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Child To Be Charged In Dog's Beating Death

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A family from North Texas is seeking justice after their dog was beaten to death on Monday. Now, the young boy responsible for the brutal attack will face charges. The suspect is only 10 years old and, investigators said, he will be officially charged with delinquent conduct of animal torture.

The boy has been accused of beating the dog -- named Cookie -- with a stick on Monday. The animal died from injuries sustained during the assault. A neighbor stated that she noticed the young boy kicking the family's two dogs, who were underneath a truck.

The boy told investigators that Cookie attacked him, but he had no scratches or marks that would indicate that such an attack took place.

Cookie was only 15 pounds. After the incident, he had a cracked skull and his spine was severed.

The owner of the dogs said that she has mixed feelings about the charge, but there is no doubt that the child needs help of some sort. "My dog did nothing," said Jennifer Knittel. "My dog was in my backyard. My dog did not deserve that, so I am angry at him for doing that to my dog. But I believe, in my heart, that a normal child wouldn't do that. A child that wasn't disturbed wouldn't do that."

Knittel tried to reach out to the boy's family, she said, but they refused to talk.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to him, but I think he needs help," Knittel added about the accused child. "I don't even know what the definition of help is at this point, but that's not a normal action. Kids get in trouble every day, but that's not a normal thing kids do."

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