Support truly
independent journalism
The family of a three-year-old boy has said he is not expected to survive after he was viciously attacked by two dogs last week.
Covil Allen, three, was visiting a home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on July 19 when the two dogs attacked him and his mother Tasha.
Covil’s father Chuck Allen told Fox9 that the American bulldogs had attacked the toddler and Tasha had immediately rushed in to try to fight them off.
Brooklyn Park Police said that officers responded to the home at around 12.45pm, where they found two pit bulls actively attacking the child.
“There were adults in the area that started to defend the three-year-old by using hammers and pick axes to get the dogs off,” according to a search warrant obtained by WCCO.
Several officers fired their service weapons and struck both dogs, killing one and injuring the other.
Life-saving efforts were carried out at the scene before the three-year-old was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Covil underwent emergency surgery one day later after losing some circulation in his leg, according to a GoFundMe.
While Covil did see some signs of progress in brain pressure, swelling, and the healing of cuts on his face, the family announced some tragic news the following day.
In a heartbreaking update on the GoFundMe page on Wednesday, the family said that they would be starting the process of organizing organ donation.
“This will honor Covil’s life and save more children’s lives in the hopes that no other parent has to endure the pain that they are experiencing right now,” the page’s organizer wrote.
“This has been a horrific tragedy for our family,” the Allen family said in a statement to Fox9 on Thursday, adding that the child had no brain activity.
“With our tragedy, we would like something good to come from it, so we are donating his organs, and with that, his bright spirit will live on.”
“Please continue praying for them [the family] as they navigate the next steps,” the page organizer wrote. “They love and appreciate all the support everyone has shown during this difficult time.”
As of Friday, the GoFundMe page had topped $39,000 to support the little boy’s parents.
Tasha has also undergone two surgeries and is due to have a third on her calf, the fundraiser said.
The injured dog was secured at the home and taken to a nearby animal care facility, police said. The breed of dog is somewhat unclear, with police describing them as pit bulls and the family as American bulldogs.
Police believe the toddler and his family had gone to the home to buy a dog but that an investigation into the incident is underway.
Only three days after the attack in Brooklyn Park, a seven-year-old girl was attacked by a dog roughly six miles away and suffered superficial injuries, police said.
