MUSKEGON TWP. (WZZM) - A Muskegon Township woman could faces charges after her four dogs got loose and killed a girl's pet pony. It happened Thursday, while the teenager was at school.

"He was sweet. He was a family member more than a pet. He was just good to be around," says 15-year old Deanna Smith.

She's known her pony named "Rebel" all her life. The family shared photos of Deanna as a child, riding Rebel and feeding him apples.

"With kids, he was so gentle and sweet. He would let kids do anything. Walk them all over. He would do it as long as they wanted him to," says Ann Smith, Deanna's mother.

The family says Rebel was 25-years old and still going strong. But, he was no match for four dogs who kept getting loose from their neighbor's yard. They showed up Thursday morning.

"I come out with my little dogs and I heard them barking, so I put them back in the house and came back out. They started coming after me, so I went back in and called police," said Tom Lahnala, Deanna's Grandfather.

When Muskegon Township police arrived, the dogs were gone, so officers left the home. A few hours later, the dogs showed up again. By the time police arrived for the second time, Rebel had been severely attacked. "So, I asked the cops to put him down, which was hard to do. We had him 25 years."

The dogs were eventually found back at their owners home and were taken by animal control. When WZZM 13 News went to the house, the woman told us she was sorry about what happened. She also says she apologized to the family.

"She said she kept the dogs in the shed and they just kept getting out, so she didn't have too much concern", says Deanna. The apology was little comfort. Deanna's upset that her pony had to die in such a violent way. She did get a chance to say goodbye. "Yes, I came out to the barn and told him I loved him."

The owner of the dogs did give Muskegon County Animal Control permission to euthanize the dogs. They were put down this morning. The case has been turned over to the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office for possible criminal charges.