Police: 3-Day-Old Baby Attacked, Killed By Family Dog

[OhioChick]

POSTED: 6:48 am EDT September 23, 2008
UPDATED: 7:47 am EDT September 23, 2008

WARREN, Ohio -- Police say a newborn baby has died in northeast Ohio after being attacked by the family dog as she was lying in a bassinet.

Warren Township police Lt. Don Bishop said the 3-day-old girl suffered bite marks and scratches and was pronounced dead Monday at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital. Police believe the husky mistook the child for a stuffed animal.

Bishop said the infant's father left the room briefly and discovered the attack when he returned.

Fire Chief Kenneth Schick said the baby was in full cardiac arrest when the rescue squad arrived.

The animal was taken by the Trumbull County dog warden.

Police are investigating the accident. The family's name has not been released.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/17535754/detail.html

I figured this article would be a good "test" for the new "rating system."

(However, I see this dog was a Husky versus a Pit Bull)

My sympathies are with the family, of course.

[UndertheOcean]

1. What , Huskies are normally very gentle , even around strangers

what a tragedy

[OhioChick]

2. Actually,

I thought the same. I have a Siberian and she's sweet. Poor kid.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. No, iirc, they are on the

"dangerous dogs" list for house insurance. I remember that from living with my parents. They've had Huskies for years, but I wouldn't leave one alone with a child or cats. I've seen them totally snap over a cat overstepping its bounds. And the dogs in question were normally very mild mannered.

I miss my dogs. Sigh.

[ingac70]

5. My friend took in a lost Husky that ended up...

gnawing on her Chihuahua. The owners of the Husky did pay for the little guy's vet bills.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. They're unpredictable

My dog Buddy, RIP, was the sweetest little guy with humans. But with cats or kids, hell no. It was weird. They're an odd breed.

[Dukkha]

15. I had a malamute that was very friendly

then one day out of nowhere attacked a cat. they are unpredictable.

[OhioChick]

6. I wasn't aware of that...

My Husky is so laid back and loves people and animals. Now....my other dog is a mutt and she's not very friendly toward anyone/anything.

[ingac70]

3. 11 dogs that could raise your insurance costs

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/insurance/bad-dog-list1.asp


Akita
Alaskan Malamute
Chow Chow
Doberman Pinscher
German Shepherd
Pit Bull
Presa Canario
Rottweiler
Siberian Husky
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Wolf hybrid

[carlyhippy]

22. I had a chow chow, one of the sweetest dogs I have ever owned

he would never hurt anyone, he was completely harmless. But my friend down the street had a chow chow, and he was very unpredictable. It's how the dogs are raised, any dog around a newborn baby, no matter what breed, is not a good idea.

[carlyhippy]

23. .

[Mandate My Ass]

8. Death to all huskies

:eyes:

[OhioChick]

10. Not mine!

:crazy:

[ShortnFiery]

9. The first rule of responsible dog ownership: They are pack animals - do not leave

them alone with young children, EVER.

With regard to our lovable K9s, never say "never."

I adore all my K9s, past and present - but realize that they are NOT human.

[gristy]

11. this is how natural selection is supposed to work

clueless individuals having trouble bearing and raising offspring

[Blue Diadem]

12. I read that earlier this evening in the newspaper. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I wish every hospital would hand out a warning flyer to every new baby's parents. I think people don't realize even the most loving animal can do something like that.

[stillcool]

13. I knew someone years ago..

that had a problem with the dog they'd had for years, when they brought their new baby home. It was a jealousy thing, which I could certainly understand. I've seen kids do some pretty nasty things to the new baby brought into the house.

[ShortnFiery]

14. That's why you must keep them separated when you can't monitor small children and K-9s.

It's tragic how many "good K-9s" are destroyed simply because the adult owners were not thoughtful enough to attend "basic Good Citizen" K-9 course at their local shelter, know that they must always play the role as the Alpha Male and observe small children and K9s at all times.

We had BIG dogs (>100 lbs) around our baby but they knew that the baby was part of the "the pack" and I ruled the pack. Still, when I had to leave the area, I separated them. It's just not worth the risk no matter how much you THINK that you know your K-9.

[Barack_America]

17. Exactly.

Tragic but, unfortunately, the parent was at fault here.

[ShortnFiery]

19. And my heart breaks for them. :(

[stillcool]

21. I'm sure that's why you have ..

to watch children with new babies too. I'm not saying that these parents are not good parents. I think accidents happen, because they're accidents. Most can be avoided with foresight, but we are all human. I guess I don't like to point fingers at such a tragic 'accident'.

[ShortnFiery]

24. No, but if you truly respect the fact that K-9s are not human, you are more apt to remain

vigilant.

Don't get me wrong, I dream of joining all my past beloved K-9s and crossing the Rainbow Bridge into Heaven together but having been raised in rural (farmland) areas, I was made keenly aware that even pet dogs do not THINK as humans do. I fear that too many people forget that their beloved K-9s do NOT process information as we do.

Too often, dogs nip children and are thown back into shelters, not because they are BAD Dogs but because their humans did not love them enough to take the time and energy to properly discipline them and treat them ... well like the pack animals that they are. You can still love your dog as much but understand him/her for what he is ... by nature. :shrug:

[OhioChick]

25. You make some good points....

However, I can remember having a mutt as a little kid and my cousins (evil shits) came over to visit one day and teased and tormented that poor dog until they left. (Not beating or anything of that nature....just chasing the dog around, poking at it, etc.) By the time those shits left, my baby sister bent down to pet the dog and it bit her. Needless to say, my parents felt that we had to get rid of it, so they took it to a farm where it could run and have some room.

In the story above, it was obviously the parent's fault. (Sounds accidental and tragic) I often wonder how often the dog bites a kid (not infant) and the reason is because it's being tormented...

[ShortnFiery]

26. No, it was preventable. You do not EVER leave a dog, no matter how gentle with a small child

or baby. I trained one of my K-9s to certify as both a Canine Good Citizen and qualify/certify with Therapy Dogs International. As gentle as this dog was, I would not leave her with small children alone. Why? With a canine, never say "never."

BTW, older childern should NOT tolerate mistreatment of their pet dogs. Ownership is not just an adult responsibility. The dog need not have been taken to "the country" but perhaps ... they should have sent the ill-behaved kids instead? <I jest> :P

[OhioChick]

27. Oh....

I wasn't disagreeing with you. Dogs should not be left alone with babies/toddlers for any amount of time...no matter how quickly one is out of the room.

It made me so sad as a young kid to make a several hour trip every few weeks (begging my parents) to go and see my dog after that incident. You're right......the satanistic kids should've been shipped off to the farmlands. :)

[ShortnFiery]

28. Oh my apologies. Years ago, people did not take time to fully understand what was

going on. I understand how saddened you must have felt. My parents also gave away one of my Weimereimers after he bit one of my dad's (he was a construction contractor at the time) workers in the butt. I was only 8 y.o. and I loved that dog ... always wonder if the guy may have teased him.

Please excuse me for "preaching to the choir." I can sometimes get haughty because I love my pups so much and want better for all pet dogs. :hi:

[OhioChick]

30. Oh....No Apology is Necessary!

I understood what you were saying and agree with you completely. I love my pups, too.

BTW...I was also only 8 years old when we had to part with our dog. Sad for a kid, as you know, too.

:hi:

[gratefultobelib]

16. How absolutely terrible. I can't imagine.......

[ShortnFiery]

18. But sadly, it was preventable. Sometimes I feel as if people adopting K-9s be reqired to

attend a basic dog obedience course - as much for the training of the owners as the animal. :(

[Canuckistanian]

20. I really dislike these senationalist stories

Stuff like this happens on a regular basis. Always has. There's no 'trend' here.

We only hear about it on the Interwebs when it's especially lurid.

[Blue Diadem]

29. 32 yrs ago, I remember reading a similar story.

It stuck with me because the baby girl that died was just a few weeks old, and was the same age as my baby girl.