26-day-old twins baby was reported to be attacked by their mother’s pet dog when she left the room to talk with her neighbors.
The dog which is a mixed breed of Labrador and American foxhound was believed to be jealous of the twin’s presence and attacked them at their home in Piripá, northeast of Bahia, Brazil on Tuesday.
After hearing the babies cry, their mother rushed to the room to help the twins, but it was too late to save them.
She tried to prevent the dog from attacking the baby, but her actions only worsened the situation.
A nurse that lives nearby tried to give the baby first aid, but one of them reportedly died at that time because of serious injuries while another twin died at Maria Pedreira Barbosa Municipal Hospital due to a heart attack.
The dog, described as a tame animal, is believed to be jealous after not receiving much attention since the twins was born.
One of the family members claimed that the dog was ‘left out in a way, and it no longer had the attention and affection of its owners provided before’.
According to The Sun UK, one of the family members told that the dog was usually affectionate and gentle.
“We think that with the arrival of the twins, the animal no longer had the attention and affection of its owners that it had been used to,” said the family member.
“This may have caused some kind of jealousy and led what was normally a docile animal to attack the children,” added the family member.
The family currently has two dogs but the second dog was not involved in the incident. The twin’s mother had to be sedated after collapsing with shock at Maria Pedreira Barbosa Municipal Hospital.
Police are investigating the cause of death and will meet the dog’s owner.
Source: Daily Mail, The Sun UK