The 3-day-old infant was lying in bed with his parents who were watching television when the dog was startled by the mother's coughing and bit the baby.
A newborn baby mauled by the family dog was unable to be saved when he finally made it to the hospital after his parents made two unsuccessful 911 calls before rushing him for help themselves, officials said.
Three-day-old Sebastian Caban was lying in bed with his parents who were watching television at their San Diego apartment Thursday, when his mother reportedly coughed.
Her coughing startled their dog, which was also in the bed, and he reacted by biting the baby, authorities said.
Read: 4-Year-Old Boy Mauled to Death While Walking Down Street with Mom
The parents pulled the dog off of their only child and called 911 twice, but they were unable to get through to an operator either time, according to police.
They waited 28 seconds before hanging up their first call, then tried again and waited 34 seconds before giving up, cops told KNSD-TV.
They rushed little Sebastian to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy found the infant died from bites to his head. His death was ruled an accident.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family in this very tragic case. We know every second counts in an emergency,” Lt. Scott Wahl of SDPD said in a statement to the television station.
Read: Twin Sisters Defend Pet Dog That Mauled Them and Almost Attacked 3-Year-Old Boy
According to the SCPD, dispatch received 73 calls to 911 between 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., when the family was calling for help.
Animal control officers took the two-year-old dog, a neutered male American Staffordshire terrier-Great Dane mix named Polo, into custody and will hold him in quarantine for 10 days to determine if he has rabies, authorities said.
It will be up to the owners whether or not they reclaim the dog.
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