Mixed-breed dog that fatally mauled girl in Fort Worth has been euthanized, city says
.jpg "The mixed-breed dog that fatally mauled a 4-year-old girl in a south Fort Worth, TX back yard was “humanely euthanized” on Saturday morning, city says.")
A dog that mauled a 4-year-old girl to death in a south Fort Worth back yard was humanely euthanized Saturday morning at the city’s animal shelter, a city official confirmed.
The dog was a mixed breed, spokesperson Diane Covey said over the phone. The euthanasia was performed at the shelter at 4900 Martin St., Covey said, though she couldn’t describe who made the decision to put the dog down. When asked if it was standard protocol in a situation like this, she said, “There is no standard protocol.”
Elayah Brown was attacked around 5 p.m. on Friday by what police described as a family dog. She was rushed to Cook Children’s Medical Center, where she died of her injuries at 6:05 p.m., according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
An autopsy was pending as of Saturday.
Officer Jimmy Pollazani, a police spokesman, said in an email on Saturday no charges have been filed in connection with the incident. He said police had no updates to share.
Police Chief Neil Noakes called the attack “a tragic incident” in a statement on Friday, adding that, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and all first responders that responded to this call.” Covey said it was a “horrible tragedy.”
Social media on Saturday was filled with people offering their sympathies to the family in comments, and at least a couple of Facebook groups that focus on dog attacks shared posts about the incident. There has been speculation over the breed of the dog.
Covey acknowledged there have been people saying “it looks like this; it looks like that,” but she said, “Really, it’s just a mixed-breed dog.” She couldn’t name any dominant breeds.
Fort Worth Animal Care and Control took custody of the dog on Friday afternoon following the incident.
Covey was unable to say what time the dog was euthanized on Saturday morning, or how it was performed.
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 1:55 PM.
