MONTREAL, June 9 (UPI) -- A 17-year-old Canadian mother has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her daughter, mauled by a dog in the family home, authorities said.
Police said the 3-week-old baby was left strapped in a car seat inside the house Monday when she was attacked by a pet husky and suffered deep bites and scratches, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The mother, not identified because of her age, and the baby's grandmother were arrested in east Montreal, the CBC said.
The teenager's lawyer said he was "completely blown away" by the manslaughter charge.
"This is a young girl who is rather fragile," Andre Williams said.
The grandmother, who was visiting her daughter and granddaughter Monday, was released when authorities decided there was not enough evidence to press charges against her, the CBC said.
The women had left the house to go outside "and go in the garden to see the flowers," Quebec police Sgt. Ronald McInnis said.
The baby's father said he does not blame the mother for the incident.
"It was just a moment of inattention," the man, who cannot be identified, said. "I hope she will be acquitted, because she had nothing to do with it; she was an excellent mother."
