A tragic incident occurred in Alabama, USA, where a 2-year-old boy was fatally mauled by dogs belonging to a neighbor.
The toddler, Mark Alan, wandered away from his New Hope home on Friday, March 1, and somehow managed to open the gate to the neighbor’s property. There, he was attacked by the resident’s two dogs, identified as a Siberian husky and a German shepherd/golden retriever mix, as reported by local authorities and media outlets.
Kayla Hughey Partain, the mother of the child, took to Facebook on Saturday, March 2, to express her grief and emphasize that no one was to blame for the tragic accident. She thanked everyone for their messages, prayers, and kind words during this difficult time.
Partain stated, “I’ve spoken with all of the police and investigators. There will be a full investigation but it looks as if this was just a very tragic accident with no one to be held at fault.”
New Hope police confirmed that there was no criminality involved, describing the incident as a “tremendous tragic accident.”
Ricky Clark, the owner of the dogs, recounted the heartbreaking moment when Alan’s father informed him of the incident. Clark expressed disbelief, stating that his dogs had never shown aggression towards anyone before. He emphasized that had he known his dogs posed a threat, he would not have kept them.
Clark speculated that his dogs may have been trying to protect the child from another dog, a brown bulldog, that had been roaming the neighborhood. He suggested that Alan might have inadvertently let the other dog into the yard, leading to a confrontation.
Following the incident, Clark’s dogs were taken by animal control and were expected to be returned to him after a period of 10 days, according to reports.
