A Sûreté du Quebéc officer stands guard at the home where a baby girl was attacked and killed by a dog in the town of St. Barnabé Sud on Monday, June 7, 2010.
Posted on 06/08/2010 1:33:53 PM PDT by JoeProBono
ST-HYACINTHE, Que. — The mother of the three-week-old baby killed on Monday after being mauled by one or more dogs has been charged with manslaughter.
She was released Monday afternoon but isn't allowed to be in charge of children under the age of 12 while awaiting trial.
The baby's 17-year-old mother and 37-year-old grandmother, had been smoking on a balcony close to their kitchen Monday, where the baby was seated in a portable car seat when the dogs attacked the child, Andre Williams, the 17-year-old's lawyer, said on Tuesday.
"The mother is devastated by what happened, " Williams said.
Police had confirmed Monday the infant was pronounced dead inside a home in St. Barnabe Sud, a small community about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal late in the afternoon.
The grandmother was released from custody Tuesday afternoon and will not face charges.
The teenager, her boyfriend, the baby's father, had moved into the house only a week ago, on June 1, Williams said. He was not on the property at the time of the attack. The two lived there with two other couples, one of which owns the home, he said. A couple living with the baby's mother and her boyfriend own two huskies, at least one of which mauled the 21-day-old child, police said.
At the time of the attack, there were four dogs in the house. The other two dogs, a husky-golden retriever mixed-breed dog and its puppy, were in a cage in the home at the time of the attack, Williams said. The caged dogs belonged to the 17-year-old and her boyfriend.
The mother of the baby was treated for shock at a hospital on Monday.
She and her mother were taken into police custody on Monday night.
Guy Vaillamcourt was across the street Monday night and was shaken by the tragedy that had unfolded nearby.
"I saw so many police cars, and I didn't know what was happening," he said, glancing at two police officers stationed at the end of his driveway. "But when they started talking about dogs, I knew right away which dogs they were talking about. My wife came outside one night not long ago after she heard them, thinking they were wild animals. They were two huskies, a male and a female."
Vaillamcourt said the dogs had escaped twice recently, but were not noticeably aggressive.
"I thought, they could cause an accident on the highway, running across that way. But not something like this."
Neighbours said they were not aware of any newborn currently living in the home, and speculated the child may have been visiting the residence.
But Quebec provincial police Sgt. Ronald McInnis confirmed Tuesday morning that the 17-year-old and her baby did reside at the home. The late baby's grandmother, however, was only visiting the home when the attacks took place, he explained.
At the St. Hyacinthe courthouse Tuesday, several friends of the 17-year-old mother turned up to offer support.
A Sûreté du Quebéc officer stands guard at the home where a baby girl was attacked and killed by a dog in the town of St. Barnabé Sud on Monday, June 7, 2010.
I suprised they didn’t term this as a 4th trimester abortion.....
What with it being crazy Liberal Quebec Canada and all.
How do you say “white trash” in French - garbage’ blanc?
Chet99 busy today? ; )
It’s not a pitbull attack.
Siberian Huskies
Imho, any breed of dog can be vicious.
They’re a bit like people that way...
No dog, and especially no large dog, should be left anywhere near a small child, and especially an infant, without supervision. I feel very bad for everyone in this story, but especially that child.
FWIW, “Husky-type” dogs caused the 4th most human deaths in the US, between 1979 and 1998, at least according to one study.
Pit Bull Type - 66
Rottweiler - 39
GSD - 17
Husky-type - 15
Malamute - 12
Doberman - 9
Chow Chow - 8
Great Dane - 7
Saint Bernard - 7
http://dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf
If I were to own a husky, raise and train it from the age of about 8 weeks, I would guess that my dog would have a much different temperament than that of a dog raised by someone who mistreated it, might be violent toward it or might neglect it.
I saw that, but IMHO, the conclusion is not supported by the research. Clearly, a very small number of dog breeds cause nearly all the deaths. Also, the studies all show that the same breeds that cause nearly all the fatalities, are responsible for a similar percentage of serious injuries and maimings.
One fatal attack or maiming is more important than 1,000,000 minor to moderately serious bits, IMO.
The poor baby. It never had a chance.
A dog that bolts is a dog with problems.
I denfinitely agree that how the dog is raised is a major factor. That said, the vast majority of breeds are very unlikely to maim or kill, even if raised poorly. Many are pretty much physically incapable of killing and most others will not become THAT violent unless grossly abused.
On the other hand, there are a small number of breeds that stand a good chance of becoming dangerous, unless the receive outstanding care from skilled and dedicated owners.
I am for breed specific legislation that does not ban breeds, but instead seeks to keep the most dangerous breeds out of the hands of thugs, felons, and idiots and requires owners to demonstrate that they are responsible.
Some possibilities are:
*Requiring dangerous breeds to be altered, with the exception of those owned by licensed breeders.
*Requring liability insurance.
*Making breeders liable for injuries caused by dogs they breed.
*Muzzling while in public.
*Strict liability for injuries caused by breeds known to be the most dangerous.
*Requiring the dog to periodically pass a test similar to the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. The big licensing fee could be fully or partially refunded when the dog passes.
I do trust my golden, but she could even accidentally hurt an infant. She’s a dog, she doesn’t think like a person. As you said, why take a chance? That’s why human infants have human parents. Poor poor baby.
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