http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/5-year-old-Vidor-boy-killed-in-dog-attack-6577364.phpVidor kindergartner Tanner Smith would have turned 6 today.
Tanner, described by Vidor Elementary School Principal Jeff Leger as "a sweet little guy," was killed on Sunday when he was mauled by two pit bulls at a home in the 1700 block of Aloha Street."Life is unpredictable and things like this remind us how precious our children really are," Leger said on Monday.
Authorities were called to the Aloha Street home around 7 p.m. Sunday after receiving a 911 call about the attack.
EMS workers tried to resuscitate Tanner, who was pronounced dead at a Beaumont hospital.
The news was devastating to staff and students at Vidor Elementary, according to Leger.
He said Tanner's teacher had the difficult task of telling his classmates that Tanner had died over the weekend. Leger said Tanner's peers colored happy pictures to give to the boy's mother.
Leger said Tanner "smiled non-stop" and was an inquisitive youngster. Tanner would ask about every photo in Leger's office, wanting to know what was happening in each shot.
He loved Play-Doh and always seemed to have at least one shoe untied, said Leger.
Tanner also befriended an autistic classmate who sometimes had outbursts that landed him in the principal's office. Leger said Tanner was often relied upon to help calm his friend.
"He would stroke his back and tell him it would be OK and the student would calm down," Leger said. "He was a very special little boy in that respect."
Leger brought in an outside counselor on Monday to prepare staff members to break the news to young students.
"In kindergarten, I don't think they really comprehend a lot of it," Leger said. "I think it was hardest for the teacher, hardest for those who worked with the student. He was a very happy little boy and it reminds us how we're supposed to be."
According to the sheriff's office, Tanner was with his mother visiting a friend's home when he was attacked on Sunday evening.
Tanner's mother believed he was outside with her friend's father, but later learned he was not at home at the time, according to the sheriff's office.
That's when she went outside and found her son had been mauled by the two pit bulls belonging to her friend.
Sheriff's officials said that when the friend's father learned about what happened to Tanner, he quickly returned to the house and killed both dogs.
A department spokesman said he did not expect any criminal charges to be filed in the case, saying the dogs were in a fenced-in yard when the attack occurred.
