A week old baby killed by a Jack Russel

[mommy0629]

Here's the thing, dogs are animals and people forget that. The whole "it's not just a dog, it's like my child, a member of the family" Ok, I love my dog too and of course she's important to me, but it's soooo common for ppl to humanize their animals and trust them like they would a human. I worked as a vet tech for a long time and I've seen this to the extreme. I actually know someone (an accuantance), who never wanted any children but adores animals, who when asked "If your dog and my child were on the road about to get hit by a car, who would you save?" She said her dog!!!

My point in saying this is that too many people put the comfort of a pet (like not locking up a dog to keep it away from a baby if no one's in the room) over the safety of a HUMAN. Like I said, I love animals but this is an tragic example of someone not remembering that a dog is a dog, an animal.

I feel extremely sorry for this family and can't even imagine their grief, but do I point the finger at them for being irresponsible with a dog, yes 110%. I'm sorry, but people need to get a clue. Was it the dog's fault? NO, not at all, after all it's just an animal and didn't know any better or realize what it was doing. Did a grown adult act carelessly with a precious baby? Yes.

My family was visiting for Thanksgiving yesterday and my 18 month old nephew of course wanted to see and touch lo. We were soooo carefull to make sure to keep reminding him to "be gentle" "no no, that's too rough, nice like this" etc. etc. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Does this also sound familiar - "Look at the baby Fido! Awwwww you wanna give the baby kisses?" Why do people have enough common sense to carefully watch a toddler with a baby, but will leave them alone with an animal.

 

[cmarie33]

I actually feel a bit sick that this has turned into such a debate.
That family now will torture themselves for the rest of their lives. They have lost something so precious through a tragic mistake.
We've all got our opinions as to why we would/wouldn't allow dogs near our lo's, can we not just leave it at that now? Imagine if the poor babys mum is a member of this forum and she reads all these.

 

[cissyhope]

I actually feel a bit sick that this has turned into such a debate.
That family now will torture themselves for the rest of their lives. They have lost something so precious through a tragic mistake.
We've all got our opinions as to why we would/wouldn't allow dogs near our lo's, can we not just leave it at that now? Imagine if the poor babys mum is a member of this forum and she reads all these.

^^^ agreed! gosh people are a bit judgemental i feel for the dog as its not the dogs fault and yes it possibly is the fault of the parents but we dont know circumstances,the parents could have turned their back for one sec through sleep deprivation and what a terrible mistake and god,how to live through that mistake i would just want to die...and they are prob blaming each other as well as themselves, we are not all perfect and slip up in parenting and usually its something u learn from and move on but sometimes it ends up fatal,i just feel so so so sorry for the baby,the dog and the parents

 

[JessPape]

I refuse to read stories like this, or, alone judge a dog based on a story like this. We don't know the whole story, as the media never shares the full story. So we don't know if the parents had baby on the floor and walked away (an unresponsible thing to do), you can't trust a pet. Case closed.

We don't know the dogs behavior before baby came, or after the baby came.
We don't know the dogs background. We don't know the parents, or their background.

So to judge and say the dog is a horrible animal and should be put down, or what not isn't right. Any animal is going to attact something that they feels threatens them, a small baby crying on the floor can and may look threating.

 

[The Alchemist]

Latest news confirmed, from the post mortem, that lo passed away from significant head injury from just one bite. Dog WAS kept in a separate room, locked in the kitchen but somehow escaped.

So yes, to those who seemed judgmental or seem to put blame on the adults, the dog was kept in the kitchen away from the newborn, so you can lay down your wagging finger now.

 

[staralfur]

Latest news confirmed, from the post mortem, that lo passed away from significant head injury from just one bite. Dog WAS kept in a separate room, locked in the kitchen but somehow escaped.

So yes, to those who seemed judgmental or seem to put blame on the adults, the dog was kept in the kitchen away from the newborn, so you can lay down your wagging finger now.

Just like that other story I posted about earlier in this thread. It seems that some people just can't accept that accidents happen. I'm sure someone will come back and say that obviously they weren't efficient enough in locking the dog away, blah blah.

So sad for the parents, the girl, the dog, and most of all the baby. No one's fault. Just a terrible accident.

 

[Eve]

My lab/border collie/pit-bull mix sleeps in our room with us and our daughter.

 

[Frooty]

Its terrible news feel so sorry for the family ... but shows u can never fully trust a dog with a child no matter how friendly u think they are they can turn at any moment thats one of a few reasons why i choose not to have pets

 

[Irish Eyes]

As the owner of 2 amazing jack Russells, I really hope this doesn't lead to people giving them up or seeing them as a dangerous dog. People get these dogs thinking that as they're small they don't need as much attention. If anything, they need a lot more attention and definitely lots of walks. For the ladies that said they've never met a JR that's sweet, I'd love you to meet mine. They know that LO is above them in the pack and the fact we include them leads them not to show jealousy at all.

My heart completely goes out to that family, it's not something you could ever forgive yourself for even though it was an accident.

 

[missmiylove]

I have a dog that doesnt ever bite unless you're playing with her..even then I don't consider her "play bite" an actual bite bc she doesnt bite down.
but I would NEVER EVER EVER leave my dog alone with my baby. You never know what could happen. Dog could want to play & attack

 

[special_kala]

It isnt always stupid owners.

ANY dog can snap no matter the training.

Yes but it's stupid owners that walk a dog off its leash near a child's play ground


And stupid owners who let their dog loose around their baby knowing its got an aggressive temperament

A dog doesn't know the difference between wrong and right until its trained to know

Beat me to it.

It is true that any dog is capable of vicious behaviour and doing damage/killing an infant. However it's far less likely if the owner is intelligent and aware of their dog's potential and respects it.

Im not an idiot and my dog bit me. He was a jack russel x and he bit my face.

No dog can be trusted 100%.

My childhood dog bit once in its 15 years, he knew the difference between right and wrong as much as any dog can but he was in pain which we didnt know about.

You can train a dog extremly well but its still a animal and they can snap for no reason.

Ok firstly... If your dog bit your face then perhaps putting your face next to a dogs mouth isn't sensible


And secondly... You have your dogs in the same room as your child... Supervised or not... I'm surprised that after being bit in the face by a dog your willing to put your kids in a room with one... It only took two seconds for that girls dog to bite and kill her kid...


Which part of that logic isn't stupid?

I no longer own the dog that bit me because I understood that my home was not the correct environment for him.

People snap, they hurt children, should we let no one near our kids? There are risks everywhere in life. It's about taking the appropriate steps to minimise those risks abs raising a dog correctly minimises the risks of owning a dog.

I would be incredible wary of a dog that had to be locked away from a child. To me that says unstable dog which is a massive risk because it only takes a second for a dog to escape

 

[bumpbear]

I think it's rather insensitive that this dreadful news has been turned in to a debate when the family of the little boy have wanted to stay out of the media. Horrible thing to do B&B ladies. Let them grieve without your two cents.

 

[Unbridled]

I haven't read anything but the original post, so please don't anyone think this comment is directed at them, because it's not. However...

One thing I learned in my years as a veterinary assistant is this: a dog that bites doesn't deserve to live.

I know it sounds harsh, but there are just too many good dogs out there in need of homes to put up with a vicious one. I've been bitten more times than I can count, always by small dogs like Yorkies, Jack Russells, and miniature dachshunds, whose owners think that because the dogs ARE small they can't cause major damage. Well, no, maybe not to an adult, but to a child? I think this tragedy proves how foolish that belief is.

I have two Labs and a German shepherd, and my mom has a Jack Russell mix (which I rescued and then trained and gave to her), and I wouldn't tolerate aggressive behavior from any of them. I can take meat out of their mouths and they know to surrender it without a growl. I've taught them respect without ever hitting or raising my voice to them. Proper training isn't that hard to do and it might save someone's life some day. It just baffles me that more people don't understand this. The fact that the baby's grandmother knew her dog had behaved aggressively toward people and still gave it access to a tiny baby makes me truly angry.

My heart goes out to that tiny angel, and to his poor mother. I can't imagine how devastated she must be.

 

[Dezireey]

I think it's rather insensitive that this dreadful news has been turned in to a debate when the family of the little boy have wanted to stay out of the media. Horrible thing to do B&B ladies. Let them grieve without your two cents.

I don't think your comment is warranted. This is a public forum and everyone on here has been upset about this, hence the long thread. *If you read all the posts in depth you will see that 1- people are concerned about their own babies and discuss how they would feel, so empathy is given. 2 - debating whether some dogs are good or dangerous is entirely relevant to the subject matter for educational purposes and prevention of a similar incident occurring and lastly 3 - I don't see how this debate is a horrible thing to do to someone ( bit harsh saying that?) *Some people on here ( including myself ) are quite angry that a little baby has died because of negligence, sorry but he has. The dog was known to be really aggressive. Yes, I feel for the parents and they are devastated. But they could have avoided the death of a defenceless baby by simply re-homing a dog that should never have had access to a newborn, so understandably people are a bit bloody angry about that.

 

[mayb_baby]

I think dog lovers (good owners/trainers/breeders) are hurt, as responsible owners will never have these incidents and all the while we are sympathetic to the hurt the parents are feeling, I mean that goes without saying.
But if this debate makes one person rethink their pet (an aggressive dog) it will have proved a purpose, as an above poster has said there are too many good dogs out that deserve responsible owners to put up with an aggressive dog especially around children.

 

[Dezireey]

Latest news confirmed, from the post mortem, that lo passed away from significant head injury from just one bite. Dog WAS kept in a separate room, locked in the kitchen but somehow escaped.*

So yes, to those who seemed judgmental or seem to put blame on the adults, the dog was kept in the kitchen away from the newborn, so you can lay down your wagging finger now.

You should totally re-home an aggressive dog with people who can re-train it or handle it better and certainly not keep it anywhere near children and babies, period.*

So by your logic it's okay to keep an aggressive animal in the same house/ area as a newborn baby as long as you keep locking it in another room all the time, thus always and consistently preventing an incident?*

And before you say we don't know anything, and we shouldn't judge. The one thing that is categorically 'fact' is that a tiny little newborn was killed by an aggressive dog, so hence the dog WAS aggressive otherwise ALL dogs across the world would behave exactly like this one and they do not.*

 

[Tasha]

I think it's rather insensitive that this dreadful news has been turned in to a debate when the family of the little boy have wanted to stay out of the media. Horrible thing to do B&B ladies. Let them grieve without your two cents.

I don't think your comment is warranted. This is a public forum and everyone on here has been upset about this, hence the long thread. *If you read all the posts in depth you will see that 1- people are concerned about their own babies and discuss how they would feel, so empathy is given. 2 - debating whether some dogs are good or dangerous is entirely relevant to the subject matter for educational purposes and prevention of a similar incident occurring and lastly 3 - I don't see how this debate is a horrible thing to do to someone ( bit harsh saying that?) *Some people on here ( including myself ) are quite angry that a little baby has died because of negligence, sorry but he has. The dog was known to be really aggressive. Yes, I feel for the parents and they are devastated. But they could have avoided the death of a defenceless baby by simply re-homing a dog that should never have had access to a newborn, so understandably people are a bit bloody angry about that.

It isnt as simple as that when you're living with your parents though. Shw lived at home with her parents/baby Harry's grandparents and it was their dog. She couldnt just rehome their dog.

 

[PepsiChic]

I think it's rather insensitive that this dreadful news has been turned in to a debate when the family of the little boy have wanted to stay out of the media. Horrible thing to do B&B ladies. Let them grieve without your two cents.

I don't think your comment is warranted. This is a public forum and everyone on here has been upset about this, hence the long thread. *If you read all the posts in depth you will see that 1- people are concerned about their own babies and discuss how they would feel, so empathy is given. 2 - debating whether some dogs are good or dangerous is entirely relevant to the subject matter for educational purposes and prevention of a similar incident occurring and lastly 3 - I don't see how this debate is a horrible thing to do to someone ( bit harsh saying that?) *Some people on here ( including myself ) are quite angry that a little baby has died because of negligence, sorry but he has. The dog was known to be really aggressive. Yes, I feel for the parents and they are devastated. But they could have avoided the death of a defenceless baby by simply re-homing a dog that should never have had access to a newborn, so understandably people are a bit bloody angry about that.

It isnt as simple as that when you're living with your parents though. Shw lived at home with her parents/baby Harry's grandparents and it was their dog. She couldnt just rehome their dog.

Then she should of found somewhere else to live. Thats blunt, thats harsh...but you DONT live in a house with a dangerous dog when you have a child...LET ALONE a newborn.

There is NO excuse to putting your child in that kind of danger, exposed to such a big risk. and its her parents fault too...whats more important their grandchild or an aggressive dog?

 

[Tasha]

Yeah because it is that simple isnt it? Every new mum has £1k lying round for the deposit and rent on a house, dont they?

And the conclusion that it was aggressive has been reached because it ripped the eye from a teddy (could of been playing) and the fact it barked and jumped up when someone tried to put a christmas cardthrough last year. Well if the barking and jumping up equals aggression then qabout 80% of dogs on the postround are aggressive.

The next comment is not aimed at you Pepsi, just a general comment. This thread feels like some people want her to be in the wrong. Sometimes we cant pre-empt what an animal will do, it sounds like precautions were taken but they failed. She was asleep in a house where she thought her baby was safe, she woke up to find her baby had been killed by the family dog. The guilt her parents must feel :'( and the pain she will have to live with forever

 

[patch2006uk]

Yeah because it is that simple isnt it? Every new mum has £1k lying round for the deposit and rent on a house, dont they?

And the conclusion that it was aggressive has been reached because it ripped the eye from a teddy (could of been playing) and the fact it barked and jumped up when someone tried to put a christmas cardthrough last year. Well if the barking and jumping up equals aggression then qabout 80% of dogs on the postround are aggressive.

The next comment is not aimed at you Pepsi, just a general comment. This thread feels like some people want her to be in the wrong. Sometimes we cant pre-empt what an animal will do, it sounds like precautions were taken but they failed. She was asleep in a house where she thought her baby was safe, she woke up to find her baby had been killed by the family dog. The guilt her parents must feel :'( and the pain she will have to live with forever

I think that's a pretty common reaction when anything tragic happens. Like when any child goes missing, people blame the parents. It reassures people that it won't happen to them as long as there is someone that can be 'blamed'. It's a natural response, I wouldn't judge anyone too harshly for it. Although it can come across as uncaring, it's just about reassuring yourself that your family is still safe.