# Infant in critical condition after family dog attacks....



## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Apparently, the family's Jack Russell Terrier bit the 3 week old infant about 30 times. The infant is now in critical condition. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with this family and their child. It's also another reminder to take extra care when dogs are around infants and toddlers. Lord only knows what triggered that kind of reponse in the dog. 

Infant Boy Recovering After 30 Dog Bites | Video | wusa9.com


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

"...you just don't know what dogs are going to do"

:thumbup:

Poor baby


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## Floppy (Feb 26, 2011)

Story is so strange. Mother slept through it and father had to pry dog off baby after he got back from work? Sounds like baby was next to her bed -_-


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Floppy said:


> Story is so strange. Mother slept through it and father had to pry dog off baby after he got back from work? Sounds like baby was next to her bed -_-


"May have been a heavy sleeper".
More like a drug induced coma?? Hard to sleep with your kid being mauled right next to you??


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

msvette2u said:


> "May have been a heavy sleeper".
> More like a drug induced coma?? Hard to sleep with your kid being mauled right next to you??


 exactly! if your THAT heavy of a sleeper you should NOT be a new parent! how did she wake up when the baby cried to be fed??? if shes not waking up to him being mauled??? UGH


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

What a awful story. I can picture the baby crying, mom not hearing, more crying and it's all down hill from there. Story also seems strange to me as well.

They said the dad also shot the dog.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

I was also wondering how she slept through enough commotion for the baby to get bit 30 times.

I have no experience with JRTs, but from what I've observed on walks, they don't do _anything_ quietly.


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

The only time I sleep that heavily is when I've had something to drink...then I sleep like a log.

Poor baby. I hope he pulls through alright.


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## Shaina (Apr 2, 2011)

JRTs can definitely lack an off switch. When they'd come to daycare, I swear.. if one of them triggered on another dog, you would have to PRY the dog off of it. They are very hardy terriers.. remind me a lot of Fox Terriers but with more personality/energy. Sad story..


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

They are vermin dogs with a super high prey drive. Babies are warm, smell good and make sounds like prey.
It is not rocket science.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

Yeah, I have JRT's, they are intense prey driven dogs, though mine are actually wonderful with children, they go bonkers with excitement when they see kids, but when they are on their prey they just lose it, my JRT surprised me at Petco when he was on leash, I was talking to a dog food rep and he saw the mice on a spinning wheel, he jerked after it and I slipped and fell, he launched at the cage and was screaming like he was being killed.

I can't even begin to imagine how you could sleep through 30 dog bites right next to you, cause I'm sure that dog wasn't quiet about it. They are EXTREMELY vocal little dogs.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I mean, it's not funny about the baby but it's funny about your JRT!

One day I was in Petsmart and some gal came up into the line I was in w/a ferret on a leash. Although not insane about it, Dachshunds are hunting dogs, too, and I had mine on a leash in front of her. 
She was going to let the ferret sniff my dog and I told her, "Do not let that ferret get any closer if you want it to remain alive!"
I don't know what she was thinking!!


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

msvette2u said:


> I mean, it's not funny about the baby but it's funny about your JRT!
> 
> One day I was in Petsmart and some gal came up into the line I was in w/a ferret on a leash. Although not insane about it, Dachshunds are hunting dogs, too, and I had mine on a leash in front of her.
> She was going to let the ferret sniff my dog and I told her, "Do not let that ferret get any closer if you want it to remain alive!"
> I don't know what she was thinking!!


Oh yeah, my JRT would have decapitated it in a nano-second.


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> They are vermin dogs with a super high prey drive. Babies are warm, smell good and make sounds like prey.
> It is not rocket science.


I'd be willing to bet Koshka would grab a baby in a heartbeat - they sound just like squeaky toys! He would intend to hurt it, but he's young, doofy, and loves things that squeak. Heck, he still sometimes gets a little overexcited with the cats, and he's been brought up with them. Luckily we worked hard on teaching bite inhibition, and it's helped immensely. 

Those poor parents, what an awful thing to go through. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel in that circumstance.


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

For those of you saying that the mother shouldn't have slept through it, I'm not so sure. I know that at about 3 weeks is when the overwhelming and debilitating exhaustion sets in. Just try going 3 weeks on 2 hours sleep a day, then see what happens when you finally do fall asleep. I remember when my son was about that age I finally got my act together enough to take a nap one day when he did, we both slept like 5 hours in the middle of the day. What finally woke me up was my girlfriend calling me on the phone, I remember being absolutely panicked when I first woke up.
Regardless, I never left any of my animals out and about when the baby was sleeping. Dogs were crated and cats were put outside or locked in the laundry room.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I co-slept (whatever the fancy term is these days) with my last two, my middle child due to his issues from birth on - severe allergies/asthma - and my youngest just because it was nicer than getting up in the middle of the night to nurse her.
I usually "spooned" with them with my body in a C-shape around them so I don't think a dog could have gotten there and bitten one and not woke me up. 

I do know about being exhausted but also (usually) a mom's radar is always on even when sleeping.


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## Midnight12 (Jan 6, 2012)

msvette2u said:


> I co-slept (whatever the fancy term is these days) with my last two, my middle child due to his issues from birth on - severe allergies/asthma - and my youngest just because it was nicer than getting up in the middle of the night to nurse her.
> I usually "spooned" with them with my body in a C-shape around them so I don't think a dog could have gotten there and bitten one and not woke me up.
> 
> I do know about being exhausted but also (usually) a mom's radar is always on even when sleeping.


 This is true about the radar. Had six kids and some times was so tired would not hear people at door or phone but one peep out of baby and I was up.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Midnight12 said:


> This is true about the radar. Had six kids and some times was so tired would not hear people at door or phone but one peep out of baby and I was up.


my "babies" are 16 and 11 and I'm STILL up at one little peep  I can sleep through just about anything else, but not that.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I had a JRT foster and she was the most noisy little dog. When she saw other dogs at the vet she got so exited that she made noises as if somebody was skinning her. She loves other dogs and I guess she wanted to meet them. Hard to sleep through that. Of course a new mom can be totally exhausted.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

bocron said:


> I never left any of my animals out and about when the baby was sleeping. Dogs were crated and cats were put outside or locked in the laundry room.


And I think that is the real lesson in this tragic story. I'm sure the family was quite comfortable with the dog, and it probably never occurred to them that he could possibly respond to the new baby this way. 

Incidentally, I came across an article yesterday where Austrian researchers claim dogs can feel envy. Perhaps there was an element of that at work here, though I think the extreme prey drive is probably more to the heart of it.


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

Rico's Daddy said:


> ........
> Incidentally, I came across an article yesterday where Austrian researchers claim dogs can feel envy. Perhaps there was an element of that at work here, though I think the extreme prey drive is probably more to the heart of it.


If you could find it again I'd love to read it.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Cassie,

Will do. I'm headed into work, but should have the link in just a bit.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Cassie,

Here you go:

Dogs Feel Envy, Austrian Study Finds


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

Thank you! I love reading this type of stuff.


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