Found this very interesting and even more of a reaon that no child should be unsupervised with ANY dog. The pom that killed the baby was in CA.
Dachshund Put to Death After Mauling Md. Baby
Lovers of Breed Campaigned to Save Dog
By Michael Amon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 27, 2002; Page B02
A dachshund that police said dragged a 6-week-old baby from his playpen and mauled him was put to death yesterday, St. Mary's County animal control officials said, ending a 10-day effort by the breed's admirers to save the tiny dog.
The 4-year-old male miniature dachshund died at 9:38 a.m., quickly succumbing to a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital at the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Hughesville, in Charles County, said Dave Wagner, the facility's assistant supervisor. "It was less than two minutes before his heart completely stopped," he said.
The death was requested by the parents of Andrew Tyler Meyers, whose mother found him being attacked on the floor by the family's dachshund Dec. 15, Maryland State Police said. The boy suffered severe injuries to his feet, legs and head, and at one point upon reaching Children's Hospital in Washington, he stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated, police said.
Andrew was in critical condition for several days, but his condition is now fair, a hospital spokesman said.
Michael and Andrea Meyers, of St. Mary's City, have declined numerous requests for interviews. Ina Eaves of Dachshund Rescue of North America, which had tried to save the dog from being destroyed, said St. Mary's animal control officials told her that Andrew may have trouble walking when he gets older.
The actions of the black and brown purebred dachshund -- and their consequences -- have had lovers of the breed talking all week. On dachshundzone.com, a message board was filled with speculation about what motivated the dog.
"It is obvious that the dog is mentally disturbed," wrote Jen, who said she owns five dachshunds.
Some were still unconvinced of the dachshund's guilt. Others wondered whether the dog could have been rehabilitated by a rescue group.
Dachshund Rescue of North America worked throughout the week to line up several families willing to take the dog. Eaves, 49, traveled to St. Mary's County from her home in Woodbridge early yesterday to try one last time to persuade animal control officials to let the dog go.
But the officials declined. For one thing, said animal control director Tony Malaspina, the family requested that the dog die. And, he said, the chance that it would bite again was too great.
Animals that bite are being killed more often nationwide because of the risk of liability for shelters and previous owners if the animal bites again, said Richard H. Polsky, a Los Angeles animal behavior expert who testified in last summer's San Francisco dog mauling trial.
"It is not a good time for dog owners who have aggressive dogs," he said.
A state police investigation determined that the dachshund was responsible for the child's wounds. A detective briefly investigated the possibility that the family's other dog, a large black Labrador retriever, had mauled the child, but the larger animal was not around the baby when the attack occurred, police said.
And the evidence against the dachshund was damning, police said. The dog was seen by Andrea Meyers attacking her son, and it had blood on its paws when police arrived, said Lt. Brian Cedar.
When the dog was taken to St. Mary's animal control, "his eyes were kind of bugged out like he was staring at something," said animal warden Jim Wood. "A lot of times that means they are a fear biter, that they are scared."
Though dachshund attacks are extremely rare -- Polsky could not recall hearing of another one -- the dogs are not considered good pets for small children.
The dachshund was originally bred in Germany to be a hunter of small, burrowing vermin. In 1999, dachshunds were designated "not good" for children in the annual report of the American Kennel Club, but the group rescinded the classification when dachshund lovers denounced the report.
Polsky said small dogs have killed children. Last year, a Pomeranian killed a 6-week-old in Los Angeles while the baby's caretaker was briefly away.
"More often than not, the dog mistakes the infant for some sort of prey object," Polsky said. "They hear some high-pitched noise or cry, and the dog attacks the infant."