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Father of toddler killed by family's pit bull offers warning

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The father of a toddler killed by the family's pet pit bull has a strong warning about the breed.

Jeremiah Rutledge said his family has not returned to its Sierra Trail home in south Fulton County since his 2-year-old son Beau was killed on April 24.

"He was a very playful person, and loving, he had the prettiest smile. He had two dimples right here," Rutledge said.

A pit bull that had been a part of the family for eight years lunged at the toddler while his mother was in the bathroom.

Rutledge was at work when he got the phone call from his wife. He rushed home and tried to go inside the home.

"I was trying to get in but the cops, they were fighting me, they were saying, 'No,'" Rutledge said.

Police shocked him with a Taser to subdue him, something he would later understand when he learned of the gruesome scene inside.

"How do I go from a birth certificate to a death certificate?" Rutledge said.

He said his faith is getting him through, but he offers words of caution for those with small children around pit bulls.

"Those dogs cannot be domesticated. They cannot," Rutledge said.