crime

Couple indicted over death of granddaughter bitten by their dog

32 Comments

Police have sent papers to prosecutors on a 60-year-old man and his 58-year-old wife, charging them with involuntary manslaughter over the death of their 10-month-old granddaughter who was bitten by their pet dog at their house in Hachioji, Tokyo, two years ago.

The child, Midori Yasuda, was crawling on the floor when her grandparents' four-year-old golden retriever suddenly approached her and bit her on the head at around 4:30 p.m. on March 9, 2017, Fuji TV reported.

The baby was taken to hospital, but died about two and a half hours later.

Midori, who had just learned to crawl, often stayed at her grandparents’ house. On the day of her death, her mother had dropped her off at a daycare center but she was feeling unwell, so her grandparents brought her to their home where her mother was to pick her up after work.

The grandparents told police that their pet dog was usually very quiet and was not a threat to anyone.

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32 Comments
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Well, I think the dog is at least partly responsible too!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

That's rather odd behavior for a golden retriever. They are usually mild mannered and great family dogs. I bet some details are missing here.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

The grandparents told police that their pet dog was usually very quiet and was not a threat to anyone

And this shows just how quickly that can change, especially with young babies. Most Japanese dogs are locked in small apartments or homes all day every day and only receive short 20-30 minutes walks once or twice a day. This makes these dogs highly neurotic and unpredictable, particularly large dogs. There was a malamute (husky) went nuts near my place a couple of years ago. It attacked half a dozen people before it was shot dead by the 53 police officers who fired 32 bullets at it with six bullets hitting it before it died.

Dogs and babies do not mix. In many cases, the dogs are either afraid of the babies or jealous of them. Either way, the result is always the same. It only takes a split second for the friendliest dog to have a baby’s head in its mouth and by then it is too late.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

A dog's primary sense is smell. They're often confused by infants, who smell quite differently from adults. Scents due to illness can throw of their olfactory cognition as well. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.

Indicting the couple for what clearly was an accident seems extreme.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Agreed Laguna. Surely losing their their 10 month-old granddaughter, the remorse must be terrible.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

their grief and remorse is probably far greater than any punishment the prosecutors will come up with. My son is also 10 months old and started crawling around; we must constantly supervise him and make sure that the room is baby proof, it just takes a second to get hurt. I like dogs, but I wouldn't take any risks with a 10 months old

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Why does it take two years for an indictment?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I sometimes wonder if dogs and cats alike view babies as human being beings or something else due to the way they move and mostly laying down. My cat walks on top of the baby as if he was a piece of furniture. He never does that to anyone else in the house.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

That's rather odd behavior for a golden retriever. They are usually mild mannered and great family dogs. I bet some details are missing here.

Slightly unusual, but remember, all dogs are ultimately hunters, carnivors and descended from wolves. Actually, they are wolves that look a bit different due to selective breeding.

Not dog should be left alone with a child. Whenever this happens, the answer is always the same - my dog is never normally like this. Of course it isn't normally like that, otherwise you wouldn't have left a baby alone with the dog. But knowledge of how your specific dog will behave around a baby is generally very limited.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Indicting the couple for what clearly was an accident seems extreme.

It wasn't an accident from the dog's perspective - its wolf instincts took over.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

The elderly couple must be devastated over the death of their grand daughter. I suppose the dog had to be destroyed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Dog has trying to pick the baby up and killed the kid.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Did the kid slap the dog? I recall a story from either the US or Australia where a kid slapped the dog, the dog defended itself, but guess who got put down...it wasn't the kid. #Moreanimalrights.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

The grandparents told police that their pet dog was usually very quiet and was not a threat to anyone.

Never trust dog owners.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

how on earth is it the grandparents fault?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oder behavior for a Golden retriever. They even have something called a soft mouth and are known to be especially caring when it comes to human babies. There is a lot missing from. That story.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

sf2k:

how on earth is it the grandparents fault?

They are dog's owners and took responsibility to take care of the kid by bringing her to their home. They failed to protect this vulnerable young human life from attacks by their dangerous pet-animal.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

juminRhee:

Did the kid slap the dog? I recall a story from either the US or Australia where a kid slapped the dog, the dog defended itself...

The dog should know better to distinguish between child play and life-threatening attack. If it cannot, it should never be allowed to be near children, unleashed.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Socrateos:

Its not allowed near children, its forced. I would feel equally as bad if a child were taken from its parents and sold to an owner (sentient dog) collar strapped on, and then put down for daring to defend itself from the owners child (or grandchild - sentient puppy).

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Golden retriever?? That makes no sense....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If the dog didn't have a history of biting, then there was no way to see it coming and it was a horrible accident. It doesn't make sense to charge them with a crime. Of course, if the dog has bitten people in the past, that would be a different story.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

 It doesn't make sense to charge them with a crime

They don't say what court. You often get a police report and sue over accidents. It is just an administrative process necessary to know who or whose insurance pays the damages.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is nothing new or surprising about dog attacks on babies,children or grown ups for that matter. What is surprising is the amount of theories and excuses that people postulate. Dogs bite and thats about it.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Well, I think the dog is at least partly responsible too!

While most dogs are domesticated it is still an animal that is governed by instincts, using your logic here then you have to say that the baby is at least party responsible as well! (Which is just as ludicrous a statement!)

There is a hell of a lot more to this story that is not being reported!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

My little sister , who is now in her 50s, was bitten on the face by a dog at a friend's house when she was a little kid. Same situation, a dog which was never a problem. But somebody had placed a bowl of popcorn on the floor for the dog. She crawled over to the bowl and tried to eat with the dog. He snapped and latched onto her face. To this day, you can still see those puncture scars on her cheeks.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Like yubaru said, instinctive reaction protecting his food.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Most Japanese dogs are locked in small apartments or homes all day every day and only receive short 20-30 minutes walks once or twice a day.

Then there are those who are not even walked. Just left in the cage...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The dog should know better to distinguish between child play and life-threatening attack. If it cannot, it should never be allowed to be near children, unleashed.

A dog is a dog. How can it be responsible for not knowing something? That's like saying the kid should have known not to go near the dog. Sometimes kids really hurt these animals, horseplay or not. They have not developed empathy for animals and see them as little more than toys to be abused for their amusement.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@coskuri

They don't say what court. 

It says it right there in the article. They are being indicted for involuntary manslaughter.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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