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Dog in fatal Huntington attack to be put down

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A dog that police say mauled a young boy to death in Huntington is expected to be put down Tuesday.

Isaiah Jacob Franklin, 6, was attacked by a pit bull Friday at a home in the 2600 block of 9th Avenue without warning, according to family members. The boy died from his injuries.

Isaiah Jacob Franklin, 6, was attacked by a pit bull Friday in Huntington.
Isaiah Jacob Franklin, 6, was attacked by a pit bull Friday in Huntington.

Franklin’s aunt Jenni Messer said the 3 year old dog lived with the family since it was puppy and was trained well.

“They were very best friends,” Messer told WSAZ Television. “He was a very nice dog. There was no signs at all that he would ever, ever do anything like that because, if so, the dog wouldn’t have been in the home.”

Messer said no one interacted with the dog at the time. She said Franklin was playing a video game before bed with two other adults in the room and his mother in the next room. That’s when the dog attacked Franklin, she said.

“You want answers and we don’t have them. We have no idea what had happened,” she said.

Adults in the house did all they could to save Franklin, Messer said, but he did not survive.

Franklin was a kindergarten student at Spring Hill Elementary in Huntington. Messer said her nephew loved the color orange and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Messer said they want to remember Isaiah’s life, not his death. She said she’ll remember his smile the most.

“Definitely his smile,” Messer said with tears. “You could be having the worst day in the world and soon as you seen him, you had to light up.”

Animal Control is now seeking to get the dog euthanized.

Franklin’s funeral is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Collins Funeral Home outside Logan in Switzer. The visitation is set from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Attendees are asked to wear either the color orange or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles attire in honor of Franklin.





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