Dog that killed Johnston County baby was a stray the family took in, police say
A dog that killed a newborn in the town of Kenly in Johnston County early Wednesday was a stray that the baby’s parents had taken in, according to Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson.
The dog attacked the 8-day-old boy around 5 a.m. at a home on North Church Road. Animal Control has taken the dog and will euthanize it upon the parents’ wishes. Police described the dog as a pit bull, a term commonly used for a handful of breeds or mixes of breeds of muscular dogs with broad heads.
“The dog was a stray that showed up to their house and they allowed the dog to be in there for a few days,” Gibson told The News & Observer. “It was not a typical (family) dog. They just saw an animal in need and brought it into their house.”
The case is being investigated as an accident and will be overseen by the Johnston County district attorney.
The family has requested privacy, Gibson said.
“It’s already one of the most tragic events that could happen to a person ... something that they have no understanding or reasoning as to how or why this could have happened,” he said.
Recent fatal dog attacks
This is the most recent dog attack this year in the Triangle.
▪ In April, a 7-year-old girl and her mother were attacked by a neighbor’s pit bulls. The girl died, and the dogs were taken from their owners against their wishes to be euthanized, according to a Wake County court ruling.
▪ In May a 10-month-old girl was killed by her family’s Rottweilers in Willow Spring in Johnston County.
▪ In July, a Raleigh dog owner was charged after his two loose Rottweilers attacked a child, his father and two other adults.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 5:56 PM.
