Neighbors shocked over dog attack that killed toddler

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Neighbors said the pit bull that killed a 2-year-old boy didn't appear vicious. They also said the toddler was the family's pride and joy.

"Very precious child. Very," neighbor Kendra Clopton said. "He's a joy every time you see him he was always with his mom or with his father."

Many in the Wexford subdivision off Stonewall Tell are sad that Beau Rutledge tragically died when police said the family's pit bull, named Kissy Face, attacked him in his home on Sierra Trail Wednesday afternoon.

People here are praying for the Rutledge family, especially the child's mother, who was taken to the hospital for treatment after the attack.

"I probably would have still been losing my mind. I don't think the hospital could have helped me in a situation like this," Tammy Ellis told Channel 2's Tom Jones.

Fulton County police said Angela Rutledge told them she was in the home with the pit bull and Beau.

Rutledge said she went to the bathroom and came back to find Beau dead from the attack.

"I felt like I was in a horror film or something," neighbor Lakisha Moss said. Moss lives three doors down from Rutledge and said she and her mother heard Rutledge screaming.

She said she looked inside the home and saw the gruesome scene. As she called police, Moss said Rutledge was in shock.

"She just kept saying that we don't understand. She's lost her only son. Her only son," Moss said.

Neighbors said they would see Rutledge walking the dog and said it was never aggressive.

"Not vicious at all. It was a family pet," Kendra Clopton said.

"Seemed to be a good dog like a house pet," Moss said.

But as others pointed out, dogs often have their own mind.

"They're lovable pets but you just never know," Ellis said.

Animal Control is waiting for police to wrap up its investigation before determining the dog's fate. A memorial for Beau continues to grow outside the family's home.

WSBTV