One of these dogs killed and dismembered a baby in Dorchester County, South Carolina.
From the Post and Courier:
A two-month-old boy was killed by his family’s retriever Friday morning while his father slept and his mother was at the doctor with another child, authorities said.
Aiden Lee McGrew, born on Valentine’s Day, died after he was bitten multiple times and dismembered by a dog inside his home at 151 Sandpit Drive in rural Dorchester County, Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet said.
Sheriff L.C. Knight said no charges have been filed as the case remains under investigation.
The infant was in a baby swing in the nursery while his father, Quintin McGrew, slept in his bedroom with their 3-year-old child and the other family dog, Knight said.
The boy’s mother, Chantel McGrew, came home from a doctor’s appointment with their 7-year-old child and found the badly mauled baby on the floor, Knight said. She called dispatchers at 11:08 a.m. and reported that the child’s leg had been severed.
The baby was taken to Summerville Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy is set for Saturday. Nisbet said the autopsy will help determine if the child died prior to being dismembered.
The couple’s two older children are in DSS custody, Knight said. The dog, locked in a sheriff’s office pen, appeared friendly and eager to play Friday afternoon.
Knight said the family had baby-sat the golden retriever-mix in the past and recently took ownership of the dog when its family decided it didn’t want it any more.
Both Knight and Nisbet said the case was among the worst they’ve ever experienced.
“This is about as bad as it can get for a police officer,” Knight said.
This is a tragic story, but it needs to be understood in the proper context.
A dog sometimes will not recognize a baby as a human. It might think of the baby as some kind of small animal that would be fun to kill.
I remember reading in Nicholas Dodman’s The Dog Who Loved Too Much about two field bred springers that wanted to hunt and kill a family’s baby. Dodman writes that there are about ten cases of dogs killing babies every year that likely stem from predatory behavior.
It’s not incredibly common, but it is a potential risk.
Writes the person who was babysat by a doting beagle that also loved to chase rabbits.
Natural History 
What a heartbreaker. Just so sad all around. Thank you for sharing.
What a tragic story. Although I trust Kyuss, I don’t trust him or any dog, ever, to be left alone with my children. You just never know. (Children aren’t to be trusted around dogs themselves anywhoo)
A few months ago, in Calgary I believe, a 2 week old infant was killed by one of the family’s huskies. I read somewhere the dog tried to “mother” the infant by picking him up by his head, he died 12 hours after the incident in hospital, but I don’t know if it’s rumor or not.
They were well known in the community as they owned a dog sledding business.
It ain’t rumor. You remember correctly pennypup.
We just had something similar here in Pittsburgh, too – two day old baby killed by a husky.
There was unbelievable stupidity associated with this one – the husky was new to the household (they’d only had it a couple months), had a broken leg, and the baby had been left on the floor while mom was in another room. The family also owned three pit bulls.
It’s not a “breed” thing – I wouldn’t leave my collie with a newborn baby. We’ve chosen to share our lives with large predatory animals. Although they’re domesticated, they’re still animals.
very sad.. The VAST majority of dogbite fatalities are exactly this situation: unattended toddler. It’s so easy for a dog to fatally hurt a fragile child, without its being “mean” or aggressive”. The dog could have been responding to giggling/crying and just pulling on the child’s leg causing the injury.
In these cases, where the PARENT is so much to blame, the dog usually suffers its own fatal consequences.
What would happen if this dog had looked bulldoggy or boxery or pit bullish?
Screaming headlines. Then dead.
Just think how plenty the Retrievers are in this world . But something like this happens so very seldom. So it can’t be taken as a big thing for us who don’t know that family at all.
Interestingly enough im watching a documentary and in colorado specifically denver there is a ban on pitbulls and they were only accountable for 20% of dog bites but Retrievers were at the top of the list so it really doesn’t matter how many times it happens people just dislike pit bulls because everytime there is an attack it is shouted out and they say specifically pit bull attacks…
They took their dogs and their children?? Good God!!! Maybe it is for the best since they can not watch their kids and pets at the same time Really sad a child lost his life over the owners “sleepness” I am sure the dogs will be next. This is just sad and bad all the way around and could have been avoided very easily.
This is two many during two weeks for me. Sad story.
>>>>>>>>A dog sometimes will not recognize a baby as a human. It might think of the baby as some kind of small animal that would be fun to kill.>>>>>>
I agree. And is a good question to think about – is a 2-months-old baby a human ? I’d say clearly “no” – and this one never will be .
Who would leave a two month old in a swing and go sleep in another room? There are all kinds of things wrong with this situation… There must have been some sound! How awful for the child that it’s parents were such bad guardians. 2 months old is a very young baby!
I would not be surprised if charges were not filed in this case.
Two-months-old is a helpless worm.
Some People! Don’t put the blame on the parents like this was intentional. I can’t begin to imagine how devastated they are. Yes they may not have made the best decisions around but hello they are human and in human we error. We try to make the best decisions and they don’t always turn out so. I put my child in the swing to nap while I nap, although we are in the same room, and up until reading this I would’ve trusted my golden retriever to be in the house with us. My heart goes out to the family and I hope their kids are returned to them soon and God guides them through this huge tragedy.
It may not be intentional, but it’s certainly close to neglect.
The judge ruled neglect: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/04/23/sc_coroner_mauling_death_of_infant_a_homicide/
This death was considered a homicide… Probably there were facts brought to the judge’s attention that were not written in the newspaper articles. I know it isn’t the first time this type of thing has happened. Even though I do blame the parents, my heart does go out to them. They either lacked common sense or intelligence or both. The judge must have questioned their parenting skills to have ruled neglect and homicide. The above article says that they were living in a white mobile home… I still don’t know how the father was so out of it that he didn’t know what was going on in such close quarters… horrible story.
Lord! Who leaves a baby in a swing outside while taking a bloody nap? Not only can your dog eat them, some creepo could jump your fence and take them.
I think it’s perfectly possible to have dogs and babies, but by God if I’m napping that baby better be in a crib when I know it’s less likely to get hurt, dogs or not.
This is undoubtedly neglect.
A baby in a swing will often kick his legs. This would attract the dog, maybe
playing. I did not leave my little girl alone with the dog, ever. My dog was the sweetest thing, but you never know. Children are not supposed to be left in a swing alone either. This sleeping dad really screwed up and he will pay for the rest of his life. Poor little baby.
Not long ago a Jack russell killed a newborn who was visiting his grandparents. Another care of no thought being given. A baby wiggles, squirms and makes squeaky noises. NEVER leave any dog, no matter how sweet, alone with a child.
Bridget, I realize I am extremely late to this conversation, but I happened upon these comments in a search for information on retrievers and just had to ask – do you seriously mean that a 2 month old baby is not human? I agree that a 2 month old is just as helpless as it gets, but that does not in any way mean that they aren’t human. My neighbor is 13 years old, requires full time care from his parents or other caregivers due to disabilities, yet he is very much human. My grandmother is as helpless as that 2 month old that was killed…she has not lost her “human-ness.” If you were, God forbid, in a terrible accident that rendered you completely dependent on others in order to survive, you would still be just as human as you were typing those comments.
Possibly I am missing some sarcasm you were using to make a point…if you are being serious, I’d love to know what you think defines being human and at what age or at what point in “usefulness” someone’s “human-ness” begins…in any case, I just had to chime in here.
[…] animal instincts. For some reason pits are singled out, despite the fact that other breeds have killed in the last year or so as well. Somehow I doubt we will see memes calling for the banning of golden retrievers, or Facebook posts […]
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