By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published March 17, 2026 | Updated March 25, 2026 8:35am
NOVI — A newborn baby died March 17 from wounds that police believe were inflicted by the family dog.
The Novi Police and Fire departments were dispatched at 8:28 a.m. March 17 to a home in the 42000 block of Liberte Drive in the Oakland Glens Mobile Home Park for an unresponsive infant, according to Novi Police Cmdr. Robert Manar. Oakland Glens is on the north side of 13 Mile Road between Novi and Meadowbrook roads.
“A family member had reportedly found the infant injured with puncture wounds,” Manar said in an email. “Those wounds appear to be consistent with an animal attack.”
According to Manar, the 5-day-old girl was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
“A blanket of sadness has covered the entire trailer park,” said Leslie Parker, who resides at Oakland Glens. “It’s been so quiet si nce this tragedy occurred.”
The dog was removed from the home by Oakland County animal control officers and was being held at the Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center.
Bob Gatt, manager of Oakland County Animal Control and Shelter, and former Novi mayor, said that dogs are considered property in Michigan. Animal control has the authority to act in cases like this.
“We have the authority to take those animals away from the home and put them in our custody, awaiting a court order as to what happens next,” Gatt said.
Gatt said that any dog that is brought into the shelter is labeled a mixed breed. He explained that if they don’t have papers showing the dog’s lineage, they don’t have any way of saying for certain what breed the dog is.
“So, I would never tell you, oh, that was this or that was that, because we don’t know (with absolute certainty),” Gatt said.