Dogs are dogs. They are prey animals.
I seriously doubt this was about prey.
This was about jealously & probably territory.
I have owned dogs for more than 30 years. Dogs can be VERY jealous of all the attention a baby receives. Friends of mine had to give away their beloved Schnauzer after it growled & snapped at their newborn baby several times. That dog clearly did not accept that baby. Scolding the dog & locking him outside just made the dog more unhappy.
That dogs are protective of their territory is well known. From the story, I gather the child & parents were visiting grandma, where the dog lived. Not only was the baby a loud, attention stealing invader of the dog’s home, but it had the audacity to crawl into the dog’s personal space. No one beyond a pro dog handler invades a dog’s personal space without proper introduction & familiarization.
Until a dog confidently/willingly approaches the child, gives him a full sniffing, & gives the child an affectionate lick, the child is not safe with the dog. Even then, I would not leave them alone together until they had BOTH clearly bonded.
This is so sad. Obviously, the baby was not at fault. The parents were just ignorant of the ways of a dog.
***Dogs are dogs. They are prey animals.***
I believe you mean predator animals.