Dustdevil Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) I thought this stuff only happened in New Zealand. http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/869058.h...nk=omni_popular Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2009 Infant snatched from crib by dog remains in critical condition By Greg Kocher - gkocher1@herald-leader.com NICHOLASVILLE — The father of the newborn baby taken from a crib by a pet dog said Tuesday that the animal will not return to his Jessamine County house. Meanwhile, Alexander James Smith, son of Michael and Chrissie Smith of Nicholasville, remains in critical condition at University of Kentucky Hospital. Michael Smith said his son has a cracked skull and cracked ribs — and had one collapsed lung and one partially collapsed lung — but has stabilized and appears to be improving. In a press conference Tuesday at UK, Michael Smith called the ordeal a nightmare, and he said it might not have happened at all had he been able to fully prepare the house for the infant's arrival. As it turned out, the baby was born Friday, three weeks early, and arrived home Sunday. The father discovered that the baby was missing about 1 p.m. Monday. Smith said he was about to get a baby monitor, latches and other items that might have prevented the dog from getting past an "inadvertently" unlocked door. Dakota's sister, Nikita, can open doors on her own, he said. "It will haunt me because that was my child," Michael Smith said. Jessamine County Deputy Sheriff Anthony Purcell said Dakota, a Native American Indian dog, was large enough to stand on its hind feet and remove the infant from a crib. The sheriff's office is investigating, but no charges have been filed, Chief Deputy Allen Peel said. On Monday afternoon, Michael Smith said his wife had just put Alexander — known as "A.J." to his parents — in his crib for a nap in an upstairs room. She went to check on the boy a couple of minutes later and he wasn't there. The couple began looking for Dakota because "she has a habit of taking cups or stuffed animals. She takes them to several different places" in thick woods that cover most of a 2-acre fenced back yard, Michael Smith said. "We began a pretty frantic search for the dog and A.J.," he said. Initially, "we weren't able to find either one of them." Michael Smith called 911 and then found Dakota with the baby outside. "She was carrying A.J. like she would carry a stuffed animal, very gentle, kind of like a loaf of bread." The dog was carrying the baby by the chest. "His head was out. You could see some blood on his head," Smith said. He chased the dog but couldn't get her to release the baby. Later, the dog dropped the baby, and after further searching, Smith found the infant on a patch of grass. A.J.'s eyes were open and his mouth was bleeding. "He looked a whole lot better than what I thought he was going to look," Smith said. On Tuesday, the baby's vital signs were stable, Smith said. "There doesn't appear to be any organ damage. He does have a cracked skull in two places," he said. A.J., who weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces at birth, also has a cut on his cheek and a couple of wounds on the back of his head. The Smiths have two Native American Indian dogs and a black Labrador named Maggie. Michael Smith said they chose to get Native American Indian dogs in part because "my wife had done extensive research on them and they're great family pets. She had talked to the breeder and had talked to other owners" of these types of dogs. They got Dakota and Nikita from a Michigan breeder. He described the dogs' grandparents "as 90 percent wolf." "They are the most mild-mannered dogs you could have," Smith said. "We've had them for four years, since they were pups." Dakota remains at the Jessamine County SAVE Center, an animal shelter for dogs and cats in Nicholasville. No decision has been made on whether to euthanize Dakota. Chief Deputy Peel said if Smith chooses to have the dog euthanized, "that's his right." Smith said it would be his hope that Dakota could be adopted by another owner. "Obviously, Dakota is not coming back into my house," he said. "I would love it if I could find a home for her." Greg Kocher covers Jessamine County for the Herald-Leader. Reach him in the Nicholasville bureau at (859) 885-5775. Edited July 22, 2009 by Dustdevil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchb Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 There are no Dingos in New Zealand. Dingos eat Australian babies only. Seems they taste better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p3medic Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 It was a Tazmanian Devil on holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tniuqs Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 This is a wolf .... dingos are a tad smaller .... Letting a 90% wolf near a baby .... they should shoot the parents first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMedic65 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 nom nom nom nom nom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussiephil Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 This is a wolf .... dingos are a tad smaller .... Letting a 90% wolf near a baby .... they should shoot the parents first! Mate, I thought that was you & your ex getting back together........ LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tniuqs Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) Bloody OZ ! Do I have to explain everything to you mate ? No the ex is a "sheep in wolfs clothing" not a "wolf in sheep's clothing" .... and no hunting season on ex's and pfft to those dingos you have, well the Wolf in this picture would have one as a snack . The idea of having any dawg around any newborn is Darwinian in the first degree and FYI anything more than 1/4 Wolf/ Dog here in Canukistan are PROVEN to be unreliable as a pet's with many noted attacks on children let alone Adults ... just what this family was thinking is beyond me, the idiot should be charged with STUPID in the First Degree. cheers Edited July 23, 2009 by tniuqs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 ...anything more than 1/4 Wolf/ Dog here in Canukistan are PROVEN to be unreliable as a pet's with many noted attacks on children let alone Adults ... The article says the grandparents were 90 percent wolf, I believe. Depending on the parents, I suppose the lowest percentage this dog could be would be 45 percent? My genetics class was 25 years ago, so I'm a little rusty on that. Maybe JPINFV can chime in with a better analysis. Anyhow, research I did many years ago indicated that the conventional wisdom was that around 33 to 35 percent wolf was where the optimum balance was achieved in temperament. And, of course, then comes the nature vs. nurture argument, which suggests that how the pup is raised may play a more significant role in the dog's behaviour than his heritage. Regardless, I don't think it is necessarily accurate or fair to characterise this incident as aggressive behaviour. From what little information I get from media and family reports, it doesn't appear that the dog was trying to harm the child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tniuqs Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 'Dustdevil' The article says the grandparents were 90 percent wolf, I believe. Depending on the parents, I suppose the lowest percentage this dog could be would be 45 percent? My genetics class was 25 years ago, so I'm a little rusty on that. Maybe JPINFV can chime in with a better analysis. OOPs EPIC FAIL in reading .... and genetics ... which off the record was not my best subject - 5 to squint, ah the shame of it all. Anyhow, research I did many years ago indicated that the conventional wisdom was that around 33 to 35 percent wolf was where the optimum balance was achieved in temperament. And, of course, then comes the nature vs. nurture argument, which suggests that how the pup is raised may play a more significant role in the dog's behaviour than his heritage. COUGH ... any cross with a wild animal is a "tough guy status symbol ONLY" the mentality of those I have met personally with the fighting breeds is rated akin to the tattoo to teeth ratio ... I would and have picked Labs, Blue Healers (thats why I like Phil some days) and Boxers and from known breeders, introducing my kids at feeding time and let the kids eat the dogs food (besides being a cost savings) the dog(s) believed they were their "pups" Oh yes nurture is a huge part ... AND I watch the Dog Whisperer. Regardless, I don't think it is necessarily accurate or fair to characterise this incident as aggressive behaviour. From what little information I get from media and family reports, it doesn't appear that the dog was trying to harm the child. No just playing with a newborn like a toy ? MEH ... did you enlarge the pic of the big bad wolf, many pple are under the false impression that wolves do not attack people, WRONG its the the criteria in Canada is a wolf attack has to cause a death ... not just injury. Having a cross breed Wolf and you are simply asking for problems dingos for phil entirely a different thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 I would and have picked Labs, Blue Healers (thats why I like Phil some days) and Boxers and from known breeders, introducing my kids at feeding time and let the kids eat the dogs food (besides being a cost savings) the dog(s) believed they were their "pups" LMFAO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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