Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyMESA, AZ -- Mesa police say a family dog that attacked and killed a 2-week-old baby Wednesday night has been euthanized.
According to Mesa Detective Steve Berry, officers were called to the child's house, near Mountain and Elliot roads Wednesday night, after the baby’s mother frantically called 911, saying the girl had been severely bitten by the pet.
"It was horrible, I feel so sad for the family," said Celia Snyder who lives next door to the unidentified Mesa couple.
"The screams were awful, I knew something was wrong and ran outside, what I saw still haunts me," said another neighbor who asked not to be identified.
The attack reportedly happened at about 7 p.m.
Bart Snyder, a next-door neighbor and employee with the Mesa Police Department, said he had just sat down in the living room when he heard the baby's mother screaming for help. "It was a horrific situation, a very sombering moment," said Snyder.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified says she was outside with another neighborhood mother when they heard the screams. "I called 9-1-1 because I didn't know what was happening or if she was being attacked by someone." The neighbor said the baby's mother then came screaming out of the home. "The family's pet chow dog was pacing back and forth in front of the home, I didn't learn until later that he attacked the baby."
"She was screaming, 'My dog bit my baby,'" said Andrea Ochoa who lives across the street. "My father called 9-1-1 right away. He was crying and it takes a lot to make a man like him cry."
Other neighbors who ran outside said the woman fell to her knees screaming and crying.
Berry said they found the child inside the living room with bite wounds to the head.
Berry said the mother had placed the baby in a bassinet while she used the restroom, when she returned she found the baby had been pulled out of the bassinet by the family's pet chow, and had been attacked.
The baby was reportedly unresponsive when paramedics arrived.
"It was shocking, you don't expect something like that so close to home," said Amy Axtell who lives close by.
Axtell said she can't imagine the newborn mother's pain, but recalls a similar situation when her pet chow mix dog took a hold of her 8-month-old daughter by the head. "We didn't know if he was trying to help her through the back door or was trying to hurt her. But as soon as I saw it, I thought, 'that dog is gone,'" said Axtell, who gave her dog away after the incident.
According to a press release, the parents of the child are both officers in the East Valley.
The father is a Mesa police officer while the mother is a Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community officer.
Detective Berry said the father was on duty when the accident happened and was called out to the home.
"I saw him come home. I could tell he had been crying. All he was doing was kneeling down and hugging her (wife), trying to calm her down, but she was really, really, really sad," said Ochoa.
The family's other dogs were also reportedly removed from the home Thursday morning.
The Mesa Police Association is urging anyone who wants to assist the family to contribute to their
Officer Assistance Fund. All funds collected this month will go directly to the family.
"The news of one of our fellow officers and friend losing his child has sent a feeling of sadness throughout the department," said Sgt. Fabian Cota, President of the MPA. "We are doing everything we can to assist in the family in this time of sadness."
The public can go to any Wells Fargo Branch to make a contribution to the Mesa Police Association Officer Assistance Fund.
For more information about O.A.F., go to
mesapolice.org.
