News: Boy Mauled By Family Dog
(Long Island, N.Y.) A four-year-old boy from Brownsville, Brooklyn was mauled to death by the family dog. The incident occurred last week in the family’s home on Pacific Street. Animal control officials were forced to sedate two dogs and take them to the headquarters of the Animal Care & Control (AC&C).
One of the dogs, a German Shepherd, was not involved in the attack. The other, which attacked the child, was a Cane-Corso Mastiff. The dogs belonged to the fiancé of the toddler’s mother. Animal Care & Control (AC&C) will decide what should be done with the dogs.
It’s uncertain whether the adults involved in this case will face any criminal charges. Reports stated that the couple’s wedding was scheduled for June 10th of this year. The New York City Police Department has been interviewing neighbors and the Administration of Children Services has been investigating the family in regards to the incident.
Neighbors have described the animals as “monster dogs” that should not have been around children. They claim that the canines were violent, big, and dangerous, and that the entire block was afraid of them. They have accused the boy’s mother of leaving her child alone with the animal while she was outside. Some say that the dog, which was believed to have been trained, had clearly not been trained enough.
The boy’s worst injures occurred around the neck, but he also suffered wounds to his head and torso. Neighbors claim that they had seen him playing outside the apartment just a day before the incident, and that the mauling had been a tragedy waiting to happen. Reports stated that the toddler had a two-year-old and a five-year-old sibling, and that the family also kept parrots, parakeets, and rabbits.
Emergency responders brought the boy to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The boy’s mother allegedly chanted “help me, he ate my baby” after witnessing the attack. Neighbors came to her assistance after hearing her screams, and in an eager effort to help; one of them broke through the first-floor window.
The incident occurred a short time after nine that evening when the toddler’s mother returned home with her children. She claimed to have accidentally left her keys outside the house and went back to retrieve them. In the seconds that she was separated from her children, the boys went into the bedroom where the dogs were running free.
The Cane-Corso Mastiff bit the toddler’s throat and dragged him to the living room. Reports stated that there was no chance for the boy’s mother to free her son from the tight grip of the animal.
In the wake of the incident, police arrested people involved in a scuffle at the scene. They claimed to have been trying to aid the family, and neighbors stated that they are still devastated over the horrific loss of an innocent boy.
