A two-month-old baby is dead after a family’s dog mauled the infant while her father slept just feet away.
The gruesome incident occurred Tuesday in San Marco, Texas, at the family’s home.
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An investigation by the San Marcos Police Department and Child Protective Services reports the new father fell asleep on the same couch where the child was napping in an infant bouncer.
The father awoke 20 minutes later to find the child unresponsive and “cold to the touch.”
“As you can imagine, a new parent, very fatigued and tired, so when the child was asleep he thought, ‘Here’s my opportunity to catch a little nap,’” Cmdr. Kelly Earnest with San Marcos police told KXAN.
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Officials said the girl suffered numerous bites and was transported to local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Animal Control reported the family’s German Shepherd acting “submissive” when they responded to the home.
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Animal control has impounded the dog for 10 days, and will decide whether the dog will be euthanized, unless the family, who has owned the canine for eight years, chooses to take the dog back.
“They’ve suffered two losses. First their infant daughter and also their family pet.”
“The family reports that the dog was always good with the child, again the child was new to the family but the dog didn’t have a history of being aggressive,” Earnest told KXAN.
“As you can imagine the family is very traumatized and upset,” she said.