A two-week-old boy who was bitten by a pet dog at a home west of Edmonton on the weekend died in hospital, RCMP said.
The newborn was airlifted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton after the attack Sunday in the hamlet of Entwistle, about 90 kilometres west of the provincial capital.
RCMP said Monday the infant died despite the best efforts of medical professionals.
The dog was surrendered to officials, and officers continued to investigate.
Sgt. Jeff Sutherland, who is the commander at the RCMP detachment in the neighbouring community of Evansburg, said police had been to the home for other issues in the past.
“Unfortunately, it’s a heartbreaking situation for everyone involved there. We are definitely doing the investigation on the criminal side to see if there’s any criminal liability that took place. At this time, there is nothing to indicate that there was any criminal negligence or intent that took place,” he said, adding police are working with the medical examiner and a veterinarian to determine what happened.
“It’s a terrible incident. The family and everyone involved are grieving.”
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Const. Julie-Ann Strilaiff said officers are looking at the health of the dog.
The breed hadn’t been confirmed, but Strilaiff described it as a medium-sized dog.
“Once the dog has an examination, we can have more determination about what specific breed it is,” she said.
Strilaiff said the dog was set to be evaluated Tuesday by a veterinarian for things like rabies or inbreeding, and an application would possibly be submitted under the Dangerous Dogs Act to have it put down.
“We need a veterinarian to be able to assist us with being able to ensure that there wasn’t some other underlying cause,” she said.
“There’s always ‘what ifs’ and it is a tough situation, right?” Sutherland added. “We all know dogs are dogs and they’re an animal and anything could happen at any given time.”
She added that the newborn was the only child in the home, and the dog was the family pet.
“Obviously the community is pretty devastated and the family’s devastated,” Strilaiff said, adding victim services are available to work with the family.
“It’s just a heartbreaking situation for all.”
Dog attacks like this aren’t common, Strilaiff said.
In 2012, a two-day-old boy in Airdrie, near Calgary, was killed by a family dog. The Siberian husky was later euthanized.
— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
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