© GettyDachshunds may look cute, but they're actually bred for hunting and flushing out badgers
The dachshund clamped its jaws around the tiny baby in her crib in the Russian city of Seversk in Siberia. The newborn had been brought home from the hospital just a month earlier when the dog gripped tightly around her neck and strangled her to death while her parents were asleep.
The vicious dog dispatched the baby without making a sound by barking or growling, meaning the parents woke up the following day to the horrific discovery of their second child dead in her crib. A relative claims the dog had been more aggressive since they welcomed the baby back home.
They called on a vet to euthanise the pooch, but they refused because it was healthy. Instead, the owners kept the dog leashed during the night, hoping it would keep the dog away from their baby - but on the night in question they forgot to tie it up.
The family member told local media: "The baby's mother blames herself. But it was a tragic accident. It was the middle of the night. The girl was sleeping, and everyone else too, the dog strangled her very quietly. This dachshund that lived with them, an eight-year-old dog. It behaved aggressively towards adult owners.
"And when the second child was born in the family in February, the aggression only increased. The parents understood the danger, decided on euthanasia. And they brought the dog to several clinics, but they were refused, because the animal was physically absolutely healthy."
After the horrific incident, the dog was euthanised. In a statement, local investigators said: "The daughter's body was discovered in the morning by her mother."
Dachshunds may look cute, but they are actually hunting dogs. Through the generations, they've been bred to find and flush out badgers and other burrowing creatures. An investigation is underway to probe the circumstances surrounding the little one's death. A criminal case has been launched for negligence leading to a fatality.
The sausage dogs are terrible, pure Napoleon complex, I work as a gardener and one client has got one: it'll bite you whilst wagging its tail like it just did a good deed. I would happily hang it from a tree, and it only nips my ankles. If one were to slaughter a new-born baby, I would consider eliminating the entire race, or at least half.