Aug 17, 2007 7:17 pm US/Central
Aunt Of Boy Killed By Dog Warns Pit Bull Owners
by James Schugel
(WCCO)
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King never thought much of Zach playing with the dog, until now. In just 24 hours, she's turned from Aunt to child advocate.
CBS
When Robin King looks back on her nephew's life, she remembers a young, bright little boy with a whole lot of energy. Seven-year-old Zachary King Jr. loved to smile and loved his family.
"I loved him," said King
She also remembers how much he loved animals, especially the family's dog, named Face.
That dog, once a bright spot in the family's life, is now a dark one. It attacked the boy, went for his neck in the family's home Thursday afternoon. Zach died soon after.
Minneapolis Police are still investigating what happened in the home. They've interviewed Zach's father and two sisters who were in the home when the attack happened. They still might push for criminal charges in the case but won't know for sure until the investigation is done.
King never thought much of Zach playing with the dog, until now. In just 24 hours, she's turned from Aunt to child advocate.
"It's just terrible. It's sad," she said. "I don't want anything to happen with any person, any kid, anybody."
She wishes she would have known the possible danger the 7-year-old faced in his home with not one, but another female pit bull plus five puppies in the home.
Animal control officers took that female and her puppies away after the attack.
"If you got pit bulls, get rid of them. That's all I got to say, just get rid of them. I don't care if they're friendly, in the family for a long time. Just get rid of them, because you never know. You never know," King said.
A Professor at the University of Minnesota, who's studied dogs and how they act, says plain and simple, any dog, any breed, at any time can turn and attack.
How dogs act when they're adults is based on genetics, their social experience and they're learning environment.
Still, King sticks with how she feels. She knows it's too late to save Zach, but she believes, it's not too late to save someone else.
"We'll never forget him," she said.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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