2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Killed by Family Dog While Under Her Grandmother's Care

A 3-month old baby died after being mauled by a family dog in Sherman Oaks.

Baby Identified
UPDATE 05/07/18: The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified the baby girl killed by a family dog. Gaia Nova died shortly after arriving at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday. At the time of the attack, Gaia was under the care of her grandmother. When she left the infant in a room to get a bottle, one of the three family dogs clamped down on the baby's head, killing her. Authorities seized all three family dogs: a rottweiler, Labrador retriever, and small terrier.

Police do not know which of the dogs attacked the infant or if more than one dog was involved. Earlier news reports stated that DNA samples were taken to determine which of the dogs killed the baby. Authorities have not released the gender or spay/neuter status of the dogs or any photographs of the dogs. No criminal charges are expected. Police are calling the baby's death a "true tragedy." Gaia is the third baby girl mauled to death by a pet dog since March 7, 2018.

05/06/18: Family Dog Kills Baby
Los Angeles, CA - A baby is dead after being bitten on the head by a family dog in her Sherman Oaks home. The incident was reported at 3:25 pm Saturday in the 14400 block of Benefit Street, Officer Stacy Ball of the Los Angeles Police Department said. At the time of the attack, the baby was under the care of her grandmother. The grandmother rushed the infant to Sherman Oaks Hospital. She was then airlifted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

This is a horrible case. It has touched all involved family, friends and first responders. Our hearts go out to the family and friends. - Capt. Lillian Carranza

At the time of the attack, the 3-month old baby girl was in her own home. There were three dogs present in the home, LAPD Police Services Officer Stacy Ball said. Police described the dogs as a 98-pound rottweiler, 89-pound Labrador and 10-pound terrier. Animal control took all three dogs into custody. It remains unclear if one or more dogs inflicted the deadly attack. KABC-TV reports that DNA samples were taken to determine which of the animals fatally injured the infant.

Circumstances of how the attack happened are also vague. Detective Moses Castillo stated, "It's a reminder to those who may have a large dog in the family and maybe have some little ones at home to remain vigilant -- constant observation of their little ones." CBS Los Angeles reports the baby's grandmother turned her back for a moment and when she returned, she found the infant with head and face injuries. The investigation continues. Criminal charges are not anticipated.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

Baseline reporting requirements:
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.

5 thoughts on “2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Killed by Family Dog While Under Her Grandmother's Care”

I am going to guess that the culprit was the rottweiler or the "Labrador retriever" (pitt bull, *cough*).

Having any 'power breed' dog around a child is idiotic. Will people ever wise up?

And I bet the family previously had said how "sweet" their dogs were and that they only thing they were capable of was "licking you to death." RIP baby girl, another child sacrificed because of an adult's "pride" in owning a dangerous animal.

Sherman Oaks isn't exactly what one would call a ghetto. It's one of the most affluent parts of the LA area.

That being said, permit me to share an observation from Tucson: I'm seeing a lot of pit bulls in affluent areas. I would assume that a lot of them are "rescues." Our local humane society and animal control are aggressively marketing pit bulls to the community. Alas, a lot of people fall for this misleading sales pitch.

It's only a matter of time before our community experiences a similar tragedy. And it would be as likely to happen in the Catalina Foothills as it would on the South Side.

Rest in peace, poor precious child. I can’t begin to imagine the pain and guilt the parents feel, having failed to protect their child.
I think it’s a problem that we as a society are confused about the purpose of breeds. People consider all breeds as pets, and really only limited amount of breeds were developed as pets and companions. If you think about it for a minute, did these “family” dogs really belong in the home as pets? Rottweiler is what, a working dog? Certainly not a pet to keep on your couch. Labradors are considered to be good family dogs, but really were intended to be hunting dogs, and I hear they can be mouthy, unless well trained. Trained or not, do you want to use your child as a guinea pig to check how well trained that dog really is? Terriers are hunting dogs too, right? They’re high energy. Unless it’s a tiny Yorkie, specifically designed to be a lap dog, leave them to hunters.
Rottweilers should not be kept as pets, in my opinion, they are plain dangerous. Most certainly not in a home with small children. Big Labrador? Its kind of ok, but should never be left unsupervised with a small child. If it’s a fragile infant, then no Labrador in her face, even if he appears friendly, the stakes are too high. They’ll have a chance to bond later, when the child is older and more resilient, and actually cares about the dog. Same with terrier, no need to let him get too close to infants. Teach him to be submissive in the baby’s presence, always supervise, and never let him get in her face. Any dog could have a glitch and snap for no reason, and for a tiny precious infant, the consequences could be disastrous.
Get your priorities straight, parents. Don’t go with the flow and get dogs that are “considered” family dogs, when they really shouldn’t be. Think for yourself, protect your child, remember that dog is just an animal after all. You wouldn’t expose your child to a wild animal, would you? Raccoons, kangaroos, anyone? No? You wouldn’t do that, because you know they can hurt your child. Well, dogs have been domesticated for a long time, but they’re still animals, and their animal instincts can show any minute, so stay vigilant.

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Christy D on May 6, 2018 at 5:31 pm said:

I am going to guess that the culprit was the rottweiler or the "Labrador retriever" (pitt bull, *cough*).
Ka D on May 6, 2018 at 11:31 pm said:

Having any 'power breed' dog around a child is idiotic. Will people ever wise up?
LibertarianThinker on May 8, 2018 at 3:01 pm said:

And I bet the family previously had said how "sweet" their dogs were and that they only thing they were capable of was "licking you to death." RIP baby girl, another child sacrificed because of an adult's "pride" in owning a dangerous animal.
Your Quiet Neighbor on May 8, 2018 at 5:53 pm said:

Sherman Oaks isn't exactly what one would call a ghetto. It's one of the most affluent parts of the LA area.

That being said, permit me to share an observation from Tucson: I'm seeing a lot of pit bulls in affluent areas. I would assume that a lot of them are "rescues." Our local humane society and animal control are aggressively marketing pit bulls to the community. Alas, a lot of people fall for this misleading sales pitch.

It's only a matter of time before our community experiences a similar tragedy. And it would be as likely to happen in the Catalina Foothills as it would on the South Side.
SweetPea on August 27, 2018 at 8:58 pm said:

Rest in peace, poor precious child. I can’t begin to imagine the pain and guilt the parents feel, having failed to protect their child.
I think it’s a problem that we as a society are confused about the purpose of breeds. People consider all breeds as pets, and really only limited amount of breeds were developed as pets and companions. If you think about it for a minute, did these “family” dogs really belong in the home as pets? Rottweiler is what, a working dog? Certainly not a pet to keep on your couch. Labradors are considered to be good family dogs, but really were intended to be hunting dogs, and I hear they can be mouthy, unless well trained. Trained or not, do you want to use your child as a guinea pig to check how well trained that dog really is? Terriers are hunting dogs too, right? They’re high energy. Unless it’s a tiny Yorkie, specifically designed to be a lap dog, leave them to hunters.
Rottweilers should not be kept as pets, in my opinion, they are plain dangerous. Most certainly not in a home with small children. Big Labrador? Its kind of ok, but should never be left unsupervised with a small child. If it’s a fragile infant, then no Labrador in her face, even if he appears friendly, the stakes are too high. They’ll have a chance to bond later, when the child is older and more resilient, and actually cares about the dog. Same with terrier, no need to let him get too close to infants. Teach him to be submissive in the baby’s presence, always supervise, and never let him get in her face. Any dog could have a glitch and snap for no reason, and for a tiny precious infant, the consequences could be disastrous.
Get your priorities straight, parents. Don’t go with the flow and get dogs that are “considered” family dogs, when they really shouldn’t be. Think for yourself, protect your child, remember that dog is just an animal after all. You wouldn’t expose your child to a wild animal, would you? Raccoons, kangaroos, anyone? No? You wouldn’t do that, because you know they can hurt your child. Well, dogs have been domesticated for a long time, but they’re still animals, and their animal instincts can show any minute, so stay vigilant.