. They should not ever be allowed to have that dog or my opinion, any dog again.”

Several court hearings are scheduled next month involving the dog. The first hearing scheduled for April 5 in the city’s Environmental Court concerning the citations issued to the owners.