A Bangor infant was pronounced dead after being injured by a dog eight days ago.
Breed Clarification
UPDATE 08/07/17: No charges will be filed after a family dog fatally attacked a newborn. The attack occurred on July 29. The baby died eight days later. The dog will be euthanized, Bangor police said. "It was a tragic accident," Detective Sgt. Brent Beaulieu said Monday. The 21-day old baby boy was sleeping in a bassinet in the same room with his parents and their family dog. The couple awoke to find the animal, a husky-shepherd mix, attacking the baby, Beaulieu said.
The infant's parents, who live in Aroostook County, were visiting relatives at a home in western Bangor when the attack occurred at about 5:30 am, Beaulieu said. The dog has been quarantined at the Bangor Humane Society since the July 29 attack. The dog will be euthanized once the case is closed, reports the Bangor Daily News. The couple told police the family pet had never shown aggression before. Police did not release the degree of injuries the baby suffered in the attack.
Husky-type dogs have a long track record of killing sleeping newborns in bassinets, which is why we have called them "crib snatchers" in the past.
This baby's death follows the same scenario we have seen with huskies before, literally attacking a newborn in its bassinet or crib. The only difference in this case is that the parents were sleeping in the same room at the time. Usually, the mother has stepped away momentarily when the family husky drags a newborn from its bassinet or bedding, killing it. Since 2005, huskies have been involved in 13 fatal dog maulings. Seven of these deaths involve circumstances like this one.
Similar Husky-Type Dog Bite Fatalities
- In 2005, Alexis McDermott,
7-days old, was pulled from a portable crib by the family's male husky causing enough internal injury to kill the baby. Her mother had "briefly
stepped away" from the baby to pour a glass of juice. (Coventry, Rhode Island) - In 2008, Alexis Hennessy, 6-days old, was fatally bitten on the head by the family's male husky while she laid in her crib. The mother had "left the room momentarily." When she returned, she discovered the injured child. (Hopatcong, New Jersey)
- Also in 2008, Kylie Mae Daum, 3-days old, was killed by the family's husky while she laid in a bassinet in her parent's bedroom. The baby's father had "left the room briefly." Kylie had only been home from the hospital for one day. (Warren, Ohio)
- In 2009, Olivia Rozek, 3-weeks old, was pulled from a bed by the family's male husky and dragged and mauled. Olivia had been lying on a bed with her twin sister when her mother "briefly stepped away." Her twin was unharmed. (Bourbonnais, Illinois)
- In 2010, Robert Hocker, 11-days old, was fatally bitten by the family's male husky while he laid in a car seat on a bed in his parent's bedroom. Robert "died of head injuries" from a dog attack, according to the coroner. (Independence, Minnesota)
- In 2012, Howard Nicholson Jr., 2-days old, was fatally bitten on the head by the family's male husky while he laid in a baby carrier on the living room floor. His mother had "stepped away" to go to the bathroom. (McKeesport, Pennsylvania)
- In 2017, a 3-week old baby boy was fatally bitten while sleeping in a bassinet in the same room with his parents and their family dog. The couple awoke to find the husky-mix attacking the baby. The baby died eight days later. (Bangor, Maine)
Of the 13 fatalities inflicted by huskies since 2005, 54% (7) involved children 3-weeks old and younger and 92% (12) involved children 5-years old and younger. Two of the child deaths involved sled dogs in Alaska. The 2007 mauling death of 11-month old Trey Paeth in Cookeville, Tennessee must also be mentioned. Trey was in a playpen in a bedroom when two huskies tore through the siding and killed him. Trey's family was visiting the residence of the dogs' owner at the time.
Husky-type dog mauling deaths are fractional compared to pit bulls and their mixes, but husky-types are clearly very unsafe around infants.
Though fatal attacks by huskies are rare, the breed still falls within the top six killing dog breeds (3.1% of all deaths) and for the primary reason of killing newborns lying in a bassinet. In the Bangor case, the baby's parents were sleeping in the same room, indicating yet another quiet and "opportunistic" attack on a newborn. Police also state the dog is a husky-shepherd mix. German shepherds account for 3.8% of all deaths. Thus far, no photograph of the dog has been released.
08/06/17: Infant Dies of Injuries
Bangor, ME - Bangor police released a statement Sunday saying a baby died after being injured by a family dog last Saturday. On July 29, police and fire departments responded to a call about an injured infant, Bangor police Detective Sgt. Brent Beaulieu said. The child had been injured by “a family pet,” and was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. “Unfortunately, the child succumbed to the injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital,” Beaulieu said today.
Detectives describe the dog as a shepherd-mix. No other information was released by police, including the extent of the baby's injuries.
This baby's death marks the third dog bite fatality in the state of Maine since 2005, according to our records. Just last year, Penobscot County was haunted by the mauling death of 7-year old Hunter Bragg. He was brutally killed by a chained pit bull white visiting his father at the dog owner's home. In 2011, Annabelle Mitchell, 7-months old, was killed by her mother's rottweiler, named Hannibal. Katrina Mitchelle was later charged with child endangerment, a misdemeanor.
Related articles:
07/03/17: 2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Kills 3-Week Old Baby in Grand Rapids
01/18/17: 2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Killed by Family Dog in San Marcos, Texas
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
I'd like to see a picture of this supposed Shepard MIX.
I'm always curious when the offending dog is just listed as a mix. I'm still wondering about the 3 shepherd mixes that killed the little one in El Paso. Of course, shepherds have been known to kill people, so it's possible this is a shepherd/Lab or something similar.
I wouldn't trust a GSD or Husky with a baby, but Husky's in particular are know to have a high prey drive. And being a guest in someone else's home is also a danger sign.
It always bothers me so much when killing attacks by family dogs are called "accidents". I know they use this term for legal reasons, but it minimizes the seriousness and ferocity of such an attack. My neighbor's dog, a German Shepherd, was playing fetch and ran over their 2 year old, breaking the child's collarbone. That was an accident. The dog didn't target the child. She knocked him down accidentally in her eagerness to chase a ball. An accident is something that makes you say, "Oops." There is no "oops" when a dog goes into a child's bed and kills it.
Ugh, I hate huskies and shepherds. Both are dangerous to keep around small children. They have high prey drive and will kill smaller beings if given the chance. Poor child, lost his life because his parents didn't make the choice to get a dog safe to be around children or at the very least make sure there was no way their huge, prey driven dog couldn't get near the baby.
I have first hand experience with huskies ability to turn on animals smaller and weaker than they are. They won't hesitate. That quirk doesn't go away just because the victim is a child. Huskies will and do attack other animals and children.
So much criticism is aimed at small dog breeds, yet Papillons aren't jumping into babies' bassinets to kill them. Parents really need to think about what kind of dogs they allow around their children and not just believe the fairy tale stories about big dogs protecting their families, being gentle giants, letting kids crawl all over them, etc., and being safe or safer for little ones.
I love husky and shepherd type dogs, they can make great pets, but they do have high prey drive and shouldn't be trusted alone with young children or small pets (including small dogs).
Many are good with children and never harm their family's babies but the potential for severe injury is just too great to risk it in my opinion (after all, all the killers have been "fine" up until the point they are not).
I honestly wouldn't let a baby this young interact with any pets (including cats) as even a minor scratch could become infected easily and lead to serious illness.
I remember when I was young dogs and cats were always shut out of a room a baby was sleeping in, and baby was never allowed on the floor with the dogs (even tiny rat dogs) or allowed to touch the dogs or cats, as aside from the worry of teeth and claws coming in contact with soft baby skin, it was considered unhygienic to let the pet saliva / hair etc get in contact with the baby. Seems quite a lot has changed since I was young :/