Dogs and babies - why do people do it?

Rest in peace baby Harry, a tragic death whatever the cause of death may be, which the post mortem will establish as a fact, though the tabloid press have already gone to print saying it was a single dog bite.

However trustworthy, sound and reliable the temperament of a dog is, it is basic common sense to keep a baby safety out of reach of a dog and supervise by being in the same room so a parent or relative can step in and stop a dog if they see behavior that is a cause for concern.

A moments inattention is all that it would have taken, for the incident to play out in the way it did and no doubt the weight of guilt and dwelling on what could have been done differently will be hard to live with.

A dog for example may be startled by a shrill cry and depending on the soundness of temperament and training may snap or if woken from a deep sleep by the poking fingers of a toddler an air snap that made contact could serious injure a child.

My dog has the steadiest of temperaments and gentle with children and goes out of his way not to run into them when out being exercise and grinds to a halt if they cut across hit path, but I still would not leave him unsupervised with a baby or child.

I totally agree with the answers on here, and the loss of that baby is too awful for words,tonight there was another story on the news, a child attacked in a childs park, no owner was about, the child had to have plastic surgery and thankfully is fine, now the mother is getting rid of the family pet, which looked a bit of a mastiff x, now this was quite a big dog and mild tempered by the way it was behaving, but as the cameras were still rolling this child launched itself over the dog's back, the point I am trying to make is why don't parents teach children on what NOT to do to dog's, I was really angry when I saw this, as a dog only has one self defence mechanism and that is to bite back, and to be honest some of the things that a dog is supposed to put up with just saddens me, and when it all goes pear shaped, the animal has to suffer, I am glad that that woman is getting rid of that dog, as clearly with a child like that, it's an accident waiting to happen, as so often is the story.

I cannot begin to imagine what the parents are going through right now. It is such a tragedy.

Not knowing exactly what happened in this situation, I am not going to start guessing what went wrong and if anyone were to blame, but in general terms then yes, I agree.

I've always supervised my dogs around children and never left them alone together. My dog now adores babies, she can just sit and watch them sleep for hours, ready to leap up and get the baby's parents as soon as it awakes. She's infinitely gentle with them, but I still supervise, and if I have to leave the room, I either take her with me or make sure that either my husband or one of the baby's parents are there to keep an eye on the dog because even with a baby loving dog like mine, accidents can happen, maybe something would make her decide to try and pick up the baby, maybe she would try to lie down next to the baby and inadvertently hurt it. She's a dog. I trust her goodness and that she would never intentionally try to hurt the baby, but like with a small child, I don't 100% trust her judgement.

For once it wasn't dog the press love to demonise. It was a Jack Russell terrier which are known for snapping. Poor baby probably made a noise and the dog thought it was a rat for which they are well known catching.

JRs are also prone to jealousy and if it had been the only `baby' in the house it would regard the baby as a threat. It is not the first time a JR has killed a baby either.

No dog should be left alone anywhere near a child however gentle it is

it's heartbreaking i know

how many more are going to be attacked before something is done?

as a dog lover i feel that responsibility should be down to the owner.

Animals like dogs may seem tame but they still have the wild in them.

what happned to that baby boy should be a wake up call to society.

to be honest the ammount of Dog attacks is on the rise and getting behond a joke.

Totally agree, I love and trust my dog, he's the best, he'd never hurt a fly and is a very gentle and affectionate creature. I wouldn't let him within reach of a baby though, especially not a newborn. It's just too big of a risk to take.

agree on it, but it really depends on dog personality. I had a huge dog when me and my borther were little. My brother was too young and mean to the dog, the dog really protected us a lot and was always running away from my brother and crying because he didnt want to get hurt by my little brother, and he used to hide under the car as far as possible to avoid my brother.

I never had a dog that I could not trust. I believe it has all to do with their owner and how the dog grows up. OF course I wouldn't simply leave the dog with a toddler but my dogs were always extremely lovable and friendly.

I don't get it.

When my grandson was a baby, my very social dogs were not even allowed to touch him. There was a three to four foot "bubble" around him, and they were required to stay outside it.

And my less trustworthy dogs were not allowed in the same room with him.

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ak - so true. He is three, now, and I have started teaching him how to meet dogs, how to behave around them, and how to train them.

You know how some people hate dogs. Well, I hate babies and humans (besides myself) with every fiber of my being. I am glad a beautiful dog killed a baby!! Dogs are innocent and amazing and they have more value then people, that's a fact! Children are the monsters, not dogs! And it is always the owners fault but the dog gets murdered because the Owners suck. Children can be very cruel and abuse animals just as likely as a dog could bite a kid. And a dog doesn't bite without reason. You should feel bad for that dog, not that stupid child! I dislike people who value humans more than a dog and I especially hate people who make dogs out to be terrible beings! Dogs are blessings, children are a curse.

People put too much faith in thier dog. From when they train them to letting them play with kids.

I love my dog but would never let him alone with a child. Matter of fact he is held tight on a leash when kids want to pet him...Thats my rule.