A five-week-old baby has died from her injuries after a fatal dog attack on NSW’s far south coast after the newborn died in the hospital from horrific head injuries caused by her family’s two dogs.
NSW Ambulance paramedics confirmed to Daily Mail Australia they were called to the home following reports a baby had been attacked by dogs. However, by the time they got there, they were informed the baby had already been rushed to Moruya Hospital by private car. The baby died there shortly after midnight.
It’s understood the dogs mauled the five-week-old baby to death struck without warning while she slept in a bassinet as her parents sat close by at a family barbecue.
Fatal dog attack claims newborn’s lifeÂ
The two dogs, which are described as “rottweiler-types” have since been seized by Eurobodalla Shire Council. It is unknown if they have been euthanised which is standard procedure after a fatal dog attack.
Friends of the baby have revealed how the baby was sleeping next to a table of 6-8 adults at her grandfather’s home on Saturday night when the tragedy occurred at about 10.40 pm.
Apparently, the two dogs were sleeping harmlessly approximately three metres away from the baby’s bassinet when, for no apparent reason, they suddenly pounced on the sleeping newborn.
The baby’s father and mother jumped up to try to pry the dogs off their baby girl as the other guests scrambled to try and help. They bundled up the bleeding baby and rushed her by car to the closest hospital in Moruya but medics were unable to save her and she died shortly after midnight.
‘There was a considerable amount of blood, it was terrible.
‘There was just no warning.Â
‘They were just having a family barbecue with the neighbours at the rear of the property and then they turned around the dogs were on her.
‘There were no other kids, the dogs weren’t running around and no-one was provoking the dogs or anything. They weren’t agitated or distressed. It just happened out of nowhere.’
Her father said the couple’s other two-year-old daughter had also been around the dogs repeatedly since she was born without any incident.
‘They’ve done it before, and there’s never been any issues before,’ he said.
‘There’s never been an issue. It’s really horrible. It’s just beyond words.’
Naturally, the tight-knit town was reeling from the attack.
‘It’s really knocked this little community around,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing you can say. It’s just that tragic.
‘This will be really difficult for all the family to deal with. I spoke to the grandfather and he’s just in shock.’Â Â
Dog attack on toddler also ends in tragedyÂ
The tragic news comes just three months after a two-year-old was also fatally attacked by a dog in NSW. Jyedon Pollard 2, was killed after he was mauled by a Rottweiler and a cattle dog owned by motel staff while staying at Cowra’s Country Gardens Motor Inn in the NSW central-west.
In July 2021 another five-week-old baby also died from a family dog attack. The American Staffordshire terrier attacked the baby in their Kariong home in the middle of the night.
Police who arrived at the home first performed CPR on the baby boy until paramedics arrived. They also unsuccessfully attempted to revive the baby boy, who sadly died at the scene.
The American Staffy, which was registered, was seized by the council and was euthanised.
Be dog aware
We don’t share these stories of fatal dog attacks to scare but to help families be aware that things like this can happen. We often hear stories about rogue dogs who do attack and, as hard as they are to read, we need to remember that these things do happen.
The Royal Children’s Hospital has produced a resource kit to help promote dog bite prevention. This is what they recommend:
- Supervision. Always: A baby or young child should never, ever be left alone with a dog. If constant supervision isn’t possible, the best idea is to separate the dog and the child into different areas of the house/yard to minimise risk.
- The ‘gentle’ rule: Teaching kids to be gentle from a young age helps them to establish the right kind of contact with their puppy pal.
- Establish a no-go zone: When a dog is eating or sleeping, it’s likely that it won’t want to be disturbed. Teach children from a young age to leave the family pet alone at these times.
- Understand dog body language:Â A dog should be avoided and left alone if it growls, backs away, lifts its lips, stares at you or raises the hair on its back.
- Permission:Â Whether the dog is well known to your child or not, always get permission from both you and the dog owner first.
How to handle an unknown dog
If approached, even by a dog that seems friendly, children should stand still like a statue with their arms by their sides and hands in a fist or hands tucked into their armpits, avoid making eye contact and importantly, not scream or panic.
Most dogs will lose interest very quickly. If the dog remains interested or knocks your child over, teach children to curl into a ball, stay quiet and wait it out. Dogs are more likely to be attracted to loud noise and lots of movement so doing the opposite often causes them to get bored and run away.
The most important things to remember are supervision, prevention and respect for our canine pals.
For more information on dogs and kids, visit Royal Children’s Hospital. You can also check out our expert tips for introducing a dog to the family.
