A father spoke out after his 9-year-old daughter was mauled to death by 3 pit bulls that escaped their yard in Michigan.
Hernandez said that he felt “empty.”
“She was gone when I reached her,” he said. “I’m really heartbroken right now. I can’t explain it.”
“Just, every time I close my eyes, man, I see my baby girl,” he added.
When neighbor Edward Cruz heard screams in the alley, he ran out to find three dogs attacking a 9-year-old girl. He threw bricks to try and stop the attack, the Detroit News reported.
“They were not stopping, I had to step in,” Cruz said.
As the medics tried to save Emma’s life after the attack, a bystander managed to shoot and kill one of the dogs. The other two dogs were captured and taken home by their owner.
He added that the dogs ran off after he threw the brick.
Deborah Golden, a local resident, went out to perform CPR on the little girl. According to Golden, Emma was unresponsive and had severe injuries to her throat.
“You’re not going to wait even a second,” she said.
Emma was pronounced dead at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Hernandez said he had already warned the owner, saying that his fence was too flimsy and the dogs weren’t restrained well enough.
“We are all devastated by Emma’s loss and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service,” they said. “We want to give Emma the memorial she deserves, to honor her memory and say our last goodbyes.”
“I am currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of Emma’s funeral.”
Bill Pulte, a Detroit millionaire, went on Twitter for a call to action to help raise funds for Emma’s funeral.
‘He Made My Dog Look Like a Chihuahua’
In related news regarding pit bulls, an alligator in Florida snatched and ate a pit bull who was enjoying a morning walk with his owner. The alligator will be euthanized, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission trappers that captured the animal.Cynthia Robinson said she was walking her 6-year-old dog, named Tank, near a retention pond on Aug. 8 when the alligator snatched it and pulled it underwater.
Robinson said there was nothing she could do but watch her pet go under.
Trappers were able to catch what they think was the same alligator by using distress noises to lure it in close enough to noose it. They then dragged the approximately 400-pound beast onto land and restrained it before taking it away.
The pond was closed off after the attack until it was safe.
Reactions Online
On social media, people were sympathetic for Robinson’s loss, but many also said they believe the gator was in the right.One person on Facebook wrote, “Sorry for your loss! But not the alligator’s fault! He was in his territory!”
Another wrote, “I am outraged that they are euthanizing this alligator! It’s sad that the gator ate her best friend. However, the gator was doing his natural thing.”
Many people also noted the dangers of walking dogs near the water’s edge in Florida.
One person wrote on Facebook: “As unfortunate as it is people need to be more aware of their environment, me personally I wouldn’t be taking my dog for a casual walk near a pond in Florida knowing the dangers.”
“I’m sorry that you lost your dog, I truly am,” another Facebook user wrote. “However, do NOT call this beautiful animal a monster. That animal was just doing what millions of years of evolution programmed it to, take any opportunity for prey. You wouldn’t have called your dog a monster for killing a rabbit or a squirrel.”
