Pit Bull Kills Newborn Baby In San Diego: Update – Watch

A pit bull terrier mix dog killed a newborn baby boy while his parents were right on the bed next to him on Friday in their home on the outskirts of San Diego.

The dog, named Polo, is a 2-year-old cross between a pit bull and a great Dane. He was lying on the bed with the 3-day-old baby and both of his parents as they watched TV. The dog became startled when the baby’s mother coughed suddenly, and attacked the baby, police said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpKECxy9z28

According to an article in The Guardian, Polo tips the scales at 97 pounds. The parents were able to pull the dog off their baby, whom they rushed to the hospital, but the child was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Sergeant Tu Nguyen of the San Diego police child abuse unit declined to say where the child had been injured, only that police were waiting for the medical examiner’s report on the exact cause of death.

“At this time, we’re looking at this as nothing more than a tragic incident.”

The dog was taken into custody by San Diego county animal services. Dan DeSousa, deputy director of the agency, said any dog that bites a person is placed in quarantine by animal control.

The family will make the decision to either euthanize the dog or claim him at the end of a 10-day quarantine. But the agency said they have not yet received any instructions.

The attack on the baby marks the fourth killing of a child by a pit bull or pit bull mix in the U.S.A. in 2016.

So far, the average is the same as in 2015, when there were 12 fatalities.

Was this biting incident truly “an accident”? Could it have been avoided?

A newborn baby boy has been killed by the family dog after his mother’s coughing startled it https://t.co/I7FA9ddmnE

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 23, 2016

According to Parents magazine, there are ways to make the big life change that happens with a baby a lot less stressful for a dog, and therefore easier on the whole family.

A few of the suggestions include:

• Getting a doll months in advance and treat it like a baby.
• Getting furniture set up and placing the doll in the furniture accordingly.
• Getting the dog accustomed to walking with a stroller. (Items on wheels can be highly stimulating. Just this month a baby in a stroller was badly mauled by a pit bull, as illustrated in this Inquisitr story.)
• Giving your dog plenty of exercise daily, and if it seems too overwhelming with everything else happening, then hiring someone to walk the dog.
• Consulting with an animal behaviorist before bringing the baby home.

Jennifer Shyrock is a certified dog behavior specialist and founder of Family Paws, an organization that offers programs to help pet owners as they introduce a baby into the family.

“No animal should be allowed to sleep with a baby.”

There are a number of reasons for this, explains Shyrock. A dog or cat can accidentally smother an infant.

Pet dander can be helpful in developing a child’s immune system, but having it in the bed can affect the baby’s breathing.

All interactions with babies and pets must be closely supervised.

“There are subtle signals a dog will use, such as lip licking, head turning and the positioning of its body, that can help clue parents in on how their pet is feeling during any particular [play time]. Often young children are [unintentionally] rough and even a closely watched cuddle session can be misinterpreted. What a child is enjoying may not be the same as what the dog is experiencing.”

The baby is undergoing a medical examination to determine cause of death. Meanwhile, Polo the pit bull mix remains in quarantine.

Update:

The autopsy reports showed that the infant, Sebastian Caban, died of bite wounds to his head, Fox 5 San Diego reported on Tuesday.

The parents made two attempts to dial 911, after the dog attacked their baby, but gave up in frustration when their calls did not go through, according to the medical examiner’s office.

“Multiple attempts to call 911 were made by the parents. However they were unable to get through so they drove the decedent to UCSD Thornton Hospital Emergency Department.”

The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The dog, Polo, remains in quarantine and will be euthanized unless the owners claim him within ten days of the attack.

The dog had no prior history of aggressive behavior, DeSousa said.

[Image via Annette Shaff/Shutterstock]