Photo Courtesy of GoFund Me
On April 30, four-year-old Elayah Brown was attacked and killed by a mixed-breed dog in her own backyard in Fort-Worth, Texas.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Brown suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center, where she later died.
Fort Worth Animal Care and Control took custody and then euthanized the dog responsible for the attack.
Diane Covey, a spokesperson for the City of Fort Worth, said, “At that point, Fort Worth Animal Care & Control owns the dog. An evaluation was done of the dog based on behavior and history, based on the history of the dog causing a vicious attack, the best decision to make on behalf of the family, the dog, and the community was to humanely euthanize the dog,” according to the Daily Mail.
“Anytime there is a loss of life, it’s a tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and all first responders that responded to this call,” Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes wrote in a statement.
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The little girl’s family was left devastated by the loss of the child.
Reginald Arberry, the girl’s uncle, created a GoFundMe fundraising page to help pay for funeral costs.
In the fundraising description, he wrote, “Elayah was a wonderful daughter, niece, granddaughter, and cousin who touched the lives of those around her. She was a bright, beautiful, and inspiring person.”
“Elayah was four years old when her life was unfortunately cut short from an attack by dogs.”
“We are all devastated by Elayah’s loss and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service. We want to give Elayah the memorial she deserves, to honor her memory and say our last goodbyes,” Arberry continued.
“I am currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of Elayah’s funeral. We need to raise the funds by a date to be later determined in order to be able to afford the funeral service.”
As of today, the little girl’s family’s fundraising efforts raised $20,850– more than their $8,500 goal.