La. police: Puppy gnawed off baby’s toes

[Mary Lou 681]

La. police: Puppy gnawed off baby’s toes

Parents booked on charges of child desertion and criminal negligence

BOSSIER CITY, La. - A pit bull puppy chewed off four of a baby girl's toes while the child's parents slept, police here said Monday. The parents were booked on charges of child desertion and criminal negligence and were being held in the Bossier Parish Jail pending an initial court appearance.

Police said the parents were sleeping on a mattress in the living room of their residence and the month-old girl was in an infant seat beside them when the puppy began chewing on their baby's toes.

Mary Shannon Hansche, 22, and Christopher Wayne Hansche, 26, told police they woke up to the sound of the baby crying, found her mangled foot and took her to the hospital about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

"They did not see the dog injuring the child," police spokesman Mark Natale said.

The girl underwent surgery Sunday at Sutton's Children's Hospital in Shreveport. There was no way to reattach the child's toes, Natale said Monday.

‘Essentially a puppy’

The puppy was 6 weeks old and had no record of receiving its shots and will be quarantined for 10 days to check for rabies. Natale said he did not know what the puppy's fate would be after that.

"The puppy itself was just several weeks old! I mean this was essentially a puppy," Natale said.

"This puppy might have been trying to nurse on the toes of this baby," veterinarian Michael Dale speculated. "I know that sounds a little far fetched, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind."

Teresa Miller, who sold the puppy to the Hansches, was skeptical the dog did it. "He didn't chew on anything while he was with me. Out of all of them (in the litter), he was the least chewy."

Another veterinarian, Dr. Valri Brown, said if the puppy chewed off the infant's toes, it would not have happened quickly. "It would have to be a period of time — maybe at least an hour," she said.

Meanwhile, the puppy's been quarantined at Bossier City's animal control office for the next 10 days to check for rabies. Natale said he did not know what the puppy's fate would be after that.

When she is released from the hospital, the child will be placed in a foster home until the case against her parents is settled, officials said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16178319/

[LuzyC 0]

Thats terrible!!!Just dont understand why the baby slept with the puppy?

Hope the baby is doing well..

[Ban Hammer 13,521]

Thats terrible!!!Just dont understand why the baby slept with the puppy?

Hope the baby is doing well..

i don't understand why they had a pit bull when they have kids

[Mags 112]

Thats terrible!!!Just dont understand why the baby slept with the puppy?

Hope the baby is doing well..

i don't understand why they had a pit bull when they have kids

Pit Bull, better than a cuddly toy.

[Sinergy 3]

I dont understand how the parents didnt hear the baby screaming BEFORE her toes were already knawled off like right at the beginning when the puppy began to chew. i wake to the sound of my son rolling over, something just isnt right here.

[MrsBruce5 0]

That is just terrible ! Poor child !

It takes a long time to gnaw off toes-and 4 of them, no less ! I am not trying to be funny when I say that-what I mean is, why did the parents not hear anything? I am sure the child must have been crying a long time if 4 toes were affected... Why was any animal allowed to sleep within reach of an infant ?

Irresponsible parenting and pet ownership at it's finest ! Sad thing is, the puppy will pay the price in this and my speculation is that the pup was probably nursing because it was hungry. Seeing the responsibility level that these folks had, would it surprise any of us if the puppy wasn't fed?

Of course, the media must throw in that it was a "pit bull". If it was a Golden Retriever, I am sure they would have just said "puppy". Sad thing is, these poor pits keep falling into the wrong hands and the cycle just continues...

[Bootylicious!! 2]

I think it's terrible that the child's toes were chewed off. I just can't imagine parents being so neglectful. I do have to agree, though, I feel the same way about it being a pit bull as MrsBruce5. I very seriously doubt the breed of dog would have been mentioned had it been a lab, retriever, etc. I have a friend who has two pit bulls that are just the sweetest dogs you could imagine. They just had puppies and I will be purchasing one for my myself. I don't have kids yet but there are kids around and I plan on having kids one day. I don't think there will be an issue at all with having a pit bull in my house with my children.

[Fandango 1,440]

Pit bulls are nasty animals and should not be around children.

[KarenCee 3]

I agree about the dog breed. Pit Bulls have a bad reputation these days. Still, I can't believe that the baby's parents didn't hear her screams or anything. Makes me wonder WHY they were sleeping so heavily. Drunk maybe? Drugged? Dunno, just wondering. I'm like Tara...even now that our daughter is 7, I still wake up when I hear her during the night. *sigh* poor baby.

[MrsBruce5 0]

I think it's terrible that the child's toes were chewed off. I just can't imagine parents being so neglectful. I do have to agree, though, I feel the same way about it being a pit bull as MrsBruce5. I very seriously doubt the breed of dog would have been mentioned had it been a lab, retriever, etc. I have a friend who has two pit bulls that are just the sweetest dogs you could imagine. They just had puppies and I will be purchasing one for my myself. I don't have kids yet but there are kids around and I plan on having kids one day. I don't think there will be an issue at all with having a pit bull in my house with my children.

I have one as well, and he is by far the best in my pack ( I also have a Boxer, Doberman and a Husky). If either myself, Mr. Bruce, or our son is having a bad day, it's not long before be will have his head in our laps looking at us with sympathetic eyes, offering us comfort. He is headstrong, and wants to lead us all-but not a mean bone in his body.

With all dogs, genetics will play a role (with regard to being dominant in a Pit's case)-however aggression is something that is taught. Unfortunately, this is all most people get to hear about and see-due to the sensationalism that the media spins...

But I digress-back to topic...

In no way am I saying the pup here was aggressive-I just think the poor little guy might have been hungry and did what ANY animal would have done.

Good luck with your Pitty ! They are exceptional friends.

Edited December 13, 2006 by MrsBruce5

[Traviesa 0]

There's a reason why Pit Bulls are illegal to own in the county where I live, and for the ones that were already part of a family, there are very strict requirements. And it's not because all the owners are bad. There's plenty of bad owners out there of all breeds of dogs, but not many dogs with such a bad reputation. I would never trust a dog like that around children, nor would I feel comfortable with one in my house.

[Fandango 1,440]

I think it's terrible that the child's toes were chewed off. I just can't imagine parents being so neglectful. I do have to agree, though, I feel the same way about it being a pit bull as MrsBruce5. I very seriously doubt the breed of dog would have been mentioned had it been a lab, retriever, etc. I have a friend who has two pit bulls that are just the sweetest dogs you could imagine. They just had puppies and I will be purchasing one for my myself. I don't have kids yet but there are kids around and I plan on having kids one day. I don't think there will be an issue at all with having a pit bull in my house with my children.

I have one as well, and he is by far the best in my pack ( I also have a Boxer, Doberman and a Husky). If either myself, Mr. Bruce, or our son is having a bad day, it's not long before be will have his head in our laps looking at us with sympathetic eyes, offering us comfort. He is headstrong, and wants to lead us all-but not a mean bone in his body.

With all dogs, genetics will play a role (with regard to being dominant in a Pit's case)-however aggression is something that is taught. Unfortunately, this is all most people get to hear about and see-due to the sensationalism that the media spins...

But I digress-back to topic...

In no way am I saying the pup here was aggressive-I just think the poor little guy might have been hungry and did what ANY animal would have done.

Good luck with your Pitty ! They are exceptional friends.

I doubt a Chihuahua or a pomeranian would have chewed an infant's toes off.

If people want to have large dogs, that's fine...but in the prescence of infants and small children, it's not ideal imo. Even if there's the slightest chance of the dog overpowering the child, the dog should go. Maybe segregated elsewhere until the child is older, or look for adoption outside the home. It's not fair to the child to not childproof your home, and that includes the dog!

Edited December 13, 2006 by LisaD

[Traviesa 0]

I tried to look up info on these dogs from the AKC, only to find out they're not an AKC recognized breed-anyone know why that might be?

And to comment on what Lisa said, what you're talking about covers the whole span of child abuse and neglect-it's all about people putting what they want over the needs of a child. In the case of that poor baby, it just happened to do with the dog.

[Bootylicious!! 2]

Well I guess you can add that label to me then since I'll be getting one shortly. That is if God ever decides to bless me with a child. Maybe that's why He hasn't, He knows I'll just abuse it.

[Marilyn. 340]

have any of you heard of the Dog Whisperer? He says the dog's problems are usually because of the owner and how he/she treats the animal....