7 Day Old Baby Bitten By Family Dog

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Are bassinets still those sort of bouncy chair beds for babies that are on the floor?

I bet those parents are wishing they had a do-over right now. Sigh.

[raineth]

Are bassinets still those sort of bouncy chair beds for babies that are on the floor?

I bet those parents are wishing they had a do-over right now. Sigh.

That's a bouncer :)

Bassinets are like small cots with low sides, designed for babies about 12 weeks and under. They are often on wheels so you can move them about the house.

Edited June 22, 2015 by raineth

[Yonjuro]

Just this morning a lady came into the off lead park where my boy was running amok with his greyhound mate. A lady with a Chihuahua came to the gate to ask if my wolf would be okay with her chi... I said yep, no problems. The little Chi runs like a mad thing across the park, my boys runs with. Stops, sniffs, and that it is. My point is that prey drive doesn't mean tragedy waiting to happen.

Prey drive with an animal not socialised to tell the difference between prey and non-prey animals can be a tragedy waiting to happen. Small dogs die in dog parks because of it.

That's why you actually have to go through a process of socialising a dog, ANY dog to a new born baby... and to be extra careful with the tiny babies.

This is so true, there's always a first time. How many times have you heard people shocked as their dog hasn't reacted that way before?

I think of the lovely Kirty's thread on Toby, things are always fine until they're not.

There is always risk with any sentient being. Weighing up the risk is important. With this mornings session at the park, I weighed up the risk - I know from experience and massive amounts of socialisation, that the risk was very very low with my Husky towards this Chi, I had also made the stereotyped assessment that the little guy would probably be snappy to my bigger dog. To say there is no risk ever would be foolhardy. With this situation and very few other dogs that could amp up a situation, I made the call that it should be okay. I have been in this same situation too many times to count. Sure we can all say things are fine until they are not, which is unfortunately true, but to live risk free is simply impossible. My assessment was very very low risk, not no risk.

My daughter wants a Rabbit or guinea pig, I consider that high risk, so will not have one. I would also consider a cat high risk in my house, as such we won't get one. Many Husky people have cats but for me that is very high risk.

If we brought a new baby into the house I would consider my Husky as very low risk - but the consequences of not being ever able to be 100% sure is enormous. Would I dump my dog is a rescue or advertise on gumtree? - no way! I would ensure that there was never a second of unsupervised interaction. I would also be consulting with our trainer or getting specialised baby/dog advice from a behaviourist like Kathy Kopellis McLeod - who happens to have 4 or 5 huskies and has written a book on the subject.

My previous dog was 9 when my daughter was born and we were super vigilant with all interactions, and we also taught her how to interact with dogs from a very early age. She is 7 now and is an absolute natural with dogs. There is still risk that she may get bitten by a dog in public but we have done all that is possible to lower the risk as much as is possible for a outdoor loving, non-playstation child.

I am not going to just stay inside or in the backyard with my Husky, so there will always be risk of or from something. My job as my dogs guardian, is to try and assess each risk as it presents but not to wrap him in cotton wool. I am proud of my boy and each time I am out I try and be an ambassador for the breed. I am not perfect, my dog is not perfect but we try to behave well to others even when some don't seem behave well towards us.

I have been bitten by a dog recently that went for mine, so I put my body between them and have the scars to prove it. Low risk turned to high risk and I copped it, fortunately the consequences were not high, but this won't stop me from enjoying outdoor life with my boy :)

[BarbedWire]

Are bassinets still those sort of bouncy chair beds for babies that are on the floor?

I bet those parents are wishing they had a do-over right now. Sigh.

It happened around 3am. The mother had just fed the baby and then gone back to bed. The baby was sleeping in its bassinet at the foot of their bed.

[raineth]

Yeah it makes me wonder whether they didn't really see it is leaving the baby unsupervised with the dogs they might very well have assumed the dogs were sleeping in the lounge room or something.

[Yonjuro]

I suppose it was case of perceived low risk and they simply didn't consider the high consequence.

It was terrible thing to happen, but I suppose they are lucky that even though the injury/s were serious they are not life threatening. Remember that this was a malamute and the baby was 7 days old, it wouldn't have taken much for it to be instant death

Edited June 22, 2015 by Yonjuro

[Rascalmyshadow]

I don't think the parents have done anything to put the baby at risk in this case. A bassinet is high up not low to the ground and if the baby and rest of the household was asleep then I would imagine unless the dog had already given warning signs the parents would have no reason to think the baby was at risk.

Very sad situation all round, if it were my dog it would be PTS straight away.

[dogbesotted]

honestly people really fail to really understand that their pet dog is a predator... a newborn is usually nothing they have had experience with and yet we seem to expect the dog to know that it belongs.

some close friend of mine quite some time ago decided that the best action was to have a security door on the babys room just to make sure that no accident of this kind could happen.. seems like wise action to me.

H

[BarbedWire]

I don't think the parents have done anything to put the baby at risk in this case. A bassinet is high up not low to the ground and if the baby and rest of the household was asleep then I would imagine unless the dog had already given warning signs the parents would have no reason to think the baby was at risk.

Very sad situation all round, if it were my dog it would be PTS straight away.

Parents can't supervise while they are sleeping. If it had been my baby the dogs would have been in crates or outside or the baby would have been behind closed doors and if I thought the dogs could open doors the doors would have been locked. I actually had to protect one of my babies from her toddler brother who thought it was okay to take the baby out of the bassinet. I put a lock on her door to keep him out.

[mita]

Yes, some time back, I heard Dr Harry recommend putting a security or grille door on a baby's bedroom. Dog could see, smell & hear the baby, but not get near it when unsupervised.

[Dame Aussie]

That's not a bad idea actually

[mita]

Yes, I reckon that it's better than a baby gate... which could be easily dislodged or, if low enough, jumped over.

[Jemmy]

I always thought if I had kids I'd put a screen door on the baby's room, as I have cats that like to lie on people and warm things - translate that to a warm snuggly baby and it would be a recipe for disaster. It would work for dogs too.

[Simply Grand]

I suppose it was case of perceived low risk and they simply didn't consider the high consequence.

It was terrible thing to happen, but I suppose they are lucky that even though the injury/s were serious they are not life threatening. Remember that this was a malamute and the baby was 7 days old, it wouldn't have taken much for it to be instant death

I was thinking along those lines too. The news said the baby was mauled but with a large dog and a tiny baby it could have been a case of the dog going what is this thing and picking it up by the head to investigate it, as dogs do. Curiosity rather than anything else maybe.

Of course the dog shouldn't have had access to the baby though

[Guest donatella]

I would guess the dog nipped it, if it mauled a newborn it wouldn't survive

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

My parents were very very careful about cats and cots. I think our family cat had several "flying lessons" before she figured out baby cot was completely out of bounds. My dad worked in hospital emergency so I guess he'd seen a few cases of baby suffocated by cat. I don't remember the family dog ever being in the same room as the cot or in our bedrooms when we were little.

Our family cot was very high sided (stuff the ergonomics for mum), I don't think a Malamute would have been able to reach over the top and put its head in - not like the bassinet in the picture Raineth posted. Tho some dogs and most cats would still be able to jump in. I think its main hazard was trapping baby fingers tho that did not happen to any of us.

[Yonjuro]

I suppose it was case of perceived low risk and they simply didn't consider the high consequence. It was terrible thing to happen, but I suppose they are lucky that even though the injury/s were serious they are not life threatening. Remember that this was a malamute and the baby was 7 days old, it wouldn't have taken much for it to be instant death

I was thinking along those lines too. The news said the baby was mauled but with a large dog and a tiny baby it could have been a case of the dog going what is this thing and picking it up by the head to investigate it, as dogs do. Curiosity rather than anything else maybe. Of course the dog shouldn't have had access to the baby though

I would guess the dog nipped it, if it mauled a newborn it wouldn't survive

That is my guess as well. Mallies are big and powerful, I would imagine a split second of real intended harm would have been instant death of a 7 day old with soft skin and bones.

Not making any excuses as I, like everyone else here only knows what the media has said. Mauling to me means repeated biting and tearing. Non life threatening injuries to me means that it can't have been so severe that there was major trauma and blood loss.

Either way it is horrible for all concerned and I dearly hope that the wounds are not as bad as we might think. Horrible for the parents, but it certainly could have been far worse :-(

Edited June 22, 2015 by Yonjuro

[Pjrt]

I have advised many a client to invest in a sturdy security screen door for the baby room. Much safer than a baby gate, especially in a house with larger dogs. It sounds a bit odd to put a screen door internally but it works a treat. Keeps pets and other kids, visitors, even insects, out of the room but allows for air and noise transfer while the parent can confidently get on with other things, even give the dog some safe indoor time.

[_PL_]

Sad a lot of people don't expect their dog to react in a 'dog' kind of way to newborns. You only have to watch some of the utube videos with people laughing and giggling about how cute a dog & baby interaction is when it's clear the dog is NOT happy. And the tot is in a very risky situation.

Newborns with their strange new smell and high little squeal could provoke any kind of unexpected reaction. It's so risky, but they may have seen their dog be completely bomb proof around other marginally older children.

I'm so sorry for the innocent baby. Hopefully too young to remember.

xxx

[The Spotted Devil]

I have advised many a client to invest in a sturdy security screen door for the baby room. Much safer than a baby gate, especially in a house with larger dogs. It sounds a bit odd to put a screen door internally but it works a treat. Keeps pets and other kids, visitors, even insects, out of the room but allows for air and noise transfer while the parent can confidently get on with other things, even give the dog some safe indoor time.

Same here Gruf.