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<\/a><\/p>\n(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n ALABASTER,\u00a0 Alabama\u2013\u2013<\/strong>Three generations of pit bull advocacy,\u00a0 rescue,\u00a0 fostering,\u00a0 bottle-feeding puppies,\u00a0 and breeding,\u00a0 going back at least to Anna Bella Southard\u2019s grandmother Katherine Southard Reece, \u00a0president of Chilton Friends of Animals,\u00a0 caught up to the Southard family on March 14,\u00a0 2025.<\/p>\n Explained Anna Bella Southard in a series of Facebook postings beginning three days later,\u00a0 \u201cMy daughter,\u201d\u00a0 six-month-old Ember Rene Southard, \u00a0nicknamed Noodle,\u00a0 \u201cwas lost last Friday.\u00a0 It feels sickening to know I\u2019m having to put my daughter in the ground.<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t let dogs around children,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cPlease practice safe sleep. \u00a0My daughter was killed while I wasn\u2019t home,\u201d\u00a0 taking her grandmother to a medical appointment, \u201cafter a family member fell asleep with her and she fell off. \u00a0A dog then attacked her.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard repeated. \u00a0\u201cUse my child as an example. \u00a0Don\u2019t fall asleep holding children on couches \/chairs. Don\u2019t allow your children around dogs.\u00a0 The dog that killed my baby was 11 years old, \u00a0and had been around numerous kids. \u00a0There\u2019s no reason to allow them around each other.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone knew how strict I am with my safe sleep protocols and making sure the kids weren\u2019t around dogs like that,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard said.<\/p>\n Katherine Southard Reece.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cIt was an American bully who belonged to my grandparents,\u201d\u00a0 Bella Southard confirmed.<\/p>\n Anna Bella Southard and her husband Jessie Brooks \u201calso have a 18 month old toddler,\u201d\u00a0 a relative posted.<\/p>\n They are in fact known for being careful about some potential threats to children.\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard\u2019s testimony in February 2023 helped send serial child rapist Charles Daniel Goggins to prison for 20 years,\u00a0 as she posted to her Facebook page.<\/p>\n But exactly when and why Anna Bella Southard became cautious about pit bulls\u2013\u2013if she really did\u2013\u2013is unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican bully shirts\u201d promoted by Anna Bella Southard.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n On April 25,\u00a0 2024,\u00a0 for instance,\u00a0 she posted an advertisement on behalf of \u201cgood friends\u201d who \u201cbreed great dogs!\u201d and sell \u201cAmerican bully shirts\u201d modeled by toddlers.<\/p>\n On May 11,\u00a0 2024,\u00a0 praising a friend\u2019s \u201cSquirts Stickers,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard lamented that \u201cThe community is SEVERELY lacking in Presa Canario art.\u201d<\/p>\n What are \u201cAmerican bully shirts\u201d worn by children and Presa Canario stickers if not child-oriented advertisements for \u201cbully-breed\u201d dogs who as a category have killed nearly 900 Americans in 45 years,\u00a0 twice as many as all other dog breeds combined?<\/p>\n Believed to be the pit bull who killed Ember Southard.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just a month later,\u00a0 on June 12, \u00a02024,\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard posted an essay headlined \u201cIt is okay to put a human-aggressive dog down!<\/p>\n \u201cYou will see me say A LOT,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard began, \u00a0\u201cthat dog aggression, \u00a0and any form of animal aggression, \u00a0is not a reason to euthanize a dog before exhausting every other option, including surrendering the dog.\u201d<\/p>\n In so saying,\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard bought into the myth long propagated by pit bull advocates that there is any distinction between \u201chuman-aggressive\u201d and \u201cdog-aggressive\u201d behavior,\u00a0 a myth utterly refuted by the abundance of pit bull attacks in which both other dogs and humans are immediate victims.<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThat being said,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard continued,\u00a0 \u201cit is perfectly okay to euthanize your human-aggressive dog. Especially if the dog is reactive, \u00a0and terrified all the time. \u00a0There are a lot of components to behavioral euthanasia.<\/p>\n \u201cA dog who nips when uncomfortable or ignored,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard said, \u00a0\u201cis not the same as a dog that is uncertain of itself and reacts out of fear.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re constantly terrified of your dog biting someone because it is a bite risk, euthanize it,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard advised.\u00a0 \u201cYou should never be scared of your own dog if it is stable. The moment that dog is unstable,\u00a0 euthanize it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the dog redirects aggression to you, \u00a0euthanize it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the dog is a danger to you and your family constantly, \u00a0euthanize it. \u00a0That\u2019s not fair for either of you to live like that.\u201d<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n But Anna Bella Southard then redirected her own argument to pretexts for not euthanizing a dangerous dog.<\/p>\n \u201cYou getting bit for disrespecting your dog isn\u2019t a reason to euthanize one,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard said. \u00a0\u201cIncluding kids disrespecting the dog. \u00a0Don\u2019t poke it in the eye, \u00a0pull at it, \u00a0sit on it, whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n What about a baby falling on a dog?<\/p>\n The human-and-dog relationship evolved in the first place around a tacit agreement that humans would feed and not harm dogs if dogs would refrain from harming humans,\u00a0 especially children,\u00a0 but more than 500 generations of selectively breeding pit bulls for hyper-reactivity,\u00a0 attacking without restraint or relent,\u00a0 have undone the very basis of the bargain.<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI regret not euthanizing three dogs before letting them leave my yard,\u201d\u00a0 Anna Bella Southard finished.\u00a0 \u201cNothing good has come of those three. \u00a0But legally they weren\u2019t mine.\u00a0 Had they been, \u00a0I would have personally had my vet euthanize them for their issues. \u00a0Only one that I know of has a happy-ish life, and even then it\u2019s with heavy management.\u201d<\/p>\n Ember Rene Southard was the third dog attack fatality in Alabama in the first three months of 2025,\u00a0 and the eighteenth dog attack fatality in Alabama since 2020.<\/p>\n In order,\u00a0 from the most recent back:<\/p>\n Patricia Marie Burt.<\/strong><\/em> Patricia Burt<\/strong>, 78, \u00a0was killed on February 24,\u00a0 2025 near Valley, \u00a0Alabama,\u00a0 by two Cane Corsos belonging to her neighbor David Kelley,\u00a0 a Cane Corso breeder.\u00a0 (See Old & young country girls in UK & Alabama trusted wrong friends\u2019 dogs<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Amanda Hutchins Born<\/strong>,\u00a0 46, \u00a0was killed on February 6,\u00a0 2025 while feeding a pack of pit bull mixes near Echola,\u00a0 Alabama.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Cincinnati pit bull death indictment; owners guilty in Circleville pit death case.)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Francisco Batz-Lux<\/strong>,\u00a0 42,\u00a0 was killed by dogs unknown in a trailer park on December 22, \u00a02024,\u00a0 in Albertville, Alabama.<\/p>\n Renona Ewing<\/strong>, \u00a062, \u00a0was killed in a pen near Berry,\u00a0 Alabama,\u00a0 on July 11,\u00a0 2024, \u00a0by her own \u201cBully XL\u201d pit bull.<\/p>\n Courtney Williams Cox.<\/strong><\/em> Courtney Williams Cox<\/strong>, \u00a035, \u00a0was killed by two pit bulls leading a mixed pack of 13 dogs in all in Quitman,\u00a0 Alabama,\u00a0 on May 9,\u00a0 2024. \u00a0One of three children with Cox was critically injured\u00a0 (See\u00a0Georgia mom-of-three extends Mother\u2019s Day week run of pit bull fatalities.<\/a>)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Willard Norton<\/strong>, \u00a083, \u00a0was killed by a neighbor\u2019s two pit bulls on June 2, 2024, \u00a0in Town Creek, Alabama.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Roses, whitewash, & a glittery mall can\u2019t hide pit bull pack bloody mayhem<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Mark Alan Partain<\/strong>, \u00a02, \u00a0was killed on March 1,\u00a0 2024, \u00a0in New Hope, \u00a0Alabama,\u00a0 by a neighbor\u2019s pit bull.\u00a0 (See\u00a0UPDATE: Four toddlers killed by dogs in 10 days: lessons yet to be learned<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Beau Clark<\/strong>, 4, \u00a0was killed on February 26,\u00a0 2024, in \u00a0Hartselle, \u00a0Alabama, \u00a0by his family\u2019s Olde English Bulldog,\u00a0 a pit bull variant.\u00a0 His father was injured.\u00a0 (See\u00a0UPDATE: Four toddlers killed by dogs in 10 days: lessons yet to be learned<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Elizabeth and Wyatt Caddel with baby Leo.<\/strong><\/em> Leo Caddel,<\/strong>\u00a0 three months, \u00a0was killed by a wolf hybrid in his grandparents\u2019 kitchen on November 30,\u00a0 2023,\u00a0 in Chelsea, Alabama.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Alabama wolf hybrid baby killing: Jack London knew \u201cbastard wolves\u201d<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Sharon Kaye Billups Portis<\/strong>,\u00a0 63,\u00a0 was killed on November 11, 2023,\u00a0 in Birmingham,\u00a0 Alabama,\u00a0 by a pack of three pit bulls.\u00a0\u00a0(See\u00a0If dogs kill your mama or grandma, don\u2019t expect the law to give a damn.<\/a>)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Jonirus Davis<\/strong>,\u00a0 31,\u00a0 a sanitation worker in Lowndes County,\u00a0 Alabama,\u00a0 fell off a garbage truck and was crushed beneath the wheels while under attack by pit bull on November 1, 2023.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Halloween 2023: three dead by pit bull in 24 hours<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Demarcus \u201cSam\u201d Kenzie II<\/strong>,\u00a0 27,\u00a0 was killed in a pack attack by dogs with a prior history of dangerous behavior on July 29, 2023,\u00a0 in Skipperville,\u00a0 Alabama.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Pit bull death of 93-year-old woman ends streak of 4 killings of adult men<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Joe Cleveland Scott.<\/strong><\/em> Joe Cleveland Scott<\/strong>,\u00a0 73, \u00a0was killed by a six-dog dog pack including pit bull, boxer,\u00a0 and German shepherd\/Malinois mixes on February 28, 2023 in McDonald Chapel,\u00a0 Alabama.(See\u00a0Riverside County, California extends lead in fatal dog attacks.)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Jacqueline Summer Beard<\/strong>, 58, was killed by a pack of as many as seven pit bulls on April 29,\u00a0 2022 in Red Bay, Alabama.\u00a0 (See<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Five pit bull attack deaths in five days: these were the victims<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Michelle Sheeks<\/strong>, 44, \u00a0died on July 12,\u00a0 2022,\u00a0 nearly three months after being injured in the April 28 attack that also led to the death of Alabama Public Health Department worker Jacqueline Summer Beard.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Georgia pit bull owner hit with rare criminal charges in mother\u2019s death<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Rhonda Persall<\/strong>, 57, \u00a0was killed in a three-dog attack on May 22, \u00a02022, in Jones Chapel, Alabama.<\/p>\n Beth & Merritt Clifton with friends.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Frank Jerome Cobb<\/strong>, \u00a070, \u00a0was killed by a pit bull running at large on September 21,\u00a0 2021 in Phenix City, \u00a0Alabama.\u00a0 (See Six pit bull-related deaths linked to \u201cThe Wickedest City in America\u201d<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ruthie Mae Brown<\/strong>, 36, \u00a0was killed in an unwitnessed pack attack on October 19,\u00a0 2020 in Nauvoo, Alabama.<\/p>\n Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t let dogs around children,\u201d\u00a0 young mother pleads,\u00a0 days too late for her daughter<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cPlease use my child as an example\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cIt was an American bully who belonged to my grandparents\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cAmerican bully shirts\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cIt is okay to put a human-aggressive dog down!\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cIf the dog redirects aggression to you, \u00a0euthanize it.\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRedirected her own argument<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI regret not euthanizing three dogs\u201d<\/h2>\n
Alabama dog attack fatalities,\u00a0 2020\u2013\u2013<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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