The parents of a four-year-old child killed in a dog attack Monday night in Morgan County are thanking their community for support in their grief.
Beau Clark was killed in a dog attack on Ramblewood Private Drive off of Vaughn Bridge Road in Hartselle, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said Monday evening.
The child died later that evening. The dog was euthanized following the attack.
On Thursday, Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett said no charges are expected in the incident.
According to Puckett, investigators have determined that the dog was securely maintained on its own property and had no history of violent or aggressive behavior.
The child was out riding his bike, but for unknown reasons, entered the yard where he had been in numerous times. Clark was familiar with the animal, and had been around it “numerous times” in the past. The families are friends and have routinely shared many events together, Puckett said.
“This is an incredible tragedy in the truest sense of the word,” he said. “We continue to pray for both families and will continue to do so in the days to come. I am grateful for our deputies and the actions they took that night alongside our EMS, VFD and dispatch partners. All that responded should be remembered and prayed for as they carry the weight of this tragedy.”
In a Facebook post shared by the sheriff’s office, Hailey and Kevin Clark said they appreciate “the love you’ve shown our family.”
“We are overwhelmed with the support from our community and even complete strangers. We’ve just sat and cried as people have shown up to love us, and we feel so undeserving of this love,” the Clarks said.
A GoFundMe created to pay for expenses for the family had a $15,000 goal. As of Thursday morning, it has raised more than $81,000.
The Clarks wrote:
“We miss Beau. We miss his voice filling up our home. We miss his feet running across the house waking us up and him bursting through our bedroom door exclaiming, ‘It’s morning time!’ We miss his cheeky grin and his contagious laugh. His hugs and love were like none I’ve ever known. He’d put those little hands on my face and say, ‘oh you’re just my cute little mama.’ He thought he was as big as his brothers and could do anything that they could do. He was his daddy’s shadow and couldn’t wait to get on Flint Creek this spring in his daddy’s canoe and have his daddy as his baseball coach (beau wouldn’t call it t-ball… he said that was for “little boys”). What a treasure he has been to love and take care of the past four years and three months. He’s changed me. He’s changed us. He’s taught me patience. He’s taught me to let go of things that really just don’t matter. Who knew you could learn so much from such a small child?”
