The home on Scott Avenue where a dog attacked two family members, killing one.
Family Dog Kills Infant
Waterloo, IA - An infant is dead, and a grandmother is seriously injured after a family dog attacked them both. First responders were dispatched to the 1200 block of Scott Avenue at about 7:20 am after a report of a dog attack inside the home. The 9-month old infant died at the scene. The child's grandmother, 49, was also critically injured in the attack. She was taken to UnityPoint-Health Allen Hospital and then flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, police said.
A reporter from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier captured a photograph of the dog as an animal control officer led the dog away on a snare pole. The dog is described as a 9-year old "neutered male boxer-hound mix." The animal has since been euthanized, and its remains were taken to the state veterinary lab at Iowa State University for testing, reports the Falls Courier. Authorities said there were no prior calls about this dog. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Fatal Dog Maulings in Iowa
Fatal dog maulings are rare in this Midwest state. From 2005 to the present day, our nonprofit has only recorded 8 deadly dog attacks in Iowa. Three of these deaths have occurred since January 2022. Preceding the infant's death are the deaths of 43-year old Mindy Kiepe, who was killed by a pack of her own great danes in Clay County last August, and 27-year old Chaille Morgan, who was killed by a pack of vicious dogs on the Meskwaki Nation Settlement in Tama County last March.
Identified as Pit Bull by Reporting Party
The audio dispatch log files from Black Hawk County Fire and EMS located on Broadcastify.com clearly state that the "reporting party," who was "also injured as well" -- indicating the caller was the grandmother -- identified the dog as a pit bull. A person inside the home, familiar with the dog, identified the dog as a pit bull, not a "boxer-hound mix." Several minutes after this exchange, while EMS was en route, EMS requested a second ambulance. "It's on the way," dispatch replied.
"334 for an animal attack on an infant ... The animal control, PD ... received a report that a 9-month old child possibly killed by a pit bull. Our reporting party was also injured as well ... Scott Avenue ... 10-4, send a truck ... Respond 334 for an animal attack ... for a pit bull that's attacked a 9-month old child, possibly killed it. We do have animal control and PD in route as well. Our reporting party was also injured. I don't know the extent. It does sound like the pit bull might be in the backyard, in a fenced-in backyard." - Black Hawk County Fire and EMS Dispatch
The father of the child, who today posted the baby's GoFundMe to his Facebook page, is a fan of pit bulls and identified the attacking dog, "Echo," as a pit bull in 2018. In 2019, the household also had a purebred pit bull and a boxer-mix, according to photographs posted by the father. Note the underbite and the docked tail. Echo, on the other hand, has neither boxer trait. Echo also has the distinct "rose ears" of a pit bull, as identified in the 1977 American Pit Bull conformation standard.
"His existence today was not because he was bred only for gameness. He was not bred only for power. He sure as hell was not bred only for his intelligence, loyalty, boldness, round eye, rose ear, red nose, or his inclination for dragging children from the paths of speeding trains. He was bred to win. That's right folks, he was developed for competition." - Pit Bull Gazette, Volume 1, Issue 3, 1977
The Falls Courier article has been updated to include that the grandmother was babysitting the baby at the time. The mother had started a new job, police said. At one point, the grandmother set the infant down and the dog attacked the baby. The grandmother intervened to save the baby and in the process was bitten on the arm, police said. Mind you, that "bite to the arm" caused the grandmother to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
According to the family's GoFundMe organized by Chase Dunbar, the child victim was a female, named Navy. "After hearing tragic news on May 4th Tyler and Alyssa lost their sweet daughter Navy in an accident, we want to relieve them in any way we can," states the fundraiser. "Please consider helping our close friends with any expenses that come they’re way in this difficult time. All proceeds will go the Smith Family. Thank you." So far, the fund has raised over $15,000.
On May 8, the Falls Courier confirmed the child's identity is Navy Smith. The 49-year old grandmother, who intervened to try to save the infant, is Susan Smith. Her medical condition remains undisclosed. By May 22, the family's GoFundMe had reached over $36,000.
The attacking dog, "Echo," seen in photographs posted by the baby's father to Facebook.
Related articles:
08/18/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 43, Killed by Her Pack of Great Danes in Iowa
03/29/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Pack of Dogs on the Meskwaki Settlement
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.
“You could tell that dog was part of the family” – a dog is not a person and it is folly to project human emotions onto them and expect humanlike behavior from them. Potentially dangerous dogs do not belong in homes with children.
exactly and large dogs are inherently dangerous sometimes without even meaning to be knocking people over etc but even a drop of malice and its catastrophe.
When my daughter was a toddler her dad (my ex) decided that they needed a dog and he got a big fluffy white Pyrenees mix. It was still young & was friendly BUT he left it outside with my children alone. It had a leash on & dragged my baby girl down the railroad tracks miles away. The sheriff were there hunting for her along with several of the neighbors by the time I got there. No one knows how the engineer got the train stopped before hitting her. Probably just dumb luck, good eyesight and paying attention to his job & enough of an uphill grade. The point is that your large dogs can be very gentle with little children & still kill them, small dogs are certainly capable of killing a toddler too! I love dogs but I did not want one or get one until my children were older & then I bought them a little puppy from a family who had been breeding pure bred spaniels for years with a known temperament & used to being handled by children! Anyone with children who does it differently is risking their precious children! There are a lot of good dogs with stable temperaments that are good with children. Little dogs like that aren’t very good around toddlers because they feel forced to bite the toddler. I rescued quite a few cocker spaniels in the 1980s& 90s but refused to let them go to toddler homes after one was put down for nipping the little ones because mom wasn’t paying attention! Back then a 1 on the bite scale was a death sentence in LA county! How times have changed!
I’m just so sick of dogs and dog people who have elevated dog status to the equivalent of people. I was on my local Lowe’s today and immediately upon entering, a large boxer on a leash, walked in front of me, heading towards the garden center. I’ve been in dog owners homes and they smell like wet dog shit, a vomit smell. Their cars stink, their clothes are covered with hair and smell if you hug them. A couple weekends ago, I was at a restaurant where two young women brought two barking and aggressive malamutes. Them and a 3rd friend took up entire wing of the narrow patio. 4 tables sat empty because the dogs took up the entire aisle, barked, and lunged. As I often comment, I am relieved that the death and injuries were not to a third party outside of the family. Yes, I’m cold and it doesn’t bother me. The couple that insisted the dog was an older sibling to their baby and whom neglected the breed and canine instincts will suffer greatly for their own stupidly. If their dog killer done is else’s child and attacked someone else’s grandmother they would be on the defense. They would likely feel bad, but only a little. It would be CYA.
I agree with everything you said, Christy. Dogs are not people. Never have been, never will be.
And, as for dogs in places of businesses, well, a lot of those businesses promote themselves as “dog friendly.”
As soon as they say that, I consider myself warned. And I stay away.
Agree 100% as well Christy. I used to be a dog owner, now I’m a reformed dog owner. It’s mostly because the owners make their normal dogs into obnoxious, smelly children. Pit bulls are different, they’re just ticking time bombs. I hate them.
hound mix? pit mix
My wonderful vet will not treat anything in the “killer breeds”.
When I took my little cairn and minipoodle, another client had a shepherd puppy.
The shepherd puppy owner gave it a squeaker toy to play with (on its leash.)
The vet came out, and very firmly demanded the squeaker toy, pulled the squeaker out and said, “A squeaker toy sounds like a small prey item to a dog. Or- a tiny baby sounds like something to bite, especially when it’s got squeaker toys.
You’re a fool to let any dog play with a toy that makes high-pitched sounds, because it gets them used to attacking small prey, and they can kill innocent children in a second.”
She said that after vet school, she was asked to kennel (aka hide and rename) a dog that had gone from attacking toys to killing a 4-yr old “Because he had a high-pitched laugh.”
She called pets pets,and owners owners, and never allowed a distinction to get blurry.
She was also a breeder of Springer spaniels and cairn terriers, and loved animals, but wasn’t stupid enough to “human-ize” any animal.
Im interested in this dogs history rescued as adult? neutered at 3?
Before I read the story I knew it was some type of pitbull but they labeled boxer hound mix.judging by the picture it looked like a brindle pitbull or some other dog breed mix with a pitbull.this tragedy wouldn’t happen if navy’s dad wasn’t a pitbull fan now she lost her life because of her dad choice of dog a grandma lost her granddaughter and have to lived with the horrific death of the baby a most lost her daughter forever because of her husband choice of dog
Thanks for this excellent update.
If men went through childbirth, there would not be pleading comments to their wives or girlfriends to get a pitbull. Men need to respect women and stand in awe of the miracle of birth enough to realize they should not bring a dog into the family home. Even before children arrive. Life planning matters.
I am reminded of the Bennard children deaths by family pitbulls when viewing the father’s social media. Plus so many other situations where wives and girlfriends are forced to accept pitbulls to keep their men. Ladies, accept that you must stand your ground. Your child matters waaay more than pitbulls. This continues to be a matter of life and death….and it’s in your hands.
Nunzia, I see your point, but I’m astonished by how many women/mothers are also obsessed with their pits. It scares the heck out of me. Kirstie Bennard had lots of pictures of herself and the dogs. On social media, you see women sleeping with these monsters, many of them with the dog’s head on the pillow and under the covers. This is sick. Our culture around dogs in general has gone mad. Meanwhile, the bodies are keep stacking up.
Teresa, thanks for including the culpability of female pitbull owners. You’ll remember that at the DBO Bennard death report of the toddler and her baby brother, several commenters wrote about a previous time when the mom was upset about a frightening incident with their pitbulls. It was on social media. I think a lot of wives give in and try to make the best of a bad situation to please their husbands. And some end up going overboard, which I think may have happened to Kirstie Bennard. Way overboard, even with that warning sign from their pitbulls from years ago.
Nunzia, very interesting. I didn’t know Kirstie was wary from a previous experience with those dogs, That’s where she should have listened to her instincts.I hope someday they’ll tell their story. I know his mother was on one of the anti-pitbull sites after the tragedy. She was very vocal about her hatred of the breed. I have a friend who has a pit mix and an infant. I gave her a warning about dogs being jealous of a new baby and to never leave that baby alone with it. She looked at me like I had two heads, and made it clear the dog was staying. Then, she posted pictures of the dog licking the tiny baby’s face and resting its nose on its precious little skull. She commented on how well the mutt was “protecting” his baby sister. That’s when I wanted to throw-up and give-up on these folks.
Agree…the current ‘dogs everywhere’ ‘dogs are people too’ cult is disturbing…they are in every commercial, movie, in every store, restaurant, etc….a person can’t get away from them anymore…and the owners are so self-righteous about their mutts….insisting they should be allowed everywhere….it’s horrifying to me to see them in any place that makes food like restaurants or sells food products like Dillon’s or Walmart…but there they are….and yes, the female nutters are even worse, I think….
Thanks, Colleen, for the FULL story. Of course, all of us knew by even that first picture that was not a boxer mix. This is the latest label to cover-up the breed. The FB video of a pit bull having torn up a couch sounds insane as the woman talks to it as if it is a an errant child. Sickening. Was that the mother or another random idiot? Secondly, the Gofundme page cleverly obscures the cause of death. This is especially common when the “family pet” has done the deed. These parents don’t want to be held accountable for their horrible choice to have a killer in the house.
Yes, a “boxer / hound mix”. I agree totally (cough, cough, wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Yes, I agree this dog was a “boxer / hound mix”. (Cough… pit bull… totally a pit bull… Cough). The allergies are terrible this time of year, aren’t they.
Seriously, is this dog less than 75% pit bull?
there is a pic of them posing with dog when shes pregnant. ‘the new sister” etc…
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6112543912095636&set=ecnf.100000202627436
Ignorance is definitely not a blessing !
But they were clever enough, to say it was an accident.
Poor little baby. I don’t understand people who suggest these pit type dogs are a safe, family breed. Sure it may have been a good dog yesterday but today, it’s a vicious baby killing mutt. Why would you risk your own baby’s life like this?
Colleen I just saw a pic with the parents baby and dog ,……https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=6426273207389370&set=a.160644363952317
The demon lurking in the background.
OMG, Kelly…that is a chilling image. The killer sitting right there with their precious little girl. The insanity of it all. Those of us here continue to be astonished by the ignorance, denial, and at times…criminal behavior of those who are entrusted with the lives of their babies/children. These are the cases that truly break my heart.
This mom and dad posted pictures of their baby in a stroller with monkeys. A 6 month old baby, trapped in her stroller with monkeys. The child is screaming. Their judgement has been extremely poor.
They obviously decided to believe the pit cult and sacrifice their beautiful child.
Beth Clifton asked Tyler who the gofundme for his mother is for and he answered her. He is a clueless boob.
So sad to see the pictures of them together knowing this mauler will end her precious life.
Boston, is there a link to a photo of the Smith family subjecting their infant to monkeys?
Yes, from their FB. Baby is in a stroller with 2 monkeys on her. She is crying. Not sure how to share the photo. Look like they were in the Caribbean.
That sounds so horrifying it is difficult to believe. Monkeys are not gentle and can spread disease, and babies are helpless.
They’ve now raised the Gofundme goal from 20k to 50k and they are now at 26k+. Why does this feel incredibly creepy? Unless none of these people watch the news, do they know it really was an “accident?” When will parents be held accountable? Parents are prosecuted for having an unsecured, loaded gun in the house w/ children. I know, of course, this couple is in agony over the loss, but does that mean they deserve a financial windfall? I’m just trying to wrap my mind around this.
Watch them get at least one new car out of this fundraising effort.
That thing is almost all pit, if you have working eyes you can see it. I would not let my dogs get near it, so that means I saw it and instantly labeled it a pit in my head,
That area has had a breed ban for years, which explains a dog that clearly looks like a pit bull being called anything but. Very bold to hashtag it as a pit bull in the posts the owner did if the ban was still in place, plus the hashtag #allpitbullsarebad really captures how misplaced the sarcasm is. Poor little baby.
Same storyline as with Liana Valino – RIP
https://www.facebook.com/tamieka.white.5 i think this is latest victim
https://whnt.com/news/sheriffs-deputy-attacked-killed-by-dog-in-indianapolis-while-doing-favor-for-a-for-friend/
Tyler and Alyssa Smith are young and photogenic – that’s enough to explain the almost $34,000 they’ve raised so far. I hope it will help the grandmother.
Another one: Indianapolis
Indiana sheriff’s deputy dies after protecting her son from dog attack, officials say
By Sarah Nelson, Indianapolis Star, 4 hrs ago
Is this ever going to end?
Lately I’ve noticed a reluctance by the media to mention the specific breeds involved in dog on human attacks, The Pitbull lobby is actively playing politics in its P.R. campaign to silence the voice of sanity here and distort public policy.by reversing breed-specific bans. Public safety means the ability for the vulnerable to go for a walk in their neighborhood, ride a bicycle, or relax in their yard without having to fear attack by one or more marauding canines. It also means those who choose to own Pitbulls and other dangerous breeds need to be fully accountable with jail time and civil damages for the harm caused by their animals, both to their own family and to the community.