Dogs that fatally mauled Tennessee toddlers, injured mom were never violent, friend says – Fox News
It was a horrific tragedy for one family when two of the family’s pit bulls attacked their 5-month-old baby boy and their 2-year-old daughter, killing them both.
The incident occurred in Shelby County, Tennessee, on Wednesday on the 700 block of Sylvan Road.
After attempting to intervene when the two pit bulls mauled her toddler and baby to death, the mother-of-two, Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, is now reported to be in stable condition with “stitches and bite marks all over her body.”
As she tried to pull the dogs off her 5-month-old boy, Hollace Dean, and 2-year-old girl, Lilly Jane, just outside their Shelby County, Tennessee, home, she was severely injured.
Both children died at the scene, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Reports indicate the tragic incident lasted about 10 minutes, but it is unclear what caused the animals to become aggressive. Since then, the pit bulls have been euthanized.
As Bennard’s best friend, Kelsey Canfield told reporters, “Those children were everything to her, and if there was any hint that they might be in danger, she wouldn’t have let those dogs near her children.” She added, “Those children were everything to them, and they just have a long journey ahead”.
There has been a strong reaction to the death of the two children on social media, as well as strong opinions regarding pit bulls as pets. The breed is being blamed by many. One tweet said, “Two innocent children would still be here today if a breed that was made for fighting was banned. If they had chosen another breed from the hundreds available.”
Terry Harris, the founder of West Tennessee K9, posted a video regarding the incident on his Facebook page. In his explanation, he states that it is possible to have this problem with any breed. As he explains, it’s not breed-specific. There is no breed where you can say that will kill one; I see it across all breeds.” He said a variety of things could trigger dogs. There are often signs that animals give, but we normally don’t notice them. It is important to know what to look for, he said.
For more coverage on this story, see the additional news sources below:
1. Dogs kill baby and toddler, injure mother at their home in Tennessee CBS News
2. Children killed, mother injured by family dogs: SCSO WREG
3. Dogs that fatally mauled Tennessee toddlers, injured mom were never violent, friend says Fox News
4. Mom hospitalized after her 2 kids killed in pit bull attack NY Post