Authorities may never know what provoked a black Labrador puppy in Tulsa, Okla., to fatally maul 2-month-old Zane Alen Earles. According to The Oklahoman, the child's grandfather placed him in an infant swing in the dining room before he and the baby's father left the house Monday morning a little after 8 a.m. The boy's mother and grandmother were asleep in their bedrooms at the time. A couple of hours later, Earles' mother found her son dead in his swing.

Tragic.

And utterly preventable.

Reportedly, there were two dogs in the household: the Lab and a pug. Both were taken to the Tulsa Animal Shelter, where the Lab pup was euthanized.

Does this mean the Labrador retriever —America's favorite dog for decades running — will now plummet in popularity, as did the Rottweiler, as did the American Staffordshire terrier, as did the Doberman with each new attack? Does it mean we had this gentle breed pegged wrong all along?

Absolutely not.

It means breed is largely irrelevant.

It means we as dog owners must be aware of the dangers of mingling infants or small children with dogs.

It means we as parents must be vigilant in ensuring our kids are safe around the family pet.

A 2-month-old child left alone with a dog — any dog — doesn't have a chance if that dog suddenly feels threatened and decides to act on it.

Babies are particularly vulnerable: They are physically fragile. They lack the strength and coordination to defend themselves or get away. They wail, they flail, they kick and scream — all of which can be irritating to the canine sensibilities. And when baby starts to crawl, the dog simply sees one of its own down on the ground on all fours. A little confused roughhousing is all it takes for a small child to be seriously wounded — even by a small dog.

It's also possible for your baby's toys to be the irritant.

An infant swing, for example, is in constant motion when turned on: back and forth, back and forth. This motion can feel threatening to a dog in close proximity. If you bring an infant swing into your house and you have a dog, do your pooch, your child and yourself the favor of letting the dog get used to that motion before adding the child to the mix.

Set the swing up in the room where you plan to keep it. Turn it on and leave it on —childless — for an hour or so every day for a week. Watch your pup's reaction. Gauge his tolerance. If he's not comfortable with it, he should never be allowed in the room when it's on. But even if the pooch seems fine with it, keep your child under adult supervision at all times.

With babies and dogs, tragic accidents can happen with even the tiniest or gentlest of breeds. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by statistics or even by what you know about your dog. The only way to baby-proof your pup is to keep the two of them under careful and constant adult supervision.

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.

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