3 month old killed by family dog - Rottweiler

[Liberal_in_LA]

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 3-month-old girl sitting in her infant swing was attacked and mauled to death by one of the family's nine dogs.

It happened Sunday afternoon at the family's home on Caruso Forest Drive in northwest Harris County.

Investigators are still asking questions in the baby girl's death and some say the attack was highly unusual, even for a dog of a more aggressive breed.

The three-bedroom house where the fatal dog attack happened is on a quiet street lined with small family homes; not the kind of place you might expect to find nine dogs, mostly Rottweilers or Rott mixes.

"The mother had stated to our 911 operators that a large Rottweiler had mauled and bitten the 3-month-old infant daughter," said Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The mother, Alva Vaughn, told investigators that she had taken one dog into a bathroom to wash it around 4pm when another dog pushed his way into the house and attacked the infant, who'd been left in her baby swing.

"Upon our arrival, EMS had started CPR on the infant child. The infant had sustained numerous lacerations and bite marks on the arms and upper body," said Deputy Gilliland.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7853330

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[DrDan]

2. damn - what the poor little girl had to go through . . . .damn

[Bold Lib]

3. I wonder if this was an act of aggression on the dog['s part or

if the dog was thinking he/she had a new play toy.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Idiot Owners - and too many probably neglected dogs

Alavingris told us there were two dogs out of the nine who had problems with the baby, and were kept away from her.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7853330

The Vaughn family have nine dogs. The family’s other seven dogs were in the backyard when the baby was attacked. All the animals — four Rottweilers and five mixed breeds — live outdoors, the mother told police.

http://www.examiner.com/child-welfare-in-national/baby-dies-after-being-mauled-by-family-dog

Harris County Sheriff's Sgt. Felipe Rivera says the child's mother, 41-year-ols Alva Vaughn, had thought she'd blocked the back door with a washing machine and marble slab while bathing one of her three other Rottweilers. She'd left daughter Janet in the swing and was in the bathroom when she heard another dog barking in the house.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7347980.html

The child's parents keep nine dogs in their back yard, including rottweilers, Chows and large mixed-breeds, investigators said.

A neighbor said she remembers a close call with some of her neighbor's dogs about a year ago.

"There was one in the front yard, two across the street, so I just backed into my house, locked the gate, and that's when they came charging up … at the gate," Bonnie Reed said.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/26198874/detail.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. If you have to block doors with appliances and marble slabs, you have too many dogs

[Donnachaidh]

8. yup. That's the problem

Rotties are very territorial, and they had a pack going on.

[RamboLiberal]

12. And if there were 2 that had issues with the baby

Then those 2 should've been found another owner or turned over to a shelter.

[CTyankee]

6. the problem is not neglected dogs as much as neglected children.

what the hell is wrong with people???

[Donnachaidh]

7. Too many dogs, period

I like Rotties, but when you have THAT many you have a *pack* mentality going on, and the child might have been seen as a threat to the pecking order in the pack.

I hope they take those dogs away. Irresponsible pet owners.

[Dorian Gray]

9. That poor poor baby

I won't leave my 2 month old alone in the room with our cat... for this very reason.

[stray cat]

10. And the dogs life is equal in value to the 3 month old according to some

[flvegan]

11. "...even for a dog of a more aggressive breed."

Reporting fail.

My heart does go out to the family. Truly a tragedy. Very sad.

[kath]

13. I think it's bulllshit that so many people keep their dogs outside 365/24/7.

If you want to have a pet, then care about it enough to let it in your house and give it some human attention and affection.
Don't leave the fuckers outside to bark their asses off and disturb the whole friggin' neighborhood. :grr: :grr:

[EFerrari]

14. You can't leave a dog alone and expect it to be a pet. n/t

[Ian David]

15. My mom bred Rotties, and she bred them to have good temperament. HOWEVER...

Like many breeds, Rotties can tend to revert to pack-like behavior when in a group.

I would never recommend having more than two Rottweilers in one household-- or having more than one if there is a child.