Baby Left With Pit Bull, ‘Father’ Charged With Child Neglect

Palm Coast, FL – Baby left with pit bull babysitter leads to a man’s arrest. 41 year old James R. Irvine was charged with child neglect after he left his girlfriend’s baby in the care of his pet pit bull while he went drinking on the town.

According to the Daily Mail, the girlfriend says she had been at work, leaving her boyfriend entrusted with the task of watching her baby boy. Instead, James ordered his pit bull to guard the door like a good dog and went bar hopping in Palm Coast. A bartender told police that Irvine had been served five Coronas and one Bud Light while he watched football.

The girlfriend had tried calling James from work. When he kept ignoring her phone calls she decided to return home. The baby was found inside the home, crying, but unharmed.

The faithful pit bull was still guarding the door…but the boyfriend was nowhere in sight. Someone else was going to end up in the doghouse tonight.

James eventually stumbled home and that is when the girlfriend found him trying to get into the house. He was so drunk that he had urinated on himself. An argument must have ensued, because the girlfriend called the police on the boyfriend.

James R Irvine was arrested on Saturday for leaving the baby with the pit bull. He is being held at the jail in Flagler County on a $1,500 bond. While pit bulls do have a nasty reputation as being vicious and uncontrollable dogs as you can see the pit bull was the only responsible one in this case.

Do you think James should be charged with child neglect solely for leaving the baby boy unattended or that the presence of a pit bull should be a factor?