I am so sorry to hear this Angie. I know how much Tom means to you. I hope you will find him soon. Most probably he has found a good spot to hide as he is a street smart cat. Its always upsetting when things like this happen. And I just don't have any easy answer on that one. Irresponsible dog owners are a big problem and unfortunately, the dogs will pay for doing what comes naturally to them unless they are properly trained and restrained (99% of the dogs will hunt something moving away and two dogs form a pack). Its really sad that large and powerful dog breeds often attract the worst kind or owners. But also, even with the best intentions and the best precautions, accidents can and will happen. That I know for a fact. It only takes a minute of inattention. Mine will go after any other critters to which they have not been socialized. This is good because we live on a farm and we don't want wild or stray domesticated animals going after the livestock. But in the past, I had to put down one dog and re-homed two when an idiot neighbor let his horse roam on my property and my dogs attacked it. I paid all the vet bills and because of the local laws where livestock always take precedence over pets, I also had to euthanize and part with my dogs. It is very painful to this day for both me and John to think about it.
The only large dog kennel I ever visited that was pretty much 100% safety proof was at one of my buddy breeder and you had to make it through three 12 feet-high padlocked chain link fences before you made it to her doorstep. She breed dogs for border patrol, cattle ranchers, security work and people who needs extra-protection and she live basically like an hermit. After loosing my dogs, I even considered never own one again. I was so devastated. I was cautious, I took all responsibility for an accident, paid all the bills (even if imo, the other person was in part at fault) and yet I had to see Zoey die in my arms and loaded the two pups I adored on a plane and never see them again. But being a dog owner is a way of life for me and if I give up on it, I may as well give up on everything else. The rest is doing the best I can to keep everybody safe and pray shit wont happen again. The instincts and physical attributes that can make a dog a liability in one situation are the same which make them such useful animals in other contexts. Yesterday Hans had to hold its own when one of the steer refused to move to another pasture, which would have been a dangerous operation if I had to do it myself. I dont dehorn because we have so many coyotes around so any day, I can end skewered on the barn door and my dogs are my bodyguards. If Hans aggressive instincts had been bred out of him, he would be no good as a working dog. Same with my psych nurse gf rotties who saved her from a charging moose, or my friend Andre bulldog who took on the bull trying to kill him. All responsible large dog owners literally live with the nightmare that despite all their best efforts, just the wrong string of events (a kid forgetting to close a door, a visitor ignoring the no trespass signs, a cat jumping in the yard and the dogs chasing it etc..) will come together and an accident will happen. Because we know for a fact nobody will give us any leeway or second chance and our dogs are automatically considered guilty as charged.
The reality of most animal control services is that they are underfunded and understaffed. Many people working that gig end up burnout, bitter, stressed or hardened. In rural communities, its even worst because of the ground they have to cover. Here for all the county, we have one lovely but overstretched lady who does it all. If ones want to see human nature at its worst, watch how some people treats the voiceless and the defenseless. Its one of the reason I don't do dog rescue and foster care.
Anyhow, sorry for the long post. I just get very upset when situation like this comes up because I've been on the other side of the fence. It is so easy to conclude the best solution is just to kill the dog when people are in the thick of it, understandably fearful and angry. I don't know all the facts in this specific case, so I just don't wanna judge. Maybe just bring a different perspective.