The boy was at his grandmother’s Henderson residence on Navarre Lane near Arroyo Grande Boulevard celebrating his birthday on Friday when he crawled toward the family’s 6-year-old, 120 pound Mastiff/Rhodesian mix to pet the dog, Henderson Police said.
The dog latched onto the boy’s head and began to shake him as the grandmother tried to pull the boy away from the dog, police said.
Henderson Fire paramedics took the toddler to St. Rose Dominican Hospital–Siena Campus where he was transported by helicopter to University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit.
The boy died at the hospital Saturday. The family turned the dog over to Henderson Animal Control.
Chris Shahan says he can't understand why his dog attacked his son, Jeremiah.
“He's been around him since he was born, and they played with each other all the time. And they kissed each other all the time, they slept together," Shahan says.
He says his dog, a 6-year-old Mastiff Rhodesian mix named Onion, had been a staple in his family. And the animal was never vicious in any way.
“The dog was licking the baby. They were opening presents together," he says.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
(Las Vegas Sun - April 30, 2012)
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