Family dog may have been 'jealous' when it attacked a newborn

The dog has now been destroyed. Photo / Facebook

The uncle of a newborn who was mauled by a dog in the UK said the pet may have been "jealous" when he attacked and killed the 12-day-old baby.

Elon was in his Moses basket on Sunday afternoon when family dog, Teddy, escaped from a garden pen and attacked him.

He was rushed to hospital but sadly he couldn't be saved due to the severity of his injuries.

"On arrival at the property, emergency services discovered the baby boy had been bitten by a dog and suffered serious injuries," a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson told The Sun.

Engaged couple Abigail Ellis, 27, and Stephen Joynes, 35, of Doncaster, England, have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following their son's tragic incident.

The pair have since been released on bail.

Baby Elon was just 12 days old. Photo / Facebook

The baby's devastated uncle feared that the usually friendly Chow Chow-cross was "jealous" or thought Elon was a toy when he entered the house and attacked the child.

"The dog was in the pen and he suddenly jumped over the top and got free and went through the open door into a room downstairs where the baby was in a Moses basket," Ellis' brother told the Sun.

"Then it attacked him. He may have thought it was a toy or a doll.

"But the dog had never been any trouble before."

He said Teddy was a big softie and all the kids and adults would cuddle the animal, adding: "You just wouldn't expect it to do anything like that."

The dog has since been destroyed.

Just days before Elon's death, his mother shared a photo on her Facebook alongside the caption, "Our gorgeous baby boy. Love him to bits."

Another image showed the mother in her hospital bed with her newborn and his three siblings.

And in August, before his arrival, she wrote on Facebook: "Get ready for our little boy to make his appearance any time soon.

"He's head down, engaged and ready. But when he will come is the big question!"

Elon's father also shared a photo of the newborn saying he "couldn't be more chuffed" with his arrival.

Family said that the dog had "never been any trouble before". Photo / Facebook

One local woman, Sally Hooley, told the Sun she drove by the house as police were removing the dog.

"It was a big fluffy golden thing. It didn't look like a dangerous breed," she said.

"But police were struggling to get it into the dog van. It was strong enough to be dragging three officers into the road."

Abigail Ellis, 27 and her fiance Stephen Joynes, 35, have been arrested after their newborn baby was mauled to death by a dog. Photo / Facebook

Other neighbours called the incident "heartbreaking", saying it had been "tragedy upon a tragedy" for the family, with the father of Ellis' other three children believed to have died of sepsis last year.

"She was a brilliant mum but her whole life fell apart when he died. She lost everything," one woman tearfully told the publication.

"Absolutely devastating news. Two parents have just lost a child and three other children a brother in such terrible circumstances. Sleep tight little man," a friend of the family wrote on Facebook.