Baby Killed By Dog

John Pless
August 21, 2007
www.newschannel9.com

NewsChannel 9 uncovers another case involving stray dogs that attacked children in McMinn County, Tennessee.

In the most recent case 15-month-old Elijah Rackley apparently tried to play with one of the Chow-mix's puppies Saturday. Back in December some people told us McMinn County has a serious problem with stray animals after a 15-year-old boy was mauled by stray Pit Bulls. But in this latest incident Rackley didn't survive his injuries. The child and his family were about to celebrate his 16-month birthday in a few days.

His life was cut short in the back yard of his grandfather's house. He apparently wandered too close to a Chow-mix female dog that was tied down with a chain.

Rackley's uncle, James Anders, said "It just startled me, I couldn't believe it, I had to see it to believe it."

The family had apparently taken the stray dog under it's wing, a Chow-mix they named Ariel. The dog also had a litter of puppies and it appears Aerial was protective of her puppies.

Rackley was with his grandfather, Bobby Anders, doing what they liked to do... pick some tomatoes and work in the yard.

"The child walked behind him, grabbed him a puppy and petted him. He was no where near the mother, the mother was on a chain. He went to get the other two boxes and when he came back he didn't see the child," Anders said.

Anders, the grandfather, looked frantically for Rackley and finally found the toddler, lifeless in a hole the dog scratched in the ground.

Paramedics and doctors at T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital could not revive Elijah, who had dog bites on his head and neck.

Back in December, 15-year-old Paul Brown survived an attack by stray dogs in McMinn County too.

He said there were about a dozen Pit Bull mixes, some that lived under a neighbor's house and in the woods.

James Anders said the county is overrun with wild, stray animals and thinks officials should start an animal control program.

"They're going to have to, or else you're going to have a bunch of wild wolves running around and it's going to affect the livestock and children, just like this child here," Anders said.

Stacey Low with the McMinn Regional Humane Society said she agrees a county animal control program is needed. She said the regulations for strays at the Athens Animal Shelter are vague and people who live outside the city limits don't have animal control officers.

Low said it's up to Humane Society volunteers to find, catch and take strays to the Athens shelter. McMinn County Mayor John Gentry said the Athens animal shelter was expanded to accomodate stray animals from the county after an agreement was reached to provide a county-wide animal shelter.

Gentry confirmed there are no animal control officers for areas outside Athens and Etowah, but added he and other officials will consider adding the service when they meet this month to make long range county plans.