'Jealous' dog mauls 12-day-old baby to death
A newborn baby has been fatally attacked by the family dog in England.
Abigail Ellis, 27, and her fiancé Stephen Joynes, 35, were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after their 12-day-old son Elon was mauled by their pet dog, believed to be a chow chow cross.
Elon’s uncle, who didn’t wish to be identified, spoke to the Daily Mail about the heartbreaking incident at the Doncaster home in South Yorkshire. He said the tragedy was witnessed by Mr Joynes and Elon’s older brother.
According to the uncle, the baby boy was in a cot on the ground floor of the family home when the dog, Teddy, jumped over a fence in the backyard and came bounding into the house, latching onto the baby.
“I think he was jealous when the new baby came along and all the attention he was getting. Or maybe he thought the baby was a toy, he was a tiny thing and only six pounds something when he was born,” the uncle told DailyMail.
The man described Teddy as a “good dog” who behaved well around Ms Ellis’ other three children, two boys and a girl.
“It was horrible and we’re all in total shock. My sister’s in bits, she’s lost her baby, and her son saw it all,” he said.
Elon was rushed to hospital after the attack on Sunday afternoon (local time) but sadly died in hospital.
A friend told The Mirror that Ms Ellis was a “brilliant mum” and a responsible pet owner.
“She loves dogs and would never have a dog around the kids if she thought they were dangerous," the friend told the outlet.
Neighbours said they witnessed three police officers struggle to remove the “big fluffy” dog from the home. The dog has since been euthanised.
The baby’s uncle told the Daily Mail the dog was kept in a pen in the backyard but said the fence was too low for such a large dog.
“It’s much too low for him, he’s a big dog about three foot tall and they were making it higher. He didn’t live in the house he lived in the pen. He was shuttered in,” he said.
According to The Mirror, it’s not the first time Ms Ellis has experienced tragedy.
Neighbours told the outlet the mother had lost the father of her three children 18 months ago, they had been together since they were teenagers.
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