Puppy Kills 2-Month-Old Baby; How You Can Protect Your Children

A puppy killed a 2-month-old baby that had been left unattended by its 17-year-old mother. The child was apparently left in a swing and the Labrador retriever puppy mauled the 2-month-old child to death. The mother seemed to be distraught after the death of her child and had to be hospitalized. The investigation of the puppy killing the child is still under investigation. Authorities have said that the baby's body has been taken to the medical examiner and that they child died at the scene, as reported by the Associated Press.

There are many things that can go wrong when you leave a child with an animal even if you feel that they animal is of no harm. A dog or puppy that is not use to having a 2-month-old baby in the home may feel that they are competing for the owner's attention. There are steps that you can take to avoid instances where a dog attacks a child but please understand that a dog is an animal and they have been known to attack at any time for no given reason.

Leaving a child in a swing

The motion of the swing is constant and if a puppy or dog is close to it they may feel that it is a threat to them. If you plan to have your dog in your home with your child get the dog prepared before bringing the baby home but turning the swing on throughout the day. Take note of the dog's reactions to the swing. Once the dog gets use to it, it should be much easier on the dog when the child arrives.

Leaving a child unattended

I couldn't stress this enough to not leave a child unattended for any reason. I recently had a child back in March but this is far from my first child and I learned through trial and error that you should never leave a child alone in a room by themselves especially with a pet. One thing that most parents don't realize is that when a child chokes, they do it silently and you will probably not hear them. If a dog attacks and you happen to be outside, you may not hear their cries or the dog could attack so viciously that the child doesn't even have time to cry.

Reason's that dogs and puppies most often attack

Dogs feel threatened by the littlest thing especially something they are not use too. A child that is just learning to crawl is often bit by a dog because a dog views them as a threat since they are down on all fours just like them.

Sudden motion like a swing may irritate an animal and cause them to attack. If at all possible, keep the swing turned off while the animal is in the room.

Sweet smell of milk or other food can cause a dog to nip and unintentionally bite a child. I don't know how many times that I have seen a child walk up to a dog and let the dog lick their hands until they begin to nip at the child. They are intentionally trying to bite the child; they just want what is on their hands.

Do what you can to protect your child and your animal. Remember that it isn't always the dogs fault and in fact it could be your child irritating the animal. Use precautions and read up on things that will teach you about animals such as the puppy that bit the two month old baby.