SHOREVIEW (AP)  — A routine bathroom break for a miniature poodle in the Twin Cities area turned fatal after an encounter with an aggressive deer.

Jill Wilson watched in horror as her 14-year-old dog, Pepper, was killed June 3 near Lake Owasso in Shoreview, the Pioneer Press reported .

Wilson had let the dog out that morning but didn’t notice the doe in her yard. Pepper barked and ran toward the deer, which rose up onto its hind legs and beat the dog with its hooves.

Wilson said she scared the deer away and then took Pepper to the vet, who said the dog’s ribs were broken and he was losing function in his legs. The only option was to euthanize him.