newborn killed by family's Siberian husky~~ God be with them

May God give these parents strength. What a sad story.


Coventry newborn killed by family's Siberian husky

BY BENJAMIN N. GEDAN
Journal Staff Writer



A Siberian husky attacked and killed its owners' seven-day-old infant yesterday inside the family's Coventry home on Manning Court, town officials said last night.

The police withheld most details of the attack, pending an interview with the child's parents. Coventry police Lt. Ronald DaSilva only confirmed the baby's death and said the incident is being investigated by detectives.

"We're still trying to speak to the family about it," DaSilva said. He did not disclose the victim's name or address. The town solicitor, Patrick J. Sullivan, said the police had not contacted the parents by late last night.

The dog apparently mauled the baby yesterday morning, while the child was home with its mother. The newborn's father had left for work when the dog attacked, Town Councilman Gregory Laboissonniere said.

The dog inflicted severe injuries and the child died of internal bleeding, according to Town Council Vice President Richard T. Sanetti. "It had punctured the side of the infant, its torso, and caused internal bleeding," Sanetti said. "It's heartbreaking. These two young parents are just beside themselves."

The family lives in the Blackrock neighborhood near Blackrock Road and Sandalwood Court, not far from West Warwick. The baby, the couple's first child, was born last Thursday, said Sanetti, who was informed of the incident by Human Resources Director Paul Sprague.

The mother attempted to drive the baby to the hospital, but she stopped just over the Coventry line at a West Warwick Fire Department station, Coventry fire Pvt. Jim Perry said. She arrived at 8:25 a.m. at Station 2 on Main Street, in the town's Lippitt section, where two firefighters performed first aid and took the infant to Kent Hospital, West Warwick Battalion Chief Gerard Tellier said.

"They pulled up at the station, knocked on the door and asked for help," Tellier said.

A hospital spokesman was not available for comment yesterday, and a nursing supervisor said she had no information about the incident. Laboissonniere said hospital officials closed off the section of the emergency room where they examined the infant. He said the baby died before it arrived at the hospital.

"Apparently the gentleman had headed off to work and a short time later the lady called him and said the baby wasn't breathing," Laboissonniere said. "Everyone in that emergency room today was just a basket case."

"It's an unfortunate tragedy," added Coventry Town Council President Frank Hyde, whose district includes the Blackrock neighborhood. "As a parent, I'm speechless. May God be with them."

The dog was impounded and is being held at the Coventry animal shelter on Flat River Road, Sanetti said. Carolyn Lacombe, the town's animal control officer, referred questions to the police, who refused comment about the dog.

Many animals can be predatory and territorial and sometimes mistake a crying infant for a small injured animal, said Dr. E.J. Finocchio, director of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals.

Most fatal dog attacks involve children less than one year old, Finocchio said, because of their resemblance to small animals and newness in a household.

"Animals are predators, they're hunters," Finocchio said. "When you have a baby, the baby's whining and crying maybe mimics that of an injured animal. The dogs are confused."

"We've become too trusting of our animals," Finocchio said. "We trust them like a family member, forgetting that they are animals, never ever to be trusted."

 

How sad. Cant imagine how anyone would ever be able to get through that.

 

so sad.

 

How incredibly sad and unfortunate. :cry:

 

Very sad indeed. The baby was brought into the hospital I happen to work at. (Not on my shift) so many People felt soooo horrible for the parents.
The dog is also being housed at the shelter I am a dog trainer at.
All the way around, its horrible. Everyone feels the parents pain.
Probably something very freak and a total accident on everyone's part.
Who knows what triggered this?

If anything comes out of this, hopefully, people will be more careful with dogs and babies/young children.
Please don't get me wrong, I am not blaming anyone in this case, I am just trying to see something positive (if possible) come out of such a tragedy.
Again, my thoughts and prayers go out to this family.



http://www.familydogonline.com/Babies.htm