Dog Kills Newborn. Father Charged. Should he be charged?

www.wyff4.com...

The father of an 8 week old baby boy left his son in a swing and went to sleep in his room. While sleeping, a lab mix killed and dismembered the baby. The father is now facing a charge of unlawful child neglect which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Do you agree with the charge brought against the father?

Personally, I do not agree. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. People make mistakes. Just because the man screwed up in a huge way this one time doesn't mean he is a bad guy and doesn't mean he deserves to be locked up for 10 years. He made a mistake. We all do. I say the man should be shown mercy.

Prison as a just sentence?

The father will live with this for the rest of his life.

He's already in prison, and this one has no parole.

Was it a mistake? Yes.
Was it extremely careless........YES!

It's not much different than being charged if you were to kill someone while driving your car. People tend to forget that dogs are still animals and animals have wild instincts. I have a dog and an 11 month old daughter and even though my dog has never been aggressive I still won't leave them in the same room together. It's just not a chance I'm willing to take.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
Prison as a just sentence?

The father will live with this for the rest of his life.

He's already in prison, and this one has no parole.

Exactly my friend. People shouldn't be put in jail for accidents.

how you not hear it ? somethings up. the sleeping story is either a lie or he was high

hey, I know parents are awfully tired during those times, but their hearing is also very tuned in for baby noises

the baby being killed is pretty much the definition of neglect

reply to post by smithjustinb


You should never ever leave a baby alone at all, lest even to have a sleep in another room???? And to leave the poor child with a dog? The guy needs locked up! What was he thinking?

How horrifying! The father will have nightmares for the rest of his life! His life is ruined because of a damn dog!!!

I would have killed the dog myself if that had happened to me! Was he wrong, yes, probably very tired and his judgement may have been off.....10 years is really overboard in that situation though imo.....

Edit: He was dog sitting at the time? It wasn't his own beloved pet?? That makes a huge difference...he is an idiot!!

reply to post by smithjustinb


By your argument drunk drivers should get away with killing people. When you leave a kid alone and they drown it's not the parents fault right? People that accidentally shoot someone shouldn't be charged? Plaxico burress anyone???



Yes, the father made a mistake, a stupid one. A very stupid one.
Should he be charged? Of course. If you own a dog and the dog gets out, you're responsible.


And anyway the father probably killed the baby and blamed the dog.

Originally posted by smithjustinb
www.wyff4.com...

The father of an 8 week old baby boy left his son in a swing and went to sleep in his room. While sleeping, a lab mix killed and dismembered the baby. The father is now facing a charge of unlawful child neglect which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Do you agree with the charge brought against the father?

Personally, I do not agree. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. People make mistakes. Just because the man screwed up in a huge way this one time doesn't mean he is a bad guy and doesn't mean he deserves to be locked up for 10 years. He made a mistake. We all do. I say the man should be shown mercy.

edit on 2-5-2012 by smithjustinb because: (no reason given)

You have to understand something about the South and any Anglo(English) dominant territory or institutions(Evangelicalism): Deep down inside they view women as perpetual children; only men can be adults.

As such they demand men be held to a higher standard(even boy's are held to a higher standard then grown women in Anglo dominant areas).

Make no mistake this is a horrific tragedy. But let us remember the recent horror when a Grand mother was watching a new born and her dog did the same exact thing, only difference is the cops gave their condolences. If he is prosecuted(while she is not) it brings into question some very serious things. If men are going to be held to a higher standard then women, then should men have more rights then women in society?

And if we want an egalitarian society, then should feminist demand the abolition of female privilege, and that all human beings be treated the same as individual people?

www.nydailynews.com...


--
If anyone doubts me, examine where the "fry him" category people are from, and what their ethnicity is. More times then not my hypothesis will hold.

Originally posted by MJZoo
Was it a mistake? Yes.
Was it extremely careless........YES!

It's not much different than being charged if you were to kill someone while driving your car. People tend to forget that dogs are still animals and animals have wild instincts. I have a dog and an 11 month old daughter and even though my dog has never been aggressive I still won't leave them in the same room together. It's just not a chance I'm willing to take.

So maybe you're smarter than that guy was. Maybe that guy had a false sense of security. The fact is, this man didn't want this to happen and he didn't see it coming. No matter how you look at it, it was an accident, and people should just not be put in jail for accidents. It's wrong.

Here's a similiar story - unattended child (in a baby swing even) killed by a labrador puppy.

www.youtube.com...

No charges filed in this one.

This story doesn't mention dog-sitting. The father wasn't sleeping in the other room in this video either.

For the OP's almost identical story - if I were judge he'd get a mandatory 2 year child rearing class (local college - early childhood education) at his own expense and maybe some community service.

yea i have to agree with the above poster, dogs are affected by so many unknowns its hard to tell, we have no idea what a dog goes through when he smells a new human being, new hormones, for some bigger breeds it might just literally drive them crazy and thats not a chance to take.

Its definitely a shame it happened, awful price to pay for taking a nap. He should be charged for neglect; but 10 years?!?...

leaving any child under like 10 outside while you go take a nap is a pretty stupid idea. hes gonna have plenty of time to nap on his choices in prison though.

Buddy of mine was in the room with his seemingly harmless dog when it left three puncture marks in his 2 yr olds head. He was there, dog acted out of charactor, absolute accident on his part. Childs ok but similar to incident stated. should he be jailed for neglect? I don't not think so, animals are sometimes unpredictable. It's too me very unfortunant and upsetting, but the man as someone else posted now has a lifetime of guilt that no amount of jailtime is going to overshadow.

The dog in my friends case went the way of old yeller and was given a rock pile burial, after a well placed shot, some sense of justice served. But locking up my friend was never even a thought amongst those who know him.

Let the man suffer in his own guilt, and sorrow, as said above terribly unfortunant

Originally posted by dorkfish87
reply to post by smithjustinb

 

Yes, the father made a mistake, a stupid one. A very stupid one.
Should he be charged? Of course. If you own a dog and the dog gets out, you're responsible.

If I have a dog in a fence and the dog gets out and kills someone, I should be responsible? Are you joking?

And anyway the father probably killed the baby and blamed the dog.

Yeah, someone who makes assumptions like this should definitely not be taken seriously in an intellectual debate.

Originally posted by MastaShake
leaving any child under like 10 outside while you go take a nap is a pretty stupid idea. hes gonna have plenty of time to nap on his choices in prison though.

under 10? seriously? There is a such thing as overprotective too you know.

Originally posted by smithjustinb
If I have a dog in a fence and the dog gets out and kills someone, I should be responsible? Are you joking?

The dog owner IS responsible in the type of case you said (getting out of the fence.)

But, the dog-sitter, if he was receiving payment for the dog-sitting - just MIGHT be the responsible party in the OP story case. I doubt they'd hold the dog's actual owner at fault.

Originally posted by smithjustinb

If I have a dog in a fence and the dog gets out and kills someone, I should be responsible? Are you joking?

No joke. You are responsible. If you are so inept as to not be able to contain your dog, that just shows more irresponsibility. It's called "negligence." People are responsible for their pets' actions. What don't you get about that? This is a legal concept. I don't really care if you don't think you are responsible; you are anyway. I really hope you never have to find out. Perhaps this story will motivate you to take the proper action in regards to your own pets. For people who don't get it, this is your wake up call. Pay attention--and carry lots of insurance.

Originally posted by smithjustinb

Originally posted by dorkfish87
reply to post by smithjustinb

 

Yes, the father made a mistake, a stupid one. A very stupid one.
Should he be charged? Of course. If you own a dog and the dog gets out, you're responsible.

If I have a dog in a fence and the dog gets out and kills someone, I should be responsible? Are you joking?

And anyway the father probably killed the baby and blamed the dog.

Yeah, someone who makes assumptions like this should definitely not be taken seriously in an intellectual debate.

Actually YES! If you're dog escapes your yard and hurts someone, you ARE responsible. That's the law, and common sense, or so I thought. And I didn't say he DID, I said it was a probability, I've seen this time and time again. If you own a gun and your kid finds it and hurts himself, you're responsible. Common sense.

If you provide alcohol to a minor and they drive drunk and hurt someone, you're responsible. This man should feel guilt for the rest of his life. The child won't have a life thanks to him.