Death of baby attacked by dog ruled accidental

The 1-year-old Henderson boy who died after being bitten by his family's dog while celebrating his birthday Friday sustained blunt-force injuries to his head and neck during an accidental dog attack, the Clark County coroner's office said Monday.

Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan was killed by his family's beloved dog, a mastiff-Rhodesian ridgeback mix named Onion.

Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said Monday the baby's death remains under investigation.

"We do not anticipate any criminal charges," Paul said.

Jeremiah spent Friday celebrating his first birthday with his father, grandmother and other family members in his home.

He got a roomful of toys, including a battery-powered car and a floating frog for the bath. Onion got squeaky toys. They played together all day Friday.

After the long, joyful day, Jeremiah was exhausted.

"We were just about to put him to bed," about 10 p.m., when it happened, said his father, 29-year-old Christopher Shahan. He shares custody of Jeremiah with the boy's mother. The two aren't married.

Jeremiah's grandmother gave him a bottle and laid him down in the living room. The baby crawled over to Onion and - as he had done many times before - grabbed onto the 120-pound dog to help himself stand up.

Just then, Jeremiah's grandmother leaned over to pick him up. Onion suddenly attacked.

He latched around the boy's head and began shaking him. Jeremiah's grandmother wasn't strong enough to pull the boy away. Shahan heard the commotion from upstairs and raced to rescue his son.

"I got the dog off the baby," he said. "I tried to save my baby."

The ordeal lasted about 30 seconds.

Medical personnel rushed to the home on Navarre Lane, near Arroyo Grande Boulevard. They took Jeremiah to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus. He was then flown to the trauma unit at University Medical Center, where he died early Saturday morning.

Onion had been with the family since he was a puppy. He helped Jeremiah's grandmother keep her spirits up when she was suffering from lung cancer, Shahan said.

Onion "was the only thing that ... kept her strong," he said.

The dog had never been aggressive toward anyone and loved Jeremiah, Shahan said.

The dog "licks his face. He never growls, never snaps at him. I never thought that dog would do anything to my baby."

Dog behavior experts said this sort of sudden attack is rare and unusual but could be explained.

Richard Polsky, a Los Angeles-based animal behavior expert, said Onion might have been spooked by the child.

Even tame, docile family dogs can react aggressively to unexpected changes in their environments. In this case, Polsky said, it appeared the dog was startled by the newly crawling child.

"It was almost an innate reaction to something unusual," Polsky said. "The best I can hypothesize is the dog was startled."

Ron Berman, an expert witness in dog behavior for two decades, said this sort of serious attack usually follows other aggressive behavior, such as growling, snarling and even biting.

"Very serious attacks don't happen with nice, sweet dogs," Berman said. "Your sweetheart dog doesn't go from warm and cuddly dog to this sort of serious attack. ... Some people love their dog so much they just don't want to see it."

Dog owners who see signs of aggression, such as growling and snarling, should hire a professional to evaluate the dog's demeanor and determine whether it's dangerous, Berman said.

Both Polsky and Berman said the dog's breed is not a good indicator of aggressiveness. However, larger breeds can cause more damage in an attack if they are aggressive, they said.

They said dog owners can help prevent attacks on their children by allowing them to interact early and often so the dog gets used to the child being around.

"It's a terrible, terrible tragedy, and I think, hopefully, a lot of parents will learn from it," Polsky said.

Animal control officials will quarantine Onion for 10 days of observation to determine whether he has rabies, Henderson police said. He then will be euthanized.

The family plans to hold a funeral for Jeremiah next week.