Independence family wants to grieve son without stoking anti-pit bull sentiment
.png "Carla Jones, left, describes her son Tyler Brennan as a “mama’s boy” with a “big heart.” Brennan was fatally mauled by a pitbull in Independence on Feb. 18.")
Days after an Independence man was fatally mauled by a pit bull belonging to one of his roommates, the man’s family says it wasn’t the first time the dog hurt someone — but that they’re wary of his death sparking broader anti-pit bull sentiment in the community.
Tyler Brennan, 41, was attacked by a pit bull on the afternoon of Feb. 18, when he returned from work to the house he shared with friends on North Mohican Drive in Independence. He sustained multiple serious wounds and died shortly after arriving at a local hospital, leaving behind a 13-year-old daughter.
His death comes less than three years after Independence repealed its ban on pit bull ownership.
In the days since, his loved ones told The Star they have been flooded by comments from people telling them to sue and decrying pit bulls as dangerous.
But they say casting blame won’t bring Brennan back — or heal their grief.
“Any dog is capable of doing anything at any time,” Burton said. “...It’s just an incident that happened. We’re not holding anybody accountable for it.”
‘Larger than life’
At the time of his death, Brennan had worked as a painter and a mover, but saved much of his time and energy for his mother and daughter Brylee.
“Tyler had a big heart,” Carla Jones, Brennan’s mother, told The Star. “He was a mama’s boy, big-time.”
Brennan had been making significant changes to his life in the past several years according to his loved ones. He stopped abusing alcohol and had been deepening his connections with family, said Stephen Burton, Jones’ longtime partner.
“He had made such great strides and done a complete 180 with his life,” Burton said. “Doted on his daughter better than he ever had. Wasn’t drinking, and was working his tail off to create a better life for himself.”
A lifelong sports fan and avid sports better, Brennan also spent some of his free time rapping – drawing inspiration from his drummer father, Burton said. Brennan and some friends had recently purchased four-wheelers, Burton said, and they would frequently travel around the area together.
“Tyler was larger than life,” Burton told The Star. “He had his own ZIP code.”
History of biting
Jones and Burton consider Brennan’s death to be a freak accident, they told The Star, especially for a man who was “no stranger to pit bulls,” Burton said.
Brennan had owned multiple pit bulls himself at one point, and had appeared to forge close bonds with his dogs, Burton said. He had regularly interacted, Burton said, with Bruce, the pit bull who fatally mauled him.
“He’d been around this dog for almost two years,” Burton said. “The dog knew who he was. He played ball with it just the day before.”
Bruce had belonged to one of Brennan’s two roommates, whom Burton said Brennan considered to be like family. The third roommate’s boss owns the home, where Brennan had lived in the finished basement.
The Independence Police Department and Independence Animal Control had never received any previous calls to the house regarding an aggressive animal, IPD spokesperson Bryan Conley previously told The Star.
However, Brennan’s death wasn’t the first time Bruce had attacked someone, Burton said. The dog had previously bitten his owner’s wife, necessitating her to get stitches, Burton said.
Jones told The Star that she believes that Bruce should have been euthanized after that initial incident. Another pit bull owned by the same roommate had also recently been put down, according to Burton.
However, Burton and Jones emphasized that the couple ultimately does not blame Brennan’s roommate, Bruce’s owner, for Brennan’s death.
“Do we think that the dog should have been put down after he bit his wife?” Jones said. “Absolutely. But I’m not going to hold it against him.”
A fatal attack
Tyler Brennan had been home alone when he was mauled. According to Burton, the dog’s owner had checked into a rehab facility that morning.
The attack was captured on video by a Ring front-door camera, Burton said.
“He came home from work, walked through the door, and you could hear him say on the Ring doorbell camera, ‘Hi, Bruce,’” Burton said. “And then you hear the dog bark, and then the camera went dead about 10 seconds later.”
When Independence police officers arrived at the home, Brennan had no pulse, Burton said. Bruce turned on the officers, who shot him twice, then five more times — killing the pit bull — after they said he continued to lunge at them.
Officers were able to revive Brennan through applying CPR, Burton said, but Brennan’s pulse failed again on the way to a nearby hospital. After about an hour at the hospital, Brennan was placed on a ventilator. He died about 15 minutes later.
Had Brennan lived, he would have been left brain-dead, Burton said, with an amputated arm and a partially amputated leg.
“I told the doctor, ‘Doc, just stop, stop,’” Burton said. “He wouldn’t have a quality of life.”
Burial amid backlash
Since Brennan’s death, Burton said that he, Jones and other members of Brennan’s family have been inundated with internet comments either encouraging the family to pursue legal action or expounding on the dangers of owning pit bulls.
“‘You need to sue IPD, you need to sue the homeowner,’ you know, ‘You need to sue Santa Claus,’” Burton said. “Look, just respect us right now that we want our peace.
We don’t care about how, what or why. The only thing we want to do is remember Tyler with respect.”
Brennan’s family does not plan to pursue any kind of legal action, Burton said, including against the dog’s owner.
“We don’t want to sue anybody,” Burton said. “You can’t bring him back.”
However, Burton said, he hopes Brennan’s death will be a catalyst for stricter adoption standards in the region when it comes to pit bulls and other bully breeds.
Pitbull ownership was banned in Independence from 2006 to 2023 after a man named Alan Hill was viciously attacked by several pit bulls. Under the ban, city code prohibited owning, transporting and selling pit bulls. Those who didn’t comply could face fines up to $500 and up to 180 days in jail.
The decision to repeal the ban and allow pit bulls in the city was prompted by a resident-led petition process sparked by animal advocates who said the rule was too broad and discriminatory.
Burton said he plans to reach out to whoever becomes the incoming mayor of Independence, along with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, to propose mandatory training courses and waiting periods for potential adopters of pit bulls and other potentially reactive breeds.
“There are some good pits out there,” Burton said. “But there is that select few that come into these shelters, they get adopted, and you don’t know their past. Even the shelter doesn’t know their past.”
Meanwhile, Burton and Jones are preparing for Brennan’s funeral this Saturday, where a small family gathering will precede a larger public ceremony. Afterward, Brennan will be interred at Blue Springs Cemetery, near his best friend Patrick Thomas McCarthy, who died in 2011, and close family friend Valerie Potter.
Brennan’s daughter Brylee will continue to live with her grandparents, Burton said. Brennan is also survived by his older brother Matt.
