The family of a boy who was killed after being mauled by a dog came together to honor and remember him.
Classmates of Ryan planted a Thornless Hawthorne outside of his classroom with a stone placed in front of it, dedicated to their classmate.
On Sunday, June 9, 2013 friends and family of the boy came together around the memorial in remembrance of their loved-one. Ryan’s friends wrote messages for him on balloons and released them at the base of the tree.
After the incident, Ryan’s family formed an animal control task force to help prevent future attacks.
“At any time a thing like this could happen again,” said Justin Maxwell, the victim’s father. “I would like to see that they’ve increased the dog laws and that people need to be more aware of their animals and keep them on leashes.”