09:02 AM EDT on Friday, July 15, 2005

BY BENJAMIN N. GEDAN
Journal Staff Writer

They are regarded as family members, routinely invited into bed, pampered by doting owners and granted the run of the house.

But on the day after a Siberian husky killed a seven-day-old Coventry girl, animal-behavior experts warned that even beloved and docile dogs may react violently to a newborn baby.

"You've got two different species trying to live together," said Dr. Alice Moon-Fanelli, of the animal-behavior clinic at the Tufts University veterinary school. "The key is supervision."

Fatal dog attacks are rare in the United States. In Rhode Island, it had been at least seven years since a dog killed a child, said Maria Wah-Fitta, a state Department of Health spokeswoman.

But animal-behavior experts and dog trainers say longtime pets are frequently wary of infants, whose sudden arrival can spark a potentially deadly turf battle.

Nearly 4.2 million people report dog bites annually, resulting in an average of 800,000 requests for medical help and 12 deaths, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of those injured are children 5 to 9 years old.

In all, 513 people have died from dog attacks in the United States since 1965, according to the National Canine Research Foundation. A recent study found that 92 percent of dogs involved in attacks are male; 94 percent are not neutered.

Coventry officials say the town had not seen a fatal dog attack in at least 40 years. But in April, an off-duty police dispatcher shot his two dogs after the animals began fighting near his young child.

"Dogs are predators. Assume all of them may injure a child at some point," said Katenna Jones, an animal behavioralist at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals.

The father of Alexis McDermott, who was killed on Wednesday in the Coventry dog mauling, told the police that his family's Siberian husky had not previously exhibited violent behavior toward the newborn.

The husky is not considered a particularly vicious breed; the American Kennel Club describes the animal as graceful, furry, friendly and gentle. Christy Burdick, the animal-control officer in Cranston, said she has not quarantined a husky in her 10-year tenure.

But the Siberian Husky Club of America Inc., a national breed club, says the husky's predatory instincts are strong. Small animals, the club warns, may find the husky decidedly less than gregarious.

That predatory instinct, present in all dogs, can also result in domestic tragedy, animal experts say.

Moon-Fanelli said a baby's jerky movements and high-pitched squeal may resemble an injured animal's. "That's going to trigger a primordial instinct," she said.

And as a child grows and begins walking, experts say, an infant's behavior may become threatening. Daily competition for resources -- such as exercise opportunities and the fawning of family members -- can evoke hostility in a normally peaceful canine.

Youngsters may not recognize a dog's body language, ignoring its growls, snarls and stares. A dog, meanwhile, may grow increasingly irritable, disoriented by rapid changes in its routine, including shifts in feeding time and exercise schedule, said Lisa Peterson, the American Kennel Club spokeswoman.

DOG TRAINERS say they can ease the transition and improve an animal's manners, discouraging a dog from jumping on a child or lunging for its toys. Many pet owners acclimate their dogs to life amid crying young humans before bringing home their infant, introducing their pet to children and lavishly rewarding good behavior.

That preparation can transform a potential four-legged adversary into a newborn's companion and protector, said Wendy Derby, a former dog trainer in Massachusetts. Treating an infant like its own pup, many dogs will guard a baby's crib as a child sleeps and scrutinize visitors who approach.

"They take it on as their job," Derby said. "Some dogs have such patience they should be canonized. [Kids] dress it up, pull its tail, look in its ear. They're not enjoying it, but they'll put up with it."

Not all dogs are so forgiving, however, particularly older animals placed in physical discomfort by a pestering child. The most skillful training cannot guarantee consistently peaceful behavior, Jones said. "You can't train out instincts," she said. "They're wolves, genetically speaking."

The pulling of a tail, disturbing of sleep or interrupting of playtime with a favorite toy can provoke even the best-trained pet. The animal's swift response, Derby said, is hard to predict or defend against.

Marvin, a 70-pound black Labrador retriever that lives with E.J. Finocchio, the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals director, received a perfect score on the Delta Society temperament test. It visits the elderly, ill and disabled.

Still, Finocchio said yesterday, he never forgets that mild-mannered Marvin is an animal.

"Do I trust my dog? No, I do not trust my dog," Finocchio said. "I do not let my dog out of my sight."

Benjamin N. Gedan can be reached at bgedan [at] projo.com