4-year-old son of Hartselle High teacher killed by dog

Feb. 28—The 4-year-old boy killed Monday evening by a neighbor's dog in Hartselle has been identified as Beau Clark, the son of a beloved Hartselle High School English teacher.

Hailey Clark, Beau's mother, previously taught at Hartselle Junior High before transferring to the high school, according to Principal Brad Cooper.

"She's a very much-loved teacher and colleague," he said. "She's part of our family and we're here to support her and her family however it's needed."

Morgan County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the Clark residence on Ramblewood Private Drive, off of Vaughn Bridge Road and about 5 miles west of downtown Hartselle, at 5:54 p.m.

MCSO spokesman Mike Swafford said the call initially indicated that a child was hit by a car. Deputies weren't prepared for the gruesome scene that waited for them, Swafford said.

"Once they arrived on scene, one of our deputies was helping the father with the child, and the other deputy was able to locate the lost dog, which was still aggressive," Swafford said. "He had it at gunpoint and ultimately had to put it down."

Multiple volunteer fire departments, the Morgan County coroner, EMS and 11 sheriff's investigators in total arrived to help. An air evacuation was also called for initially.

"Due to the critical nature, (EMS) couldn't wait for the helicopter to get there and left with law enforcement escort," Swafford said.

MCSO initially identified the dog as a pit bull before later specifying that it was an Olde English Bulldog. According to the United Kennel Club, English bulldogs were originally bred for the sport of bull baiting over a thousand years ago. In bull baiting, dogs attack and subdue a bull by biting and holding onto its nose or neck.

Today's pit bulls — an umbrella term for several breeds — are descendants of English bull baiting dogs, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Morgan County Animal Shelter Director Darren Tucker, whose department collected the dog's body and sent off specimens for analysis, said the animal appeared to be a pit bull mix weighing between 40 and 60 pounds.

"This morning, we contacted the Morgan County Health Department, because the people that own the dog had called about getting the dog's remains," Tucker said Tuesday. "The Department would not allow it. The dog has to be sent in because of the severity of the incident."

Tucker tried to make sense of the violence based on almost seven years of experience in his role.

"I think the two families are neighbors and know one another," he said. "So, there's no malice between the two. I think the child was familiar with that dog."

Tucker said 97% of the calls that Animal Control responds to for aggressive animals end up being pit bull related. His shelter relies heavily on animal rescue groups to adopt dogs out. At least two of the groups will not take pit bulls at all because the breed's "trigger" is unpredictable.

"For some reason they might become territorial all of the sudden," Tucker said. "They might become food aggressive. They might become dog aggressive. They're stronger than you think.

"It's in that dog to not let go. If it had been a golden retriever, a cocker spaniel, an Irish setter — it would have probably bit and have been done, and that child could be alive today."

While Tucker said he doesn't cast blame on anyone in this tragedy, he urged the community to carefully investigate breeds and temperaments when adopting dogs.

"Sadly, we spent more time today fielding questions about the dog breed than anything else," Swafford said. "You know, there's two families that are shattered, a school system having to deal with someone that works there, and then you have teachers that have been touched by multiple people in these families that all had to wake up today and go deal with that."

All of Monday's first responders will receive in-house counseling support, according to Swafford. Outside counseling agencies have also reached out to make their services available.

Keeping their focus on the affected families helps deputies process their emotions, Swafford said. "That's what helps us, you know? What about the pain they're dealing with?"

Swafford said MCSO is still trying to determine everything that happened Monday. He said deputies had not been called to the residence before for an aggressive dog.

"We don't really have any idea what will come from it," he said. "What led up to it — we're trying to piece that together."

MCSO shared a link to Beau Clark's GoFundMe page on Tuesday.

Skylar Isbell, a former student of Hailey Clark's, said he had just babysat her three children a couple of weeks ago. He said the hurt he feels for Clark and her family is unimaginable.

"Beau stood out to me the most; he was so joyful and full of energy," Isbell recalled. "He came to the school often. I remember a couple days after I babysat him, he was running all around the school. I'm pretty sure I chased him into every room at Hartselle High School. I would give anything to just hear his little giggles and laughter again."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438. @DD_DavidGambino