Michael and Chrissie Smith Horrified After Dakota, Family Dog, Drags Newborn Baby, AJ, From Crib

Baby AJ Smith and family dog Dakota (ABC News)

Michael and Chrissie Smith got the shock of their lives when they realized that their newborn son, AJ, who had been home for less than 24 hours Monday, found his crib empty when they went to check on him. The family's dog, Dakota, reportedly dragged the baby from his crib. According to media reports, the Kentucky couple searched the house and surrounding woods, calling 911 when they couldn't find him. Ten minutes later, Michael Smith found the Dakota, with AJ in her mouth. Sadly, baby AJ is now at the hospital in critical condition. Born three weeks early, he suffered a cracked skull, broken ribs and two punctured lungs when Dakota took him from his crib. Smith said AJ's heart stopped at the hospital and emergency room attendants had to use tiny paddles to resuscitate him. Wow. That's horrific and frightening, but I wonder what led the dog to take the baby from the crib?

The family has had Dakota, a mixed breed Native American Indian dog, for four years. Smith said he completely trusted her and she was part of the Nicholasville family. Did Fear Prompt Dog to Take Baby From Crib? Smith said his family believes Dakota thought AJ was a doll and wanted to play with it. But experts say fear is one of the biggest reasons a pet may turn on a new baby.

"A baby could be something that a dog fears," Dr. Kat Miller of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. "It feels trapped, it feels cornered, it could possibly try to drive the baby with aggression."

It's a kind of aggression that has been seen in headlines before -- an 8-month-old boy was killed in his New York apartment by the family Doberman. And, in San Francisco, a 9-month-old was bitten in the face and neck by the family's boxer. Source: ABC News

The dog is currently at an animal shelter and no decision has been made about whether to euthanize her. These incidents can be prevented if the dog owners who bring newborn babies home, separate the dog and the baby for a while, gradually teaching the dog to accept the arrival of the newborn into the home by familiarizing him with sounds and smells of the infant, according to experts interviewed by ABC News. This is a really sad case and I pray that the baby will recover with minimal damage.