Fremont, N.C. — A Wayne County family was grieving the loss of their pet on Friday.

The Stanton family’s dog, a 7-month-old bulldog mix named Diesel, was shot by a police officer after investigators said it and a doberman-pit-bull mix, attacked a family walking near their Fremont home on Thanksgiving.

“Initially it was just shock. I just didn’t understand what was going on. I didn’t understand why it was going on,” Daniell Stanton said.

Stanton said he believes he found the shell casing involved in the shooting.

“I feel that the excessive force of the .45 caliber handgun to put down a 7-month-old puppy was probably too much,” Stanton said.

Stanton acknowledges his dogs were out and said he'll gladly accept citations issued by the officer. However, he believes his dogs were trying to play with a group walking by with a leashed Chihuahua when an officer got involved.

Stanton wants officers to receive training to use a different type of weapon in a situation like this.

“An apology is not going to bring the dog back,” Stanton said.

Police said 30-pound Diesel was shot after biting a 15-year-old boy and then coming after the officer.

“He came toward the officer aggressively and at that point the officer took him down,” Freemont Police Chief Ron Rawlings said.

Rawlings said the officer who shot Diesel is a K-9 officer.

“He loves pets, probably more than anyone,” Rawlings said.

Stanton said his concerns go beyond just his dog. He was concerned the bullet could have ricocheted off of a metal grate nearby.

Rawlings said the officer did the right thing by using a gun and not another weapon like mace. He said the real victim in the case is the family who was walking down the street and attacked by the dogs.

Hope Troutman, who was walking her Chihuahua, said she felt threatened by the dogs and was grateful for the officer’s actions.

“I hate what happened, but then again our officers are paid to protect and serve our citizens,” Rawlings said.

Rawlings said there is no investigation into the officer's actions.