A five-month-old baby and his two-year-old sister tragically died after being mauled to death by two uncontrollable pit bulls.
Hollace Dean Bennard and Lilly Jane Bennard were both pronounced dead at the scene after their parents’ pet dogs attacked them in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Their grieving mother Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, was left with injuries while trying to save her children. She was also rushed to Regional One Health in ‘critical condition’ following the attack.
A family friend said to Daily Mail that the mother is ‘hanging in there.’
Bennard’s husband, Colby, was not injured.
The pit bulls have been seized by the local animal control department but it is not clear if they have been put down.
About 8 years ago, Colby shared a photo of the dogs on social media and referred to them as ‘house lions’ but it is not clear if those are the same pit bulls behind the fatal attack.
The horrific incident occurred inside the family’s $360,000 home in Sylvan Road.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Animal Control have taken the pit bulls. It is not clear if there will be criminal charges.
“SCSO detectives are on the scene at the 700 block of Sylvan Road near Shelby Forest State Park, where at about 3:30 pm two family dogs attacked a 2-year-old girl, a 5-month-old boy, and their mother in the home,” police wrote on Twitter.
“The children were pronounced deceased on the scene.”
Kelsey Gallini, Bennard’s best friend, took to Facebook and asked for ‘prayers,’ adding ‘everyone in her circle could really use that.’
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she wrote in another post, along with photos of Kirstie and her children.
According to the Canine Journal, pitt bulls are known for having one of the strongest bites, as well as Rottweilers and Mastiffs.
The breed is on the list of canines that bite the most, alongside Cocker Spaniels, German Shephers and Chihuahuas.
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