Sorry you had to go through that. Sounds like you did the right things, in the right order. glad you, the kids and pup were alright. AND it is good that the officer responded and saw the situation first hand. (Don't you hate it when the 'authorities' show up and everything is calm?)

In fairness to the owners, the dogs 'may' have escaped from a fenced area while no one was home. We all know that DOES happen. As your friend lives nearby, he / she would know if this is a regular occurrence or not. If it is frequent, than they get what they deserve. If it was a one time thing - hey, we know it should NOT happen, and we all know that sometimes it DOES happen - well, this will get them on their toes to repair whatever allowed the dogs out when they shouldn't be out.