Puppy chews off baby's toes?? Is the charge sufficient?

Question

Bossier, LA (AHN) - A couple was booked on charges of child desertion and criminal negligence after a pit bull puppy chewed off four of their month-old baby's toes. Mary Shannon Hansche, 22, and Christopher Wayne Hansche, 26, told police they were sleeping on a mattress on their living room floor with the baby in an infant seat beside them. They say they were awakened by the infant's cries, saw her mangled foot, and rushed her to the hospital at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

The baby had surgery Sunday, but her toes could not be reattached, police spokesman Mark Natale said.

The Hansches did not see the 6-week-old pit bull biting the baby, according to Natale. It had no record of receiving its shots and was quarantined for 10 days to check for rabies. Natale said he did not know what would happen to the puppy after that.

Do you think these parents were sufficiently punished?

Answer 1

Hard to believe that some people are trying to dismiss this as 'just an ordinary accident that could happen to anyone'.

Tripping over is an accident. Leaving your tiny defenceless baby alone on the floor with a pit bull is sheer negligance.

I do agree however, that they will suffer the anguish of knowing their child has a permanant injury through their own stupidity, and hopefully that will weigh heavy on their minds and cause them to be more careful in furture. If not, their child should be taken into care.

Answer 2

Okay just wondering if anyone owns any dogs or how about if any one of you has a kid???

First off a 6 week old puppy is usually still on puppy food that has to be softened why...Well because they aren't strong enough yet to eat the hard food and if they are eatting hard food its not very easy on them and takes the puppy a lil while to do so....

Now ever had a baby in your care that has gotten hurt...Their cries pierce right thru you...

Now ask yourself this...

With all that said how could a six week old puppy chew off a babies toes with the parents sleeping right there....Whats missing from this article was the statement from a vet that said it would have to have taken atleast an hour for the puppy to do that if the puppy did in fact do it.

Lets take the fact out that this dog was a pit bull because that has nothing to do with it....And all you iggnorant people who think Ooo my god a pit bull are just that iggnorant!!!

My belief is the puppy did not even do it....And if they really thought the puppy did do it they could easily do a stomach sample as my friend suggested.
And by the way if the pup did it I'd like to know why there was no proof on the puppy that the pup did in fact do it....

Just my opinion and everyone entitled to one....

Answer 3

i live five minutes from where this happened and frankly i am tired of hearing it too!! the parents are in jail for child abandonment. they seem like pwt (poor white trash) they say they were sleeping on a mattress in the living room next to the baby. and that poor little puppy is so tiny and cute and he looks so scared in the place where he is being kept. i think something more than what they said happend went on. there is no way that any 6 week old puppy could just snap off a babies toes like that. 6 week old puppies barely have any teeth!! it had to have been chewing on those toes for a very long time. plus, like a local vet said, it was probably trying to nurse. ANYWAY i am fed up with it too and i really hope that the puppy doesn't get put down. i hope they will let someone out of state adopt it so it can live a happy and news free life.

Answer 4

I believe these people were not punished to the fullest. I am not sure what would be appropriate, but it is ignorant, irresponsible people like these that give the Pit Bull breed a bad name. But that should not matter in this case. It was a puppy and puppies chew. That is the bottom line. Too many times we push the blame off on innocent animals who just happened to end up in the wrong hands. I hope this puppy is not euthanized because of these peoples actions. I say punish the deed, not the breed! I hope they are punished to the fullest the law will allow, whatever the charge. Also, maybe neglect and cruelty to an animal as the fate of the dog is still undecided. I hope enough peoples concern in this matter can save this puppy, no matter what the breed is!

Answer 5

The charges don't seem to fit. Child desertion should be if they abandoned the child, which they did not do. They shoudl have been charged with criminal negligence, endangering the welfare of a minor, and possible charges involving the dog itself. I don't know who in their right mind would have a pit bull in the same room as a baby. Also why was the poor child sleeping in a car seat? I mean letting a child sleep in a car seat when it's in a car is perfectuly fine, but a four month old should be in a crib or at the very least sleeping on the mattress between the parents.

I don't know what their punishment is to adequately answer the question though, just what they were charged with.

Answer 6

I'm sure the parents didn't intentionally endanger their child. They just probably didn't think that the puppy would do such thing (who would?) I do think that the parents are guilty of neglect for not waking up to the cries from their child, who knows, maybe they ignored the cries. But the puppy is absolutely not to blame, it is six weeks old, just separated from its mother, it probably still wants to nurse and toes seem about the right size and temperature. They probably also tasted good to to puppy. Puppies that age are not usually well trained yet and any breed will chew. Pitt-bulls can make great pets and are very loving dogs if treated well and handled responsibly. I have known people to let puppies chew on their fingers because they think it is cute and it's in the context of play, but a puppy would not understand the difference.

Answer 7

most the people who have given an answered on this site are really ignorant about the pit bull breed what is a baby doing next to a pit bull? number 1 actually pit bull aren't aggressive towards other humans, unless taught too, but i really doubt a six week old puppy could do that much damage. number 2 on a list of breeds of dogs that bite people. pit bulls are number 4 AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST. number 3 labs are the number one dogs that bite people the only difference is pit bulls get more TV time just because of the name. Research the dog characteristics before you make a uneducated assumption on them, like the saying goes don't judge a book by its cover

Answer 8

I think that by taking away the baby from the parents is harming the baby. Pit Bulls are awful dogs, but many young people have them and think they are ok. People defend the breed, although its fact they are known for attacking family members. These parents are young and probably below middle class, which makes them easy targets. They probably did not want to wake the baby, saw the puppy as harmless, and layed down for a nap. I don't see them as criminals. Having we all gone without making a mistake as parents? This young couple did not ententually harm the baby, but putting them in the hands of the foster system can ententually harm them. Read this or google:EPA allows for the testing of pesticides on abused foster children. http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa6.cfm
I am sure they love and are in anguish over their baby. I will pray for them and hope they get thier baby back as soon as possible.

Answer 9

Both of them asleep on a matress in the living room, with a baby in a car seat and a six week old pit bull running around looking for something to chew? Sounds like hillbilly heaven.

They were probably drunk or on drugs, this is probably just the first thing in a really hard life for the kid.

Suitable punishment would be to let a grown dog
chew of a few of their toes.

Answer 10

Sh(t happens. At least by this story, it doesn't sound like they 'deserted' the child. Although- I guess criminal negligence could come into play. But- then do you arrest every parent who's child is injured when they fall off a swingset, run out into the street, fall into a pool, etc.

Funny- you never hear about golden retreivers, black labs or daschunds biting off baby's toes. There was a small child killed by the family's two pit bulls in my town last month. It's always pit bulls. Perhaps these shouldnt' be kept as family dogs.