Baby killed by family dogs

[littleducks]

Cant believe there is another story like this:

news.aol.co.uk/family-dogs-maul-baby-to-death/article/2009020713191350252763

plonker, yes, that is true. altho I have to say, I am wondering why she didn;t have the baby in her arms as I am damn sure if it were me, I would be trying to sve the baby, not running about screaming.

but then, I have never been in that position so who am I to say what I would do?

diedandgonetodevons post upset me as she implied it was the babys fault for getting killed!

Erm, Lilyloo if you read her posts she was very agressive/rude from the off (not to mention implying that it was 3mth old's fault somehow). I know that this is an emotive subject, but I think Died's was overly defensive (can you even be overly defensive?)

Hmm, its hard to comment without facts but I assumed that baby and dogs had been left in same room (maybe gran was making up feeds, I really really don't know) because for her to have 'discovered' it, then she must have come back into the room, and wouldn't have had chance to save the baby????

Only my guesswork though, as I say, its so hard to comment when not armed with the facts ...

Sorry, that was to psychomum

i have a wee boy who is 14 weeks old on monday.

he's very 'jerky' in his movements. he boots his legs even in his sleep, and when he's wakening up he waves his arms and moves his head from side to side.

his cot is right at the foot of our bed and today DH caught him pulling our duvet through the cot!

poor little baby.

Makes me feel quite sick.

From what I've read this poor baby was asleep downstairs in a basket and this attack occurred around midnight. It reads as if grandmother wasn't also downstairs but no doubt the true awful circumstances will become apparent. Both dogs have of course been put down.

My mum has a dog (Yorkie) and even though ds is now 4.5 and several times bigger than dog we never ever allow ds and dog to be left alone in the same room together, ever. Dog is incredibly placid and friendly but mum and I would never take the risk.

expat, is he really 14wks already

where did that time go!?

Have reread her post and still can't see how she has been rude or blaming the baby.

Guess that's the problem with online chats!

I think her point was that children can unknowingly frighten/scare/torment a dog and that in turn can cause the dog to react. (in some cases not necessarily this one)

Therefore as she said dogs and children shouldn't be left alone.
That is the risk.

he is, and he does a pose just like the one that poor baby is doing in the pictures on the news.

babies that age are just realising that their arms and legs are theirs and under their control and so move them about a lot.

our wee man can also be a bit noisy at night, even whimpering or cooing in his sleep.

some reports say the baby was sleeping downstairs in a basket.

so it appears the grandmother was out of the room when the attack occured.

poor wee soul!

Blue the point I am trying to make is from being very calm to barking snapping and becoming a pack animal again was instant (and yes the dog had reason to feel the need to defend it self I know) but a dog is an animal no matter how well treated and loved they are and no matter how well the owners train them.

Dogs do attack and every time I see a story like this in the papers I just think the whole thing could have been avoided if people worked out dogs and children do not mix

So people should only have dogs if they don't want Kids...or if a dogowner finds themselves in the predicament of having a Baby they should get rid of the dog...wow...bit of an overreaction...

but yeah, the poor Baby....
Jack Russels are hunting dogs, aren't they...and don't think they generally make good family pets...staffies, the ones I know are all lovely and all that...but they also are very well trained and looked after and not trained as weapons or something like that...

I would think that it probably is best to ensure that dogs and Kids aren't unsupervised...

anyway, again, how tragic for the poor Baby and the Family...

I do believe dogs and babies do not mix, but I do admit and have already admitted that I am very scared of dogs anyway so am somewhat biased

Chief Inspector Jim Baker said:...
"Although the exact circumstances of the baby's death are yet to be established, we would like to reiterate the advice given to dog owners that dogs should never be left unsupervised with young children at any time."

"...reiterate the advice given to dog owners..."

Chances are that had the Grandmother been a responsible dog owner, the baby would still be alive as would the animals.

It's another avoidable tragedy.

It does have a lot to do with the breed also.

Our Golden Retrievers have been subjected to being dressed up by DD including ridiculous hats, teddy bears on the back, and yoghurt/banana on tail.

They have never growled, and in worst case scenario, they have left the room which in canine means, 'leave me alone...'

I wouldn't leave them in the same room together alone, but wouldn't leave DD alone with DS either.

lizzy...disenchanted stated that she believes that if you have dogs you should not have Kids...

I think, btw., that diedindevon was making the same point that expat is making....I do not think she said she felt the Baby was at fault, etc...

I lovemydog exactly the ways dc can 'provoke' ( in the loosest term) but different breeds have different temperaments.
My dog (collie) would also walk away.

Lizzy that is one of the reasons i am glad we have a dog as being afraid of them can last a life time which is sad given lots of dogs are really lovely.But i still wouldnt leave her alone with dc.

Like a lot of the other fatal dog attacks, this one happened in the grandmother's house, and the dogs appear to have been left alone with the baby.

It is very sad and so avoidable.

catweazle, just what I thought. Another grandmother looking after child, attacked by dogs at night. When will people learn? Dogs are animals, they cannot control their own impulses no matter how loved or well trained.

Oh good lord, I hope it was quick.

Poor little boy.

Bluesapph - do you have stair gates to keep your rottie out of every room?

I have to say, I wouldn't have a rottie I found wandering the streets in a house with a baby, but you make your own decisions and I'm sure you are sensible.

I don't think anyone is implying that the baby was at fault.

As for the grandmother's reaction, tbh I think that sometimes when the unexpected happens we can't always react in the way we think we would. My guide dog was attacked by a staffy once. I came out of my house and this dog shot across the road attached itself to her throat. I lost all power of rational thought and became totally histerical - couldn't think what to do. Luckily for me dh was with me and battered said staffy over the head with a laptop. Had he not been there I have no doubt that injury to my own dog would have been severe.

I have to say though that I am always and when I hear of people whose children dress the dog up/pull its ear/tail etc even though they claim the dog would walk away. Fgs it is an animal - a living animal who deserves respect, and any parent who allows their children to treat their pets in that way has only themselves to blame if the dog one day turns and bites the child out of frustration. No child should treat any dog like that.

wannabe...how scary...
and dogs can do real damage, am under no illusions/disillusions there....actually just dealt with a patient the other week, who was bitten terribly when trying to split up her dog and an attacking dog...

however, playing/playfighting between dogs and Kids doesn't mean no respect dfor dogs...dogs love to play...but definetely supervised only and if anything hurtful is done, either side, it should be stopped, of course...

It's very sad. I think some dog owners become complacent and believe their dog will never turn. I've had a discussion on this subject with my dh tonight. I have a stairgate between the living room and hallway to provide a quiet place for my dog away from the dcs.

When dd1 was a baby, I went upstairs to the toilet and, all of a sudden, I heard wailing. I ran downstairs and found the moses basket on the floor with dd1 underneath it. She'd stirred and the dog went to investigate. She was alright (thank goodness) and it taught me early on that I couldn't and shouldn't leave my dog alone with a baby/child. My fault entirely

WannaBe - give me a break. The kids respect the dogs. The dogs respect the kids. If my 2 year old puts a hat on the dog, I don't think this is cause for alarm or concern. If DD has sticky fingers this gets on the dogs tail, am fairly sure the RSPCA won't respond.

Obviously my dogs aren't as trained as yours, but they are very placid. Plus they get at least an hour walk and swim daily minimum, so aren't all agitated.

RIP little one - which I think should be the point.