Mum of day-old baby mauled to death by family dog says ‘if only you were still in my tummy son’ in heartbreaking post
THE MUM of a one-day old baby mauled to death by the family rottweiler has said she wishes she could turn back time.
The heartbroken parent shared the heart-breaking post on Facebook as she said she wishes for the days when her son was “still in my tummy”.
It came after the dog killed the little boy after he was left alone with the animal in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The rottweiler – who is said to have been recently adopted – grabbed the child and attempted to bury him the the garden.
Paramedics tried to save the baby, but he was declared dead after the horror incident at 7pm on Sunday.
The mum – who has not been named – shared a photo of herself while she was pregnant sitting in the sunshine, reports NZHerald.
She said: “If only I could go back to this day with (you) still in my tummy, my son.”
The mum also shared a photo of her little boy – asleep with his hands up near his cheeks in small fists.
Pals offered her words of support following the tragedy.
One said: “I have no words, my friend. We are all trying to carry your loss for you, but I guess you won’t even feel it as the weight is so heavy.”
“We love you … and we got you. Hang in there and breathe.”
Police and animal control agents are now investigating the fatal attack.
The baby had been left alone with the dog for just a moment when his mum popped to the toilet, reports Stuff.
Newshub reports brothers Takilesi and Junior Afamasaga were the first to arrive at the scene after hearing the mum crying for help.
Takilesi said: “[The mother] was just trying to keep the baby awake, trying to keep it crying.
“She asked me for a cloth, so I just took off my hoodie and gave it straight to her.
Junior added he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the dog was put down after the attack.
He said: “I feel like the dog just mistook the baby for a toy and just went about playing around, not knowing it was a newborn child.”
Another of the family’s neighbours, named only as Karen, told of coming to find the new mum sitting cradling the dying tot outside the family home.
She said the baby was “all dirty and had bits of blood on him” as she claimed the dog had tried to bury the child.
The neighbour had been at the property earlier on Sunday after the rottweiler had escaped.
She helped corral the animal back into a fenced area in the garden.
The animal had only been adopted by the family recently, and was the one of two dogs owned by the mum.
COVERED IN BLOOD
Karen said she put her arms around the heartbroken mum as she sat on the grass verge outside the home.
She told Stuff: “He was just so little. He was all dirty and had bits of blood on him.
“She told me which dog did it – they have two. It was the rottweiler.
“All she did was pop to the toilet and it happened just like that.
She added: “The whole thing is horrible, every time I close my eyes I just see him.”
The neighbour said the baby was crying “really hard” before he was taken away by paramedics to Waikato Hospital.
Hamilton City Council’s animal control team are helping the police probe and confirmed they are holding the dog in the city pound until the investigation determines its fate.
Animal control manager Susan Stanford said: “Staff collected the dog and it is now secured at the council’s animal control facility.
“Further decisions regarding the animal will be informed by the ongoing police investigation.”
Most read in News
The council decline to comment on the breed of the dog or whether it was registered, reports NZHerald.
Data from the New Zealand Ministry of Health found there were 4,958 dog attacks that required hospitalisation between 2004 and 2014.
Most attacks happen at home and involve children who are under 10 years old.
In a statement, police said: “Police are continuing to make enquiries, and are liaising with relevant agencies.”