The two pit bulls who fatally attacked two young children and abused their mother have been euthanized.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced that two dogs, Mia and Cheech, were euthanized following Wednesday’s gruesome attack on their family’s home on Sylvan Road, near Memphis.
Mia and Cheech have been part of the family for eight years without incident of violence. Eight years ago, Colby shared a picture of two pit bulls on Facebook and, speaking to Kirstie, referred to the animals as “pet lions.”
It’s unclear if Wednesday’s attack involved the same dogs.
The dogs fatally attacked Hollace Dean Bennard, five months, and Lilly Jane Bennard, two, around 3.30pm on Wednesday.
Her mother, Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, of Millington, has since been hospitalized. Her condition has changed from critical to stable.
Bennard’s husband of five years, Colby, who runs a Harley-Davidson dealership in Memphis, was unharmed. It is unclear where he was at the time of the attack.
Bennard’s in-laws, Jeff Gibson, said in a Facebook post that the attack lasted “10 minutes” and “she never gave up on saving those babies.”
Her best friend Kelsey Gallini told Fox News: “This attack lasted longer than any of us could have imagined. I can promise you these children were her world and if there had been any hint of danger she would never have had these dogs around her children.
“These kids were everything to them, and they just have a really long journey ahead of them.”
contacted Gallini for comment, but she declined.
Mia and Cheech, the two pit bulls who fatally attacked two young children and abused their mother, have been euthanized. The family referred to their dogs as “house lions,” and it’s not known why they became aggressive on Wednesday. Colby shared this picture in 2016, but it’s unclear if they are of the same dogs
Mia and Cheech have been part of the family for eight years without incident of violence
Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, of Millington (right), had “numerous stitches and bite marks all over her body including her face” and her “arms and legs are fully bandaged/wrapped”. She fought off the dogs for 10 minutes
Hollace Dean Bennard, five months, and Lilly Jane Bennard, two, were pronounced dead at the scene after being attacked
Bennard has since woken up and is said to have been “confused at first” but is now “aware” of what happened.
Gibson also revealed that the mother-of-two has “countless stitches and bite marks all over her body, including her face” and that both her “arms and legs are fully bandaged/wrapped.”
Gibson, who called the mother a “f**king hero,” said her injuries would “cause no lasting damage except a heart that will never heal.”
Little Lilly is looking at her little brother in a picture recently shared by the family. A family friend said the children adored each other.
Lilly wears a unicorn outfit while her grandfather Michael holds hers in an old photograph
A family friend started a GoFundMe page for the family to help them “get back on their feet.” It raised nearly $29,000 in one day, surpassing the $20,000 goal
A family friend told on Thursday that the respiratory therapist was “slacking” but declined to speak further. Father Colby (right) was reportedly unharmed
The family posted pictures of the animals (pictured in 2016 and 2017) on their social media showing the dogs in their home
The two young children “adored each other,” according to Gallini.
“They were perfect, they were beautiful,” she told Fox.
The children’s autopsies are pending, Fox News reported. Family friend Debbie Harvey told that the details of the funeral have not yet been released but a candlelight vigil will be held soon.
A family friend started a GoFundMe page for the family to help them “get back on their feet.” It raised nearly $29,000 in one day, beating the $20,000 goal already raised at least twice.
The attack happened around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the family’s $360,000 five-bedroom home on Sylvan Road in Millington, Tenn. — near Memphis.
Gallini posted on Facebook asking for “prayers,” saying “everyone in her circle could really use this.”
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she wrote in a separate post.
Her friends took to Facebook to offer their prayers and send their love to her
Gallini also revealed in a comment on a WREG Facebook post about the tragedy that she was angry that news outlets were covering the attack and asked why it was “something so traumatic and unimaginable.” [had] be made public.’
Girlfriend Lacie Snider responded to the social media post, writing: “Feeling like the call I had with Caitlin [Killebrew] wasn’t real.’ Killebrew is another family friend.
Killebrew wrote alongside a photo of the pair at their wedding, “My sweet friend – I love you.”
Another wrote: “I pray so much! Shock is an understatement!’
Many others said they were “heartbroken”, “stunned” and had sent “great prayers”.
According to the Canine Journal, pit bulls are known to have one of the strongest bites, along with mastiffs and rottweilers.
The breed is also on the list of dogs that bite the most, along with Chihuahuas, German Shepherds, and Cocker Spaniels.
The sheriff’s office on site on Wednesday. According to the Canine Journal, pit bulls are known to have one of the strongest bites, along with mastiffs and rottweilers
The children were pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother was also seriously injured