Dog Euthanized After Killing 2-Year-Old Tierrasanta Boy

Attack Reported 11:30 AM At 3529 Lofberg St.

POSTED: 1:45 pm PDT July 31, 2010
UPDATED: 9:24 pm PDT July 31, 2010

TIERRASANTA, Calif. -- A 2-year-old boy in Tierrasanta was killed in his home Saturday by his family's German Shepard dog, according to San Diego police.

Police received a call around 11:30 a.m. reporting the attack at 3529 Lofberg St., said Sgt. Ray Battrick of SDPD.

The child was brought to Rady Children's Hospital in Serra Mesa but did not survive, Battrick said. His name was not immediately released.

He said the boy's mother was at home during the attack and his father is deployed in military service.

The dog was secured and animal control officers were called to the scene, Battrick said. Detectives are investigating the incident for any possible child abuse, Battrick said.

Neighbors like Britney Bergwitz are shocked something like this could happen.

"I heard the mom was asleep on the couch and the dog was just walking around and the dog started chewing on the baby's face," Bergwitz told 10News. "I don't understand why she was sleeping on the couch while her baby was walking around and the dog was out too."

But neighbor Kristy Marks said she was not surprised.

"You hear about this all the time. That's why I don't have a dog," she said. Marks is the mother of a 1-year-old and believes having a dog could endanger her child.

"Even if they have them from a puppy [and] they think they love their family... they can always always go crazy," said Marks.

County Animal Services told 10News the family had the dog euthanized Saturday evening.

From: http://www.10news.com/news/24464676/detail.html