Three year old Alaskan girl killed by dog

Three year old Krystal Brink died Thursday night as a result of a fatal dog attack.

The young toddler wandered away from the home she was visiting unattended and up to a team of 'sled dogs' that were chained in their back yard.  One of the dogs attacked her.

One of Brink's family members was so upset of the attack, that he ran outside and shot all seven of the dogs that were tied out in the yard. 

The incident happened in the rural village of Napakiak -- a community of 430 people about 400 miles west of Anchorage. Sled dog teams would be a pretty common form of transportation in such a remote area.

I feel sadness not only for the little girl's family, but also the owner of the dogs, who lost his entire sled dog team because someone wasn't watching their toddler and shot his dogs. The dog's owner has said he will not press charges.

These types of attacks are incredibly preventable. Parents should watch their toddlers, and dog owners should provide some protection or fencing around their dogs if they are chained up in this situation to protect them from intruding animals or people.

The story has run in over 300 media outlets.

Comments

[YesBiscuit!]

The shooter knew it would be considered a crime to shoot those responsible for the death so he shot the dogs instead.

[H Houlahan]

These kinds of attacks have a long history in rural Alaska.

My husband refers to the Nordic breeds -- which we both like very much -- as "the baby eaters." Not because they are vicious. The emphatically are not. Because they are predatory, and do not necessarily identify babies and toddlers as human.

Race mushers' code of ethics calls for a perimeter fence around a kennel of tethered dogs. This is one reason.

[the red dragon]

Oh, if they were my dogs, I'd press charges. How is it the dog's fault that the kid wasn't being watched???

[Brent]

The dog owner does need to assume SOME responsibility here. The dogs were chained up with zero protection from the elements -- wolves, children, whatever.

Now that being said, I would sue the heck out of them for killing my dogs when their unwatched toddler wandered into my yard.

[Margery Glickman]

Chaining is cruel and makes dogs aggressive. Check out http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks-abuseinkennels.htm#chaining

[arcticwanderer]

Only an idiot like Margery Glickman would suggest that pack animals not be chaned and allowed to run loose. If that happened there would be more maulings of children, if the dogs didn't kill each other first.