Family Pet Mauls Mother And 2 Month Old

[Aelwynn]

WAIANAE (KHNL) - A two-month-old Waianae boy is dead after being mauled by a family pet.

It happened in Waianae early Sunday morning around midnight.

The family's mixed-breed family dog attacked and killed the two-month-old, identified by the medical examiner as Iokepa Liptak. His mother was also attacked. Both victims were taken to the hospital where Iokepa was pronounced dead. His mother is now in stable condition.

The dog is currently being held at the Hawaiian Humane Society.

"We received a call at possibly 4:30 a.m. this morning from the Honolulu Police Department, asking us to respond to an address and take custody of a dog that allegedly was involved in a dogbite incident," said Hawaiian Humane Society spokesperson Kawehi Yim.

Yim said the dog is in isolation until police decide what to do with it. Police have classified the case as an unattended death.

Hm, one word: Euthanize.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=9127991

[silvahalo68]

I came across this story last night and didn't get a chance to post...thanks Wynn.

Here is some additional info. and video with comments from the grandmother...so heartbreaking. I can't even begin to imagine the horror the mother experienced when she fount that 75 lb. dog bearing down and mauling her baby....

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/10245/40/
A family dog attacks and kills a 2-month-old infant. Two others were injured in the attack.

Now, police and the Hawaiian Humane Society officals must decide what to do with the dangerous animal.

Lily Campbell describes the events leading up to the horrifying moment, when her grandson, 2-month-old Iokepa Liptak was attacked by one of the family dogs.

"My daughter just went to the kitchen to get a glass of water," Campbell said. "The dog was behind her. When she turned around, the dog wasn't there. When she rushed to the room, the dog was on the bed."

The dog, that neighbors say was about 75 pounds, was on the bed with the sleeping infant. Police say it attacked, biting down on the baby.

"She wanted the dog to die right away," Campbell said about her daughter's reaction, "she wanted to kill the dog."

Neighbors were awakened by panicked screams, not from the baby, but from the mother.

Jennifer Archer lives right next door. She called 911.

"They are yelling, my baby, my baby!" Archer said. "I just heard a lot of commotion, running back and forth. I saw them bring the dog out and put it back in the kennel."

Emergency officials said three people were injured in the attack -- the baby, the baby's mother and another woman. The adults may have gotten hurt trying to pry the dog off the baby.

The mother and baby were taken to a nearby hospital where the baby later died.

Police alerted the Hawaiian Humane Society which came out, took the dog away, and put her in isolation.
They don't know what kind of dog it is, just that it's female and of mixed breed.

Neighbors say at least two other dogs live at the house. Liptak's grandmother says the dog that attacked has always been a good animal.

Police have classified this as an unattended death. The Humane Society says no one has claimed ownership of the dog yet. The dog will stay at the society until officials there and police figure out what to do next.

Regarding canine attacks:
According to the Humane Society, every year approximately 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States. That is almost 2% of the American population. Roughly 26 people are killed a year by dogs in the last decade. Approximately eighty percent of dog bites occur by an animal that is known to the victim and is usually a pet of the owner or neighbor. And most dog bites occur near the victim’s home. And over half the dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property. Children are three times more likely than adults to sustain serious injury from dog bites. Over half of the child victims sustain significant injury to the face. The Humane Society reports that over fifty percent of the bite victims are under the age of 13-years-old. One kennel reported that of the children killed by dogs (canine homicide), nearly 70% of the victims were under the age of ten-years-old, nearly 22% are under the age of one year and approximately 7% were sleeping infants. It is important to discern between dog bites and canine homicide. While Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for a large number of the canine homicides, all breeds and their owners are responsible for the high number of dog bites. You will recall the case of the Pomeranian dog that killed an infant while its owner was preparing a bottle in the other room. Even in communities where certain breeds are banned and there are low concentrations of “dangerous breeds” there is still the same frequency of dog bites in the population. Any dog can and will bite under certain circumstances.


As a child I had several beloved dogs that never seriously hurt any of us...7 siblings. However, today as a mother I don't think I would trust having a dog inside my home with children...too many possibilities not worth the chance.

Rest in peace sweet Lokepa Liptak...sleep with the angels.

[crickett]

How horrible....the poor mother will probably never get over this. RIP little one.
Please do NOT ever leave a child alone with an animal. A baby swinging in one of those little swings looks like a toy to a dog even if they mean no harm.

[Special2bme]

[QUOTE=Aelwynn;75900]Hm, one word: Euthanize.


:dito: I don't understand why they didn't do it right away. My prayers and thoughts are with the family. Oh, I can't even image!

[TC-JAV]

Sorry, but if I was the mother, I'd have killed the dog myself. I love animals, but my baby would have come first. I think any dog that attacks a human(either for no reason or thru provocation) should be killed.

[crickett]

[QUOTE=Aelwynn;75900]Hm, one word: Euthanize.


:dito: I don't understand why they didn't do it right away. My prayers and thoughts are with the family. Oh, I can't even image!

I'm with BOTH of you. But they usually have to hold a dog for 10 days for observation. They then euthanize and remove the head to send for rabies test. It's protocol.

[Aelwynn]

They are also looking for the original owners. At first they suspected it was a family pet, but the family is now denying that it's actually theirs. So they are trying to figure out who the pet belongs to. I bet once they find the owners there will be charges against them, as well as a civil lawsuit.

If the dog really does belong to the family, they should have heeded their doctors' advice - which is keep all animals away from newborns until they are able to crawl. I even kept my cat away from my girls, cause I was super scared my kitty would attack the babies.

I'm still for euthanizing it. If it attacked a baby, then it will attack someone else either "mistakenly" or on purpose. Also it took 2 adults to try to pull the dog off the baby. 2 adults and a baby were hurt by this dog. That is one vicious dog.

[maryhaze]

i'd take it in a heartbeat. who leaves a 2 month old alone with any dog???? sorry, i'm on the 4 leggeds side here.

[maryhaze]

by the way, every one of my 18 indoor dogs is here for biting someone. none of my kids or i have ever been bit. it's the circumstances the dogs are put in. if the dog was psycho, it would have been put down long ago. again, humans fault, animals pay.:stupido3:

[SoUncool]

Absolutely true Mary. My first dog was a male Rottweiler, Crash. I had him before I got pregnant and he was there when I brought my daughter home from the hospital. He was so protective of her I had no qualms leaving her around him. Now I have a female Rottie. She is my daughter's companion and the dog loves my daughter so much. It's the atmosphere and how the animal is treated. Both of my Rotties have been big babies. I would not, however, EVER leave my dog alone with someone else's infant or child. I am always present when my kid has a friend over too. Always present when anybody besides me and my kid are around. You have to be a smart dog owner. Fuck, I'm tired and rambling...bah.

[Ceffy]

again, humans fault, animals pay.

It's so sad for the baby and the dog. Everytime I leave the room when my child is home, I hustle the dogs back into their crates. They are used to this routine and I only have to point now. Dogs are loving creatures but they do not recognize an infant as a part of the family. My four year old daughter is never left alone with my shiba inu, Suby, who is 20 lbs. The thought of leaving an infant in the same room as a 75 lb dog just gives me the willys.
You are not supposed to let your dogs around your infant to teach the dogs that the baby is off limits. Basically, mimic the behavior of a momma dog. Most mom dogs are intolerant of other dogs sniffing around her pups.

*Just wanted to note that the reason my daughter and Suby don't get along is because Suby dislikes ...well, everything really. And I've been told that Suby has a "wonderful disposition for a Shiba". ^^

[maryhaze]

Shibas are tough little dogs. well, little to me cuz most of mine are over 100#.

[Maggie Mae]

What's an "unattended death"? Is it because someone wasn't there when the bite occurred, or what?

[sunshinecm24]

I can't find it anywhere, but on the news they said the dog was euthanized the next day.

[CorruptedMistress]

I found an article for ya Sunshine, the dog was euthanized the very next day:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27062810/

WAIANAE, Hawaii - The dog that killed a 2-month-old baby and attacked the child's mother was euthanized on Monday.

The attack happened just after midnight on Sunday morning at a home on Kakaiapola Street in Waianae.

The Hawaiian Humane Society said the family stepped forward and asked for the animal to be euthanized.

The Medical Examiner's Office on Monday said the baby, Iokepa Liptak, died from head injuries.

The mother, identified as Blossom, returned home on Monday limping from a leg injury.

Investigators were not able to determine the dog's owner.

"There was no one there that he could talk to as far as ownership of the dog," said Kawehi Yim, of the Hawaiian Humane Society. "He took the dog and brought it to Humane Society and we've had it in custody ever since."

Officials said it is unclear why the dog attacked the baby. Neighbors described it as aggressive, but field investigators said the animal was not aggressive when it was removed from the home.

"There were nor significant challenges or behavior challenges with it. Our officers were able to retrieve the dog and bring it back to the Humane Society and put it into the kennel," Yim said.

Child Protective Services officials said they are doing a routine investigation to see if there was possible neglect or lack of supervision.

[TheMorningStar]

I'm thinking the dog was a stray that they recently took in. I bet the family has no idea who "owned" the dog. Such a sad story.

[Gilbrit]

IMO the dog saw the baby as a threat to its hierachy standing.

Any sane being knows you never let any animal near a baby.
Sad for both parents and the dog.

[LiltingBanshee]

The neighbors said it was a mean dog:
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20081006_dog_attack_kills_isle_infant.html

They put the dog down:
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20081007_Dog_that_killed_infant_euthanized_by_requ est.html

My guess is that the dog didn't like strangers in its territory, and saw the baby as a stranger.
Horrible.