Beau Clark, 4-years old, died after a violent bull breed mauling in Morgan County, Alabama.
No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 02/29/24: On Thursday, Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett issued a release, stating that no charges are expected in the death of 4-year old Beau Clark. Investigators determined the dog was "securely maintained on its own property" and had "no history of violent or aggressive behavior." The child was riding his bike, but for "unknown reasons entered the yard he had been in numerous times." The "child was familiar" with the dog and had been around it "numerous times in the past."
Sheriff Puckett added, "the families are friends and have routinely shared many life events together" and that "this is an incredible tragedy in the truest sense of the word." We know from our own 19-years of data (2005 to present day) that fatal dog maulings resulting in criminal charges compromise 20% or less of all fatal attacks. Seldom is someone to blame when a pit bull "explodes" -- attacking and killing a child and severely injuring an able-bodied adult male, who intervened to save his son's life.
Details from Earlier Reporting
We retrieved the article from Daily Decatur, which had previously been behind a paywall, because it contains additional details. Morgan County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Swafford said the call initially indicated the child had been hit by a car. Deputies were unprepared for the horrific scene that awaited them. “Once they arrived on scene, one of our deputies was helping the father with the child, and the other deputy was able to locate the lost dog, which was still aggressive,” Swafford said.
The article also delves into the similar breed history and functionality of the Olde English bulldog (a modern "revived" bull baiting breed) and pit bull terriers -- both engineered to excel in bloodsports and are descendants of fighting and baiting dogs. Morgan County Animal Shelter Director Darren Tucker, "whose department collected the dog’s body and sent off specimens for analysis, said the animal appeared to be a pit bull-mix weighing between 40 and 60 pounds," reports Daily Decatur.
We were unable to obtain a photograph of the dog involved. Director Tucker, however, who collected the animal, believes it is predominantly pit bull.
Tucker said the dog's owners called about getting the dog's remains. The health department "would not allow it," he said. "The dog has to be sent in because of the severity of the incident.” He added that "97% of the calls that Animal Control responds to for aggressive animals end up being pit bull related." His shelter relies heavily on rescue groups to adopt out dogs. But at least two of those groups "will not take pit bulls at all because the breed’s 'trigger' is unpredictable," Tucker told Daily Decatur.
Tucker also made a statement that victims' advocates say. "It’s in that dog to not let go. If it had been a golden retriever, a cocker spaniel, an Irish setter -- it would have probably bit and have been done, and that child could be alive today," he said. Similar to the view of advocates: "If these pit bulls were a beagle, or I could name almost 300 dog breeds, this child would be alive to today." Tucker urged people to carefully investigate breeds and temperament when adopting dogs, reports Daily Decatur.
02/27/24: Child Killed by Bull Breed
Hartselle, AL - Last night, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office published an update about a violent bull breed mauling involving a 4-year old boy. It began with, "A dog bit a child. Child in critical condition. Deputies had to put down dog." The next update, shortly thereafter, states, "The child has passed away." At about 6:00 pm, deputies were dispatched to a home on Ramblewood Private Drive off Vaughn Bridge Road. The dog involved belonged to the child's neighbor, the sheriff's office said.
That same night, the sheriff's office posted another update: "Please pray for the family of the child who was killed by a dog tonight in our community, as well as our Deputies, EMS, Coroner, VFD and Dispatchers that handled this call or responded to the scene. Tonight is hard." The word "dog" was later changed to "Olde English Bulldog." The audio dispatch logs from Decatur and Morgan County Public Safety became difficult to listen to when we heard the ETA of the Air Evac was 20 minutes.
The boy's father sustained serious injuries trying to save his son; he was treated and released from the hospital. Both families involved are friends.
"4-year old male. Attacked by a canine," the dispatcher states. "He's covered in blood. CPR is in progress. Child has bite wounds to the neck." A few seconds later, he states, "Advise that the canine is in the neighbor's yard." Then the ETA is announced. "Survival flight 20 is in route. It has an ETA of 20 minutes," the dispatcher states. The segment ends with details about the landing zone. The sheriff's office warned people to stay away from the area, "Use caution. Large police and EMS presence."
The Olde English bulldog is not recognized by the AKC or the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI). It's yet another "revived" bull breed "created for the English sport of bull baiting, practiced from approximately 1100 until 1835," states the UKC. This "revived" bull breed was created in a 1971 breeding program that "began using a linebreeding scheme" to rapidly achieve a dog that matched the look "of the bull baiting dog of the early 1800s." The UKC did not recognize the breed until 2014.
According to working bulldog breeders, "the foundation crosses consisted of English bulldog, and bullmastiff, American pit bull terrier, and American bulldog." The Olde English bulldog (also spelled, Olde English Bulldogge) is one of the breeds used in the creation of the American XL bully, the largest of four sizes of the American bully breed, which was recently banned in the United Kingdom. The dog that killed this little boy was first identified as a pit bull likely because it looked and acted like one.
A GoFundMe created for the boy's family has raised over $30,000 in only 5 hours. "Kevin and Hailey Clark are beloved members of the Hartselle, AL community," states Emily Reeves, who organized the fundraiser. "Tragically, they lost their 4 year old son, Beau, on February 26, 2024. Please donate to help support them and their family during this difficult time." Our hearts go out to the Clark family and to all of the medical and law enforcement responders who worked so hard to save his life.
Mother is a Teacher
The Decatur Daily, which is behind a paywall, states the victim is the "son of a beloved Hartselle High School English teacher. Hailey Clark, Beau's mother, previously taught at Hartselle Junior High before transferring to the high school, according to Principal Brad Cooper." The photograph on the high school's website is the same one used in the GoFundMe. Brian Clayton, the superintendent of Hartselle City Schools, confirmed Beau was a student who attended Crestline Elementary.
Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn commented on Facebook about the support the family has received: "I have been in public service going on 43 years and never seen so many people come together as one, as they did [last night]. There were so many, from the dispatchers, police officers, Fire, EMS, hospital staff and even the bystanders were kneeling in prayer. It makes you proud to live in a community and be a part of a first responder family like this. Please continue to pray..."
A friend of the dog owner lives in Hartselle and breeds/sells Olde English bulldogs (OEB) on Facebook, "Bulldog Babies, Hartselle Alabama". In typical "American bully breeder" fashion, he mixes and matches his bull breeds. He crosses OEBs with French bulldogs, boxers, and more. He also owns pit bulls that he blends into his designer bull breed "concoctions."
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11/13/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Birmingham Woman Killed by Dogs Coroner Says
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
A beautiful family. I am grateful they are getting support.
Unfortunately, thoughts and prayers will not end the aggressive dog problem in this country.
Please, wake up America and protect your people.
This can be prevented.
Well said.
On a positive note- at least the media there seems to be doing their part in covering this latest tragedy, instead of “pit bull damage control” or just turning a blind eye and finding a more favorable story to cover.
“Thoughts and Prayers” is the equivalent of “I don’t give a sh1t. I will do nothing to improve the future but here’s my public virtue signalling cuz it’s all about MEMEMEMEME”
What a mess of breeds. Talk about rolling the gene splicing equivalent of mating Aileen Wuornos with Ted Bundy…
I beg to differ. Thoughts and prayers are tremendous help for the family. Losing a child is one of the hardest blows a family can experience. I am touched by the communities outpouring of support. The same for the family of the dad of 6 reported earlier.
Thoughts and prayers may make the family feel supported, but it does nothing to change the ongoing, ever increasing attacks from aggressive dogs living in our communities.
Change happens when people educate others to the dangers of these dogs, when law suits cause financial pain on those who own these dogs that inflict so much pain on society. Real change happens when we take action. This very nonprofit Dogsbite.org is doing the hard work to bring change to our communities. Change does not happen with passivity and thoughts and prayers, no matter how much it makes people feel better.
My challenge to this community would be to shut down the breeder of these pit bull travesties, enact laws demanding insurance be carried by owners of aggressive dogs, enact strict BSL in their community.
For once, put people over mauling dogs. Once their friends and neighbors euthanize every aggressive breed they own, my faith in their ability to “love thy neighbor” will be restored. Until then, I am not holding my breath. I will support this non profit. I will educate everyone I know about bully breeds.
Everyone here wants to see this family supported and cared for in every way possible. But we want more than that. We want these completely preventable deaths to STOP.
The dad of six who lost his life can’t feed his children anymore.
Law suits have been brought against their community shelter that repeatedly returned these aggressive dogs to their owners. A law suit has been brought against both owners. Criminal charges for felonies have been brought against both owners. THIS is progress. This is how these children will be fed. This will bring change.
I agree with this Boston. Prayers AND contributing to a Go Fund Me Prayer AND doing something about your local animal control situation.
IMHO there needs to be stricter liabiliyt laws for dog bites. People with guns, swmming pools can get in legal trouble for not securing there property. They don’t get one “free shooting” or “one free drowning” if someone dies because of their negligence. This can be done regardless of the breed.
The little boy was not lost, he didn’t go to live with Peter Pan. I know it’s such an awful thing to say the truth of what happened, but it needs to be said. People donating might think it was due to an illness or an accident. He was yet another sweet child who was the victim of a bully breed.
If you have someone with pits living near you take extra precautions. Something bad WILL happen sooner or later.
Wait that little boy died by an english bull dog that hard to believe.did he died by a pitbull but they’re lying about the dog breed not to anger the pitbull lover. I’m thinking he died by a pitbull or mixed pitbull.
I have seen Olde English Bulldogge puppies in a local pet shop. They don’t appear to have stenotic nostrils. They also look stronger than the English bulldog.
Unfortunately there is another child killed by a bully breed. There is a lot of information that has not been released.
Where did it happen? When will people listen?
Ugh, this “breeder” sounds like a real piece of work, just mixing whatever with whatever to see what comes out. I personally despise him for abusing French Bulldogs in this way. They are NOT like the bull breeds he otherwise obsesses over and are just being used to get a smaller size. But really, WHAT is this guy DOING? And frighteningly, how many more “breeders” of these bull breeds are out there, putting THEIR neighbors at risk? The idea of further breeds like this being “resurrected” is also unappealing… some things are meant to stay dead.
I’m not knocking the power of prayer that the community is participating in, but if they really want to show their support they would all get rid of their pit bulls if they own one.
May this poor little boy rest in peace.
I suspect that the Ye Olde Tyme English Bulldouge that mauled the little boy to death looked more like the breeders pic from 3/2023 (AmBull/ XL Bull) than the pic from 8/2022 (looks like a French bulldog to me but I’m not a dog person).
Notice in the undated pic (top center) that thing is gnawing on a basketball.
I suspect it was fully inflated before the dog started playing with it.
Rick Springfield would “impress” people by showing them a “trick” his dog could do. He would throw a fully inflated basket ball to his bull terrier. The dog would bite the ball hard enough to deflate it.
That dog is on the cover of his album Working Class Dog.
If a dog can do that to a basket ball think what it can do to a boy’s head.
I doubt we will ever get a pic of the attacking dog.
Then again the owner may post a loving tribute, complaining that the cops had no right to shoot “their baby”.
If they had any shame they would delete all social media, put their other dogs down and stop breeding.
Then again if they had any shame they wouldn’t have been breeding “bulldogs”.
This absolutely tragic event has shades of the Bennard family in Tennessee. Just like Kirstie Bennard, Beau’s dad fought like hell to save his son’s life. Ms. Bennard and Mr. Clark will live with the hellous trauma of seeing their child torn apart…and not being able to stop it! I’m grateful the Clarks have a faith and a fellowship to carry this unthinkable burden. Meanwhile, on social media, the pit bull worshipers are doing a gig because the dogs were initially misidentified as pit bulls. No compassion, just their misguided vindication for these monsters. As Colleen’s research has found, ANY bully in the bloodline is a risk, no matter what the label. The worst part is nothing will be done. (On national TV, we just had John Stewart weeping openly about the death of his pit bull: “the best dog ever.”) When Ikea dressers were recalled, NINE children had died. It was all over national news. HUNDREDS of children have died at the jaws of dangerous dogs. The real tragedy is that little Beau’s death wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. If nothing changes…nothing changes.
*correction doing a “jig” not a gig
The story of Lilly and Hollace Bennard is something I’ll never forget. Those poor little kids, raised by a serious pitbull advocate in their father. I saw his FB posts, retrieved by this fine site. He literally said his dogs are a safe family breed. You would have to have your head in the sand to believe that nonsense.
Until I see a pic I would not rule out that it was a pit.
You can see from the breeders pics they have had pits around.
Colleen, I read somewhere the family whose dog killed the boy were friends with the Clark family. Which, of course, makes sense, since they’re neighbors. Being the incredible sleuth that you are, I’m assuming you do not have a FB page for them with pix of the beast? Interesting how the police will not release this kind of info. One more reason the press is crucial.
I am sorry for the wrong link … do not know how … If an admin can delete it –
https://www.facebook.com/MorganSheriffOffice/posts/pfbid02CuxUsfeePbgxkH6ZUkacVWpjTJ9StvSE9K48pkdq3qEPtXT5M2KRubfh4RJjvWv3l
In this FB post there is an argument about the breed of the killer dog. What stunned me was the amount of the smile emoticons people are dropping there – below the information that the child is dead …
Facts: The dog was a family dog, raised with children. The dog was in its yard under the carport, the boy crossed the street onto the neighbors property. The dog and boy knew each other so it is unclear why he attacked. There has never been one incident with this dog.
Facts: The dog was the product of a breeder who crossed different types of blood sport dogs.
A child was murdered by said blood sport dog and a full grown man could not overcome the strength of a blood sport dog to save his own child.
Blood sport dogs often attack with no warning and no known history. They literally are doing what their DNA is programmed to do.
Bully breeds were NEVER nanny dogs.
The owner of this mauling dog will be financially responsible for all the damage inflicted upon their neighbors. Insurance often declines coverage for bullies (because they understand the financial cost of owning these dogs), so the owners will be personally responsible for their devastating choice in a dog.
Rest in peace Beau.
Darren Tucker speaks the truth.
At least this horrible incident didn’t turn into a commercial for pits.
The pit pushers will descend on Darren Tucker much like their dogs. In a pack and they will go for his throat.
He said the quiet part out loud and you can’t do that and work in animal control anymore.
Hopefully the community doesn’t listen to the professional outside agitators.
They are lucky to have a shelter director who will speak the truth about pits.
Yes, I have so much respect for Darren Tucker, and I’m shocked that someone with who understands and speaks the truth about pitbulls can exist as a director of an animal control department today. Hopefully he has the political capital to keep his position.
“Why it attacked” – because of unnatural instincts bred into bloodsport breeds of dogs. People who try to figure out what the dog was thinking in the moment it attacked are anthropomorphizing and trying to blame the victim, too (whether they realize it or not, it’s a sign of deep confusion, imho).
No criminal charges. That means that according to the standards of the community, the owner did absolutely nothing wrong. Community standards need to change. Surely we can come together and decide that things like this shouldn’t happen EVER.
Attractive nuance. This term applies to swimming pools and should also apply to dogs in a yard. A childproof latch may have prevented his death.
First off, childproof latches and underground fences would not have stopped this slaughter. These bloodthirsty mutants have crashed through front doors, windows and fences. When they set their sights on their prey, game over. Besides, it’s been stated that Beau had been around this dog, he “knew” this dog and the dog “knew” him. That little guy would, of course, feel safe walking into the friendly neighbor’s yard. But beyond the horror of this tragedy, is the owners actually tried to collect the dead dog’s remains. FOR WHAT? Have they no shame? Thank God, they were refused. Also, thank God for Darren Tucker. Yes, he will face the wrath of the pit bull lunatics, but if his words save one child, it will be worth it.
I’m with you on this one Teresa.
This isn’t about dogproofing the kid.
It’s about having a kidproof dog.
Because there is *nowhere* in a community that children do not exist and there is no enclosure a clever dog can’t escape or a clever child can’t find their way in.
You know what would have saved this kid’s life?
If he opened the fence to play with a beagle.
Thanks, Boni. It’s the children who haunt me and break my heart. They’re so innocent. When an owner is mauled by their bad choice, I leave that one to Free Will. We get to choose our poison. But the children. What a horrific way to leave a life, so young, so pure. It didn’t matter that day if it was little Beau. Any child who entered that yard that day was about to take his/her last breath. That poor dad was probably following behind Beau on his bike. I cannot imagine what that father and the whole family is going through. My granddaughter was chased down by a pit bull last year. Thank God, the dog was grabbed before it got her. I still have images of strangling that dog to death. I would have given my life for her. There are so many victims in this story…a story that had almost no national coverage. But wait, the network news had yet another insipid dog “rescue” feature…big surprise: a pit bull!
Teresa it enrages me when people say “but the kid did a dumb thing”
Because that’s what kids do, dumb things. I could go on for pages of dumb things kids did to my dogs including fall on them, pull their tails, wave hotdogs under their noses without thinking, mess with their bowls etc etc.
If you train a dog NOT to react to those dumb things, and you chose a stable dog, you have the time to tell the kid, “Hey you got lucky. That was a dumb thing. Don’t do that” Owners need to protect their dog as much as they can, from those dumb things.
Kids have the right to be foolish and learn.
Dogs don’t have a right to bite them.
There’s nothing complicated about it.
Good point about no national coverage about this tragic event. If this was a shark attack instead of a deadly pit bull attack, guaranteed it would have been all over the national news. I’m tired of kicking this pit bull problem down the road, as it is fast becoming a public health crisis in this country. Think of all the pit bull attacks that happen every day that seriously injure and maim innocent people that we don’t even hear about unless it happens in our hometowns. The dog warden’s chief investigator in my county in NE Ohio tells me that the pit bull problem is “off the rails” in our county. I think that there has to be some type of organized media blitz that educates the public about how deadly dangerous pit bulls really are.
the dog was a beloved family pet but no pics anywhere?