A coroner has called for dog owners to be licensed after a newborn baby was taken from the arms of his sleeping mother and mauled to death by the family pet.
Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes found the “very cherished” five-week-old baby died in July 2021 from “fatal injuries”, including puncture wounds to his chest by an American Staffordshire terrier.
The parents, who cannot not be identified for legal reasons, fell asleep in the living room of their Central Coast home after feeding the baby boy.
The father told police he woke to his partner holding their son's body in her hands while saying “the dog's got the baby”.
Police found “blood on the snout of the dog” who was later euthanased.
The inquest heard the six-year-old dog was known to the Central Coast Council, having been accused of killing a neighbour's dog four weeks earlier.
The court heard council could not seize the dog as there was no witness to the incident and it could not be established if the dog was acting in defence of its property.
The baby's father was issued with a notice of intention to declare the dog a restricted breed after an attending ranger suspected the dog of being part pit bull.
He requested an extension on the one-month period due to his partner having just giving birth.
Central Coast ‘leads' state for dog attacks
Among the recommendations handed down by Magistrate Forbes was “a licensing requirement for dog ownership” with owners of particular breeds being subject to additional conditions and education as well as introducing DNA testing to assist with breed identification of dogs.
“While further regulations relating to pet ownership may be considered onerous by some, I am of the opinion that any disadvantage is far outweighed by the saving of lives,” she told the inquest.
While Magistrate Forbes accepted that the dog was an American Staffordshire terrier and not a restricted breed, she found current pet regulations were “not effective at minimising the risk of fatal dog attacks”.
She proposed changes to legalisation to allow “an authorised officer to direct an owner or person in control of a dog to secure the dog with a muzzle and/or lead for a specified period”.
The inquest heard two months prior to the baby's death, the Central Coast Council had advised the NSW premier that it “leads the state for the highest number of dog attacks” in the state.
The council asked the state government to consider adding American Staffordshire terriers on the dangerous dog breed list, stating the breed was responsible for 25 per cent of dog attacks within the Local Government Area.
Magistrate Forbes told the inquest over the past 15 years in NSW “most attacks, fatal or otherwise, are on infants or children at the home at which the dog ordinarily lives” with many fatal attacks involving American Staffordshire terriers.
“Many owners may under appreciate the risks posed by their dog,” she said, adding the baby's parents “tragically” trusted their pet.
