Quebec newborn killed in dog attack

A three week old baby girl was killed in Quebec yesterday after being attacked by a dog.

The child was left alone sitting on the floor in a baby seat while the 17 year old mom and the 37 year old grandmother went outside to smoke. When they came back inside, they found that the newborn infant was killed by one of the two Huskies that lived in the home (but were owned by another family that shared the home). The mother has been charged with criminal involuntary manslaughter.

The incident is tragic -- and was oh so preventable by simply not leaving newborns to be left unsupervised with dogs in the home. Breed isn't relevant -- but the ability to provide basic care for your child is. 

And until we make the conversations about how to prevent attacks like this in your home (which are VERY rare but do happen and are prentable) instead of making the conversation about 'breed', incidents are likely to still happen due to ignorance. 

Comments

[Social Mange]

This is tragic, but I am perversely glad that the mother and grandmother were charged. Too often we hear these stories and the only ones who suffer are the child and the dog. Charges of neglect or endangerment must be laid more often.

[Lisa]

According to the story, only the mother was charged. The grandmother was initially arrested, but they didn't bring charges against her.

And it's easy to forget sometimes that not everyone knows what we do. You, I, and anyone else reading this blog probably understands and possibly even overstates the risks of leaving dogs unattended even briefly with very small children. We read about it all the time. But incidents like this are still astonishingly rare, and most people aren't really aware of the risks. They don't discuss it with you in the hospital, most baby books don't warn you about it, and most people probably don't give it a second thought. They say they were only a few meters away from the baby for a few seconds. This poor family learned about the risks the hard way, and they don't deserve to be punished any more than they already have, unless there's some very compelling information that's not in the story.

As it appears now, though, I'd rather see incidents like this result in better education and support for new parents, rather than charges against a young girl who made a terrible but likely understandable mistake.

[YesBiscuit!]

As i always say, we need to elevate the "Don't leave baby unattended w/dog" mantra to the level of the "Don't leave baby alone w/stranger" with regard to public education. PROBABLY nothing bad will happen in either case but it's just simpler to 86 the small risk that comes with severe consequences.

[PetDocsOnCall09]

Such a sad story...I can imagine how devastated this entire family must be.

I agree with YesBiscuit and Lisa...let's find some way to educate and enlighten new parents about this potential situation.

[selkie]

I think it is tragic beyond all - but an absolute miscarraige to justice to charge that child (the mother) - she is 17 year OLD. From everything I read, yes, she shouldn't have left the baby along with the dogs - I suspect NEITHER dog was neutered (including the male who actually killed the baby) as it mentions "puppies in a cage"- BUT, charging her with manslaughter?? that means intent. By all accounts, despite her youth, the kid was a good mum- the baby was healthy, clean and fed - she did not have the knoweldge or experience to understood that potential of dogs and babies -

people get drunk and run over people and get off. Bryant (in Ontario) RAN over a cyclist in an altercation and it didn't even go to Court. so these people get off and some young kid who didn't know BETTER and who will no doubt suffer the rest of her life regardless is having the book thrown at her?

I'm disgusted.

I feel awful for the dogs - and worse for the child who learned in the worst way possible what dogs are capable of.

[Cheryl Helene Thomson]

Quebec prosecutors have an agenda. They are anti-family. It's as simple and transparent as that. Why do I say that? Well, here we have a 17 year-old mother and a teenaged father. The powers-that-be in Quebec are Pro-Abortion. The girl is being punished for giving birth. Morgenthaler originally came from a brief medical practice in Montreal, where he was on the Board of Directors of a Masonic group that was already lobbying for abortion and sexual freedom - back in the 1960-1970 era. Then 'they' financed his famous clinic advocacy in Toronto. Want more proof? Last year, there was the tragic case of a family suicide pact, when the parents were economically devastated by unemployment and, probably, hunger. There are hungry children all over Quebec, where people are actually suffering quite badly, by the way, with many industries shutting down outside the major centres. No one knows the role of this particular father in the killing, but the mother survived -- and she was instantly slapped with a murder charge. Lesson from the Quebec Civil Hierarchy - which perversely replaced the Catholic Church: "Do not have any more large families - if you get into financial trouble, the system will give you minimal help (while bending over backwards to feed, educate, and house Third World immigrants). -- Let them eat cake, i.e., just go away in a corner and starve."