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CHARLESTON, S.C — Man's best friend doesn't even begin to cover it.
A South Carolina couple has their dog to thank for saving their infant son from an abusive babysitter.
Benjamin and Hope Jordan hired 22-year-old Alexis Khan to care for then-7-month-old Finn last year. Khan cleared a criminal background check, and everyone seemed happy with the arrangement.
"We felt like Alexis was a good fit at the time," Benjamin Jordan told WCSC News.
But one member of the family quickly sniffed out trouble. About five months after Khan was hired, the family dog — Killian — became fiercely protective of the baby whenever Khan came to the door.
The barking and growling was alarming to the Jordans, who said they'd never seen their dog behave in such a way.
"He was very aggressive towards her," Jordan said. "A few times we actually had to physically restrain our dog from going towards her."
The couple felt Killian's warning was too intense to ignore, so they devised a plan to monitor what was really go on in their home when they weren't around. They placed an iPhone under a couch cushion and hit record.
(Our dog) was very aggressive towards her. A few times we actually had to physically restrain our dog from going towards her.
–Benjamin Jordan, father
The results were nothing short of horrifying.
The recording begins with Khan swearing at the baby, and the distinctive sound of slapping follows. Next, the child's cry goes from "distress" to "pain," his father said.
"I just wanted to reach through the audio tape, go back in time and just grab him up," said Jordan. "To know that for five months I had handed my child to a monster."
The recording also picked up evidence of Finn being shaken, Jordan told Fox News.
Khan eventually confessed to hurting the child and pleaded guilty to assault and battery last month. She is set to serve up to three years in prison and will have her name added to the child abuse registry — preventing her from ever working with children again.
Related:
Hero dog released from Calif. veterinary hospital
A famed dog that lost her snout and upper jaw saving two girls' lives in the Philippines was released from a California hospital Monday, officials said.As for Finn, he's thriving, happy and doesn't seem to be suffering from any long-term damage, according to his dad.
All thanks to one vigilant pup.
"Had our dog not alerted us to the trouble, had my wife's instincts not said we need to make something happen, it could have been Finn that was killed by the babysitter," Jordan said.
Image credit: WCSC
