Published: December 01, 2008 09:46 pm            

CITY OF TONAWANDA: Infant recovering after being attacked by dog

CITY OF TONAWANDA — The parents of a City of Tonawanda infant who was attacked by the family dog Sunday afternoon are breathing an enormous sigh of relief.

After undergoing emergency surgery in the intensive care unit at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, the three-month-old boy is “resting comfortably,” Tonawanda Police Detective Tim Toth said Monday afternoon after speaking with the child’s parents.

Emergency responders had considered the injuries to be life-threatening.

Greater Niagara Newspapers is not identifying the boy or his parents, at the request of the family. “I think they’re still trying to comprehend and decompress from this whole thing,” Toth said.

The infant was on the floor in a penned-in area when Molson, the Gath Terrace family’s 6-year-old Staffordshire terrier — which is part of the pit bull family — ripped apart a portion of the gate and attacked the baby, causing serious injuries, police said.

The baby’s mother was in the shower and had a baby monitor set up; the boy’s father wasn’t home at the time of the incident. Emergency responders credit the mother’s quick actions, plus those of off-duty Tonawanda Fire Capt. Robert Hassett, with saving the boy’s life.

Hassett, who lives near the home where the attack occurred, scrambled to the house after hearing the call on his home scanner and began treating the boy’s wounds before medical personnel arrived.

Toth said he doesn’t believe police will file criminal charges in the incident. “Just a tragic accident is really all this was,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything the family could have done that could have prevented something like this.”

West Virginia-based canine expert Karen Delise said people need to understand that while such attacks are rare, they do happen and that pet owners should always supervise infants.

“Dogs don’t really understand what infants are,” said Delise, a veterinary technician. She has authored two books on dogs and founded the National Canine Research Council to counter what she says is misguided information being presented in the media. “An infant never should be left alone with a dog,” she said.

Delise said it is unusual for a dog to attack an infant after three months. Such attacks typically occur within the first month. “Usually after three months, the dog has pretty much come to accept this little critter is here and belongs here,” she said.

Toth believes the dog became jealous and reacted viciously to its lowered status in the family’s pecking order, despite the fact that the family took steps to make the transition for the dog as comfortable as possible.

The family has another pit bull, but police said it wasn’t involved in the incident. Both dogs were secured by the city’s dog control officer and remain at the SPCA in the Town of Tonawanda.

Toth said the fate of the attacking dog likely will be decided today. “Ultimately, the family can make that decision on their own. We would like to leave it up to them.”

However, if police and the SPCA determine that the dog still poses a significant threat, police can file a dangerous dog petition and ask that a judge decide if the animal is put down.

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.

        

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