8-Month-Old Infant Mauled By Pit Bull, Mother Critically Injured While Trying To Save Baby, Canine Euthanized

An eight-month-old infant and the baby’s mother were mauled by a dog in Minnesota on Tuesday (April 28).

According to local reports, police officers responded to 3300 block of N. Penn Avenue around 10 p.m. Tuesday after receiving information of a dog attack. The officers found the baby and the woman in critical condition and rushed them to a local hospital.

Officials said the dog, identified as a pit bull, first mauled the baby and then went on to attack the mother when she intervened and tried to free the infant from the canine’s jaws. The unidentified mother suffered serious injuries to her hands; the extent of the infant’s injuries were not known.

Speaking about the incident, Lisa Clemons, a member of the police department’s crisis response team, said, “It’s always a tragedy when anybody gets attacked by a dog, but it’s even more of a tragedy when it’s a child, an 8-month-old child, who can’t defend themselves in any way.”

Following the incident, the dog was taken away by the Animal Care and Control and was later put down. No additional information was available.

The incident comes days after a Virginia woman was attacked and her pet dog was mauled to death by two canines. The unidentified woman was walking her pet when a pair of Great Danes started barking at her. As the dog owner started walking past them, the Great Danes ran after her and attacked her. The canines then mauled her pet dog to death. Following the attack, both of the canines were quarantined at the Henry County Animal Shelter.

In another similar incident, a dog attacked and bit a Georgia woman in her arm. Lane Pilcher was walking her pet dog when the pit bull attacked her and “took a whole chunk out of her arm.” As soon as the dog let go of her, the woman started screaming for help. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she underwent an emergency surgery. She was discharged and was recovering at home.