A Sacramento police officer shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked a carriage horse in Old Sacramento.

Carriage driver, Jim Frenken, was giving a man and two children a tour of old town when the dog raced up to the horse, biting its legs and face.

John Dixon tried to stop the attack.

"I saw the dog hanging on the horse's face so I took off running to the horse and started kicking the dog as hard as I could," said Dixon. "He kept grabbing the horses, face."

Dixon cornered the dog and held it down with his boot pinned on the dog's neck.

When Sacramento police arrived they did the same, but the dog became agitated and fearing for the public's safety, an officer shot and killed the dog.

The horse was taken to a veterinarian. He required stitches to his nose and his legs.