Infant boy is killed by pet dog

[wmenorr67]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080729_11_A1_hPolic300538

Police unsure which of two dogs is to blame in mauling

An infant was killed by a pet dog Monday morning in his Tulsa home, police said.

Officer Jason Willingham said the 2-month-old boy was mauled by either a black Labrador puppy or a small pug at his home in the 2900 block of East 102nd St.

The mauling was discovered shortly after 10 a.m., and the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

Willingham said the baby's mother and grandmother were home at the time but that nobody was in the room when the baby was hurt.

"The child was left unattended in a swing," he said.

The family did not wish to be interviewed at the scene, and a phone message left at their home Monday afternoon was not returned.

As of Monday evening, police had not released the family's names.

Police are unsure which dog killed the boy, Willingham said. However, both dogs were taken to the Tulsa Animal Shelter, where manager Jean Letcher said the Lab was euthanized at the request of Tulsa police.

D'Ann Berson, operations manager for the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said an attack on a young child by a Lab would be an "unusual incident."

"Labs as a rule are good family dogs," she said. "They're not bred to be attack dogs."

Some dogs become aggressive around food or toys, Berson said. But an attack would be more common with a toddler, rather than an infant sitting in a swing, she said.

Since May 1, Emergency Medical Services Authority medics have provided emergency care to nine children who had been bitten by dogs, said EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells. Five of the children were in the Tulsa area, and four were in the Oklahoma City area, which EMSA also serves.

All of the children were older than 3, and none suffered life-threatening or disfiguring injuries, Wells said. Most of the dogs were family pets or neighborhood dogs, she said.

Willingham said he is not sure what, if any, charges could result from the case.

"It's just a very tragic set of circumstances," he said. "It's a very hard situation to investigate."

This is the story from the paper.

Tragic story no doubt.  There is also a story on at least on of the news channels website.  They both have comments and all are saying the same thing.  How does a 6 week puppy maul a 2 month baby?  Too many questions for such a simple answer.  Can't wait to see what an autopsy shows.

[mtnbkr]

There is something missing.  At worst, a 6 week old puppy might have harmed the child while playing, but I wouldn't call that a mauling.  I also can't see a Pug mauling a child.  They're more likely to curl up with the kid and take a nap.

Chris

[Regolith]

Strange.  Also, why was one of the dogs euthanized before they knew which one mauled the child?

[Balog]

There is something missing.  At worst, a 6 week old puppy might have harmed the child while playing, but I wouldn't call that a mauling.  I also can't see a Pug mauling a child.  They're more likely to curl up with the kid and take a nap.

Chris

Depends on the pug. A lot of small dogs are neurotic, and in terms of comparative size they can be just as dangerous to a child as a rottweiler or pit to an adult. And one or two bites in the right place will kill.

[wmenorr67]

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8746561

The story at the above link, on of the local news channels, states

The first responders were shaken by the scene.

EMSA relieved both the paramedics who responded and the dispatcher who took the call for a stress debriefing.

Kind of makes me wonder how horrific it may have been.

Another interesting quote.  

"Let's just say it was apparent the wounds came from the dog, and we don't know what caused the death of the child, but at this point it appears to be dog bites," said Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham.

So the child may not have died from the bites.

[wmenorr67]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/29/dnt.ok.puppy.kills.baby.cnn

Video link on the story.

[Azrael256]

Depends on the pug. A lot of small dogs are neurotic

Yeah, but mauling a child?  Pugs are about the most docile breed there is.  Labs, really, aren't far behind.  Although Labs are in the top ten for biting breeds, I've always suspected it's because there are just so very many of them.

I agree with mtnbkr, something is missing here.

[Iain]

There is one good reason you might euthanise a dog that has been around a dead body, even if it wasn't the killer.

[Regolith]

There is one good reason you might euthanise a dog that has been around a dead body, even if it wasn't the killer.

And that would be?...

[ilbob]

why would a parent leave a 2 month old baby alone in a swing long enough for such an event to happen in the first place? the story is not clear just how long the infant was alone, but it sounds like it may have been some time.

I am always a little nervous when i hear about a 6 week old puppy though. no puppy should be taken away from its mother that young. it is just asking for trouble, and reputable breeders know it. i wonder how long they had this puppy.

[Iain]

Well, a couple of people have noted that something might be missing from this story. The reason I can see would be if what was missing was human flesh.

[Tuco]

Puppies have very sharp teeth.  And then to chew things.

Babies have thin skin, and can't run away or fight off a six week old puppy.

This is just sad. 

[yesitsloaded]

Lack. Of. Parental. Responsibility.

[Balog]

Depends on the pug. A lot of small dogs are neurotic

Yeah, but mauling a child?  Pugs are about the most docile breed there is.  Labs, really, aren't far behind.  Although Labs are in the top ten for biting breeds, I've always suspected it's because there are just so very many of them.

I agree with mtnbkr, something is missing here.

Most pugs and labs are docile, sure. Mistreat any kind of dog and it might turn vicious. Starve any kind of dog and it get food any way it could. Labs and Newfoundlands are two of the most docile and good with kids breeds around, but a lab/newfie mix mauled the crap out of the kid of a basetball player (Patrick Ewing iirc) a few years back. Breed behaviours are broad brushstrokes; even when generally true there are always exceptions.

[Antibubba]

"The child was left unattended in a swing," he said.

That's the key phrase right there.

Labs are gentle dogs, but they're rambunctious.  What I see is one of those handcranked swings going back and forth, and a large puppy who sees all that motion as a game.  Haven't you ever swung a rope past your dog and yanked it away just before the dog grabbed it?  *snap*  Great fun for all involved.

EMSA relieved both the paramedics who responded and the dispatcher who took the call for a stress debriefing.

Kind of makes me wonder how horrific it may have been.

Imagining the scenario above, I'd say there was probably blood everywhere, a lot of it made by large puppy paws.

ilbob said:

why would a parent leave a 2 month old baby alone in a swing long enough for such an event to happen in the first place

An adult lab would have known better--probably.  But this is like leaving your six year old in charge of the baby.  Child endangerment charges are probably called for, although the guilty feelings will hurt more than any court sentence.

[41magsnub]

I agree with antibubba.  My lab is one of the nicest and sweetest dogs ever after she became fully socialized and trained.  As a very young puppy with her little needle teeth she would constantly draw blood play biting us until we broke her of that habit, it did not take long.  I could totally envision her not seeing the baby as anything besides a toy at that age and a tasty one at that with all the blood she drew play biting.  Without somebody there to correct the dogs behavior when it started getting a little rough it would think it is ok and keep going.

We still let her play bite as an adult but she has an extremely soft mouth, she doesn't even leave marks.  She knows the command "no biting" and if we say that she does some apology kisses and then plays nice.  We are always careful, but it is just ridiculous to us that she would ever hurt a person since the happiest and most excited she gets is when she meets a "new person".. 

[BlueStarLizzard]

labs usually are gentle.

but, depending on where they got the lab, i can see this happening. labs are often products of puppy mills and indiscriminate commercial breeders. usually this results in the dumbest dog on earth, but it can produce animals with agression issues.

secondly, who leaves a baby unattended in the presence of a puppy big enough to do damage? and if they had the dog for some period of time, the dog should have already been trained that baby was off limits.

i would say that mom and grandma are to blame for this.

[41magsnub]

lsecondly, who leaves a baby unattended in the presence of a puppy big enough to do damage? and if they had the dog for some period of time, the dog should have already been trained that baby was off limits.

The dog is/was 6 weeks old.  How long could they possibly have had it?

[mtnbkr]

Another question is WTH did they get a dog with such a young child around the house?  If we had a kid under 2, we wouldn't bring a dog home for at least another couple years.  The only reason we have a dog and a young child is because we got the dog almost a year before Shell got pregnant.

Chris

[Stand_watie]

Baby swing, little bare feet swinging back and forth, back and forth, six week old puppy grabbing and dragging, grabbing and dragging, the little feet. Yeah I can see it. It must have taken a while. Horrible. The mom and grandmother being far enough out of the picture not to hear the screaming over an extended period and not checking is the worst.

[mtnbkr]

The more I think about it, the more I can see this happening.  When I first read "mauling", I was thinking violent attack, but this was probably anything but.  Sharp puppy teeth, thin infant skin, etc, I can see where this was heading.

Chris

[BlueStarLizzard]

lsecondly, who leaves a baby unattended in the presence of a puppy big enough to do damage? and if they had the dog for some period of time, the dog should have already been trained that baby was off limits.

The dog is/was 6 weeks old.  How long could they possibly have had it?

sorry, i miss read and thought 6 months. and now i really have no respect. the breeder i work for doesn't let her puppies go till their 8 to 10 weeks old. the reason is that, at 6 weeks they should have only just been weened and are not ready to leave their siblings. these people obviously knew less they anything about getting a dog.

[AZRedhawk44]

I am always a little nervous when i hear about a 6 week old puppy though. no puppy should be taken away from its mother that young. it is just asking for trouble, and reputable breeders know it. i wonder how long they had this puppy.

I got my lab mix Achilles at 5-6 weeks old from the pound.

He's been a huge challenge.  He was never weaned properly from his mother, he didn't have his litter to learn to play nicely (and how bites feel).  The pound wouldn't release him without neutering, but he was WAY too young for it.  The result?  He still "lipsticks" when he gets excited or agitated by something, indicating that the neutering did not have the desired effect of removing some of the dominance-related hormones.

I may get rid of him if I have children and he's still alive.  He doesn't play nicely... he's rough.  He's territorial, despite 2 trainers and and behaviorist.

I love him dearly, but he isn't a child compatible dog.  I don't let him be around children.

Another month with his litter and mother would have helped immensely, but the entire litter was given up very early to the pound and he got better care with us than he ever would have at the shelter.

Six week old puppies don't have any business around babies and toddlers.

[wmenorr67]

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8753165

New details.

This is the headline.

Baby Killed By Puppy Unattended For Over An Hour

[/b]

Things are still not adding up.  Last person that for sure saw the baby alive was the grandfather at 8:30 AM.  Child was found around 10:00 AM, dead.

[Antibubba]

sorry, i miss read and thought 6 months. and now i really have no respect. the breeder i work for doesn't let her puppies go till their 8 to 10 weeks old. the reason is that, at 6 weeks they should have only just been weened and are not ready to leave their siblings. these people obviously knew less they anything about getting a dog.

Probably obtained from the "Free puppies" box so often found in poorer neighborhoods.

Damn.  The parents are just kids themselves.