The ‘absolutely heartbroken’ family of a 10-year-old mauled to death by a dog have revealed their anguish as they said: ‘Our lives will never be the same.’
Jack Lis was attacked by an eight-stone pitbull nicknamed ‘beast’ at the home of a friend near Caerphilly, south Wales, on Monday afternoon.
Grieving relatives told how Jack was the ‘sweetest of boys’ and they loved him ‘more than words can describe’.
In a statement, they wrote: ‘We are absolutely heartbroken.
‘Our lives will never be the same without Jack.
‘This is not something any parent should ever have to be writing.
‘We have so many words we want to say about our beautiful boy, but they do not seem enough.
‘Our boy made us the proudest parents and family on the planet.’
Jack’s family said they will ‘forever miss his quirky ways and his stories that he would spend so long telling us.’
They added: ‘He’s forever in our hearts. Sweet dreams Jack, our perfect boy.’
A fundraising page has also been set up to help pay for the funeral costs on behalf of Jack’s mum, Emma Whitfield, by her cousin, Matthew Young.
He wrote: ‘It is with extreme heartache that I write this to give those wishing to donate a place to do so.
‘Jack was a loving, caring young boy who will be greatly missed, never forgotten and always in our hearts.’
Emma posted a tribute to her ‘beautiful’ son on Facebook, saying: ‘We love you so much our sweet, sweet boy.’
The schoolboy was playing with a friend in Pentwyn, Penyrheol when the tragedy unfolded just before 3.55pm.
Jack’s friend sought the help of a neighbour but they were unable to stop the dog.
Emergency services including specially-trained firearms officers and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service arrived at the scene five minutes later but could not save his life.
The dog, described as ‘powerful’ and ‘aggressive’, was shot at the scene.
A 28-year-old woman from Caerphilly has been released on conditional bail after being arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control which resulted in Jack’s death, Gwent Police said on Friday.
A 34-year-old man from the Mountain Ash area and a 19-year-old man from the Caerphilly area were both released after voluntarily speaking to police over being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.
Chief Superintendent Mark Hobrough said: ‘The work to identify the breed of dog involved this attack continues.
‘Once this is completed, we will be able to establish if the breed features on the list of illegal dogs to own in this country and any other criminal offences identified will be investigated fully by officers.’
And Chief Supt Hobrough also urged people to think carefully before posting about the incident online.
‘I understand that there is a lot of interest about this in our communities.
‘It is vital that people are considering the tone and language used in comments posted on social media about the identities of anyone involved in this matter as part of our enquiries.
‘It is important that people think about how their social media comments or posts could impact the ongoing investigation, and Jack’s grieving family.’
He said his condolences and thoughts are with Jack’s family and friends, and anyone affected by the incident.
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