Newborn Baby Mauled to Death by Dog: San Diego Police

SAN DIEGO, CA: The death of a newborn baby, who apparently was fatally attacked by his family's dog in their Mira Mesa home, was under investigation Friday.

The parents of the 3-day-old boy told authorities they were watching television in bed with the child and their Great Dane-American Staffordshire Terrier mix in their Flanders Drive residence about 8 p.m. Thursday when the mother coughed, startling the animal and causing it to bite the infant, according to San Diego police.

The couple took the gravely wounded baby to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Sgt. Tu Nguyen said.

Detectives were investigating the fatality, though it "appears to be just a tragic accident," the sergeant said.

The county Department of Animal Services took custody of the 2-year-old dog, a neutered male named Polo. The canine will undergo a 10-day quarantine to make sure he is not rabid, after which he will be euthanized unless his owners decide to reclaim him, DAS spokesman Dan DeSousa said.

The dog had no known prior history of dangerous aggressiveness, DeSousa said.

Updated at 2:31 p.m. Pacific Time with information from City News Service

ORIGINAL POST, 12:50 p.m. Pacific Time:

A 3-day-old baby was mauled to death early Friday by a dog in Mira Mesa, a San Diego TV news station is reporting.

The animal, a 2-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier, has been taken into custody by county animal control authorities, according to NBC7 San Diego.

• Read more on the station's website.

Patch has contacted San Diego police for more information about the incident.

American Staffordshire Terriers — or Am Staf — are part of the Pit Bull Terrier family, according to John Van Zante of Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas.

"There's nothing positive to say about this," Van Zante said. "My heart hurts for this family. They lost their baby and they've lost the dog that they love. The best we can hope for is that it reminds others to never leave an infant or small child alone with a pet."

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.