3-day-old baby killed by family dogs

Police in Central California say two family dogs killed a 3-day-old baby after her mother left her on the couch and walked away for a few seconds.

“She was in the bathroom at the time and heard screaming. That’s when the 30-year-old man came home and saw the child being bitten by the dog,” said Fresno Police Sgt. Dan Macias. The girl’s mother had left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up in the back yard.

The baby died at a hospital shortly after the attack Monday.

“We are currently investigating this as an accident. We don’t believe there is any criminal activity at this point,” Macias says.

Macias says the two male dogs, which are believed to be a mix of shar-pei and pit bull are owned by the 33-year-old woman’s brother. He surrendered the dogs to the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. SPCA spokesman Walter Salvari says the dogs will be euthanized.

“It would be nearly impossible to re-home these dogs for any organization. They are victims too,” says Brenda Mitchell of Fresno Humane Animal Services. “They really are, but they probably aren’t safe to place out into the community again.”

“What dogs see is not always the same as what humans see and a brand new baby is often translated as a wounded animal,” says Mitchell.