Lab puppy who killed infant starved

In July of this year, a young infant was fatally mauled by a young Lab puppy.

The dog, age 10-12 weeks, was left alone with the 2-month-old infant. The attack was so severe that the infant's genitals, portions of his leg and butt were eaten.

The necropsy just released shows what may have been obvious to many - a starving, malnourished puppy was left alone with a potentially tasty morsel. The dog had no food in his stomach, was underweight and no one in the house knew the last time the dog had been fed.

What is so interesting about this case is that the necropsy follow-up is actually published. In so many other bites or fatalities where the breed in question is not a Lab, readers never learn that the dogs may have been chained, neglected, underfed, fed poison, abused or mistreated. Instead, they are left thinking "family pets" (in the cases of resident dogs attacking) turn on owners b/c they are a certain breed.

That is silly, of course, as this case shows. The puppy did not attack because he is a Lab or genetically unsound. He attacked because he was systematically starved through neglect and left alone with another creature who probably smelled edible. Any dog treated in such a way may succumb to hunger pains. And this is why breed bans or restrictions are so silly: They don't address the people problem.