A toddler from Minnesota has died after he climbed into the enclosure of his grandmother’s American bulldog and was brutally attacked.
Three-year-old Beckett Brown was at the house of his grandmother Kristen Nelson, 51, when he climbed into an outdoor enclosure where the family’s dog was being kept and was attacked.
Ms Nelson attempted to intervene and stop the attack at her home near New York Mills, Minnesota. She sustained significant injuries during this effort.
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The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office received a call at around 1pm local time on January 11 from the grandmother who was driving the injured toddler to a hospital in Perham.
Tragically, the young boy died from his injuries at the hospital. Ms Nelson was taken to a hospital in Fargo for treatment of her injuries.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the dog has been euthanised and there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Further details of the incident have not yet been released as authorities continue to investigate.
An American bulldog has also attacked a baby in the UK, leaving the one-year-old with serious facial injuries.
South Yorkshire Police said the attack happened around 12.43pm local time on January 10 when the child was bitten in the Hyde Park area of Doncaster.
The family dog, an American bulldog, bit the child’s face while on the floor, resulting in serious facial injuries requiring surgery.
“As officers questioned those at the scene of the baby being bitten it became apparent that the dog had showed aggression previously to the child,” police said.
“This is not okay, this is not a ‘one off’, or a ‘misunderstanding’ these are behaviours that need to be addressed, training to be given, lifestyle changes made to ensure no one gets hurt.”
The dog currently remains in police kennels.
South Yorkshire Police released a statement, reminding dog owners and the community that the problem of dog attacks “isn’t going away”.
“Over the weekend (Friday 9- Sunday 11 January) we received 13 calls for dogs causing injury or fear across South Yorkshire, with two of those incidents leading to serious injuries to children”, they said.
“We will continue to educate and enforce against dog owners to protect our communities; we make no apologies for our efforts, but accountability starts with responsible ownership.”
