Tragic: Newborn baby mauled to death by family dogs

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A 3-days old newborn baby in central Fresno has been mauled to death by the family's dogs.

According to Fresno Police, the baby's mother opened a door to her home on Glenn near Garland Avenues just after midnight and when she left the baby on the couch and walked away for a few seconds thinking the dogs were tied up.

Officers say the mom rushed back when she heard the baby's cries.
The dog reacted by biting the baby.

The parents pulled the animal off and raced the infant to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
“At this time it appears to be a tragic accident,” Nguyen said. “It’s such a horrific, tragic case.” An autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death.

"For any child to get injured, it hurts," Daniel Macias with the Fresno Police Department said. "But a newborn, we know how precious life is and it's very unfortunate this happened."

Child abuse detectives were called to the Esplanade Apartments about 8 p.m. Thursday, and county animal control officers came to remove the dog.

The owners were not home at the time, said Dan DeSousa, deputy director of the county Department of Animal Services.

It is a 2-year-old, neutered male American Staffordshire terrier-mix named Polo, DeSousa said.
He said the dog would be held in 10-day quarantine to determine whether it has rabies. After that it will be up to the owner to decide whether to reclaim the dog, he said.

A resident who lives in the apartment complex said she didn’t know the couple but regularly saw the then-pregnant woman walking the dog.

“It’s terrible. It breaks my heart,” Midalia Hernandez said in Spanish, with tears in her eyes. “I would never want to go through something like that.”

According to experts, even the tamest family dog can change behavior when a baby is brought home; parents are warned to never leave young children alone with dogs, especially on the floor.

“Dogs can become agitated by the sounds and movements of a baby. Dogs have been known to try to move a baby by carrying the baby in their mouths the way a mother dog might do with her puppies.

Other dogs have hurt babies because the baby moves and sounds like prey,” according to the nonprofit Doggone Safe, which aims to prevent dog bites through education and victim support.
Officials said the dog would eventually be put down unless the family fights to keep it alive.