The boy was at his grandmother's house on the 1600 block of Navarre Lane near Arroyo Grande Boulevard on Friday, police said. It was shortly before 10 p.m. when he crawled over to the family's dog and started to pet him, police said.
The dog -- a 6-year-old Mastiff/Rhodesian mix weighing about 120 pounds –- latched his jaws around the boy's head and began shaking him, police said. The grandmother attempted to pull the boy from the dog while other family members rushed to help, police said.
Henderson rescue workers took the boy to St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Siena Campus, police said. He was then flown by helicopter to UMC's Trauma Unit.
The boy died from his injuries at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday, police said. The boy had turned 1 on Thursday.
Henderson Animal Control officers took the dog to the Henderson animal shelter, where he will be quarantined and observed for signs of rabies over the next 10 days, police said. The dog is up to date on his rabies vaccination but is being declared vicious and will be euthanized after the observation period, police said.
The family, which has owned the dog since he was a puppy, voluntarily relinquished ownership to animal control, police said.
The boy had been around the dog since he was born, police said. The family said the dog has never been aggressive toward people. There were no signs of neglect and no previous calls reported about the dog in the past. Officers are still investigating why the dog attacked the boy, police said.
The Clark County Coroner's Office will release the name of the boy later.
(Las Vegas Sun - April 29, 2012)
