Dog Owner Flees With Pet After 3-Year-Old Boy Was Bitten Outside Store

Authorities in San Francisco have asked for the public’s assistance in locating a dog owner who fled after his pet allegedly bit a 3-year-old boy as the victim was about to enter a grocery shop in California.

The incident took place in the Laurel Heights neighborhood last month and is being investigated by San Francisco’s Police Department’s Vicious and Dangerous Dog Unit. The child was entering the Trader Joe’s store around 9 a.m. PDT (12 p.m. EDT) on June 19, when he was reportedly bitten by a pug-like dog in the hand in what was described as an “unprovoked” animal attack, CBS SF BayArea reported.

The police said Wednesday that as soon as the 3-year-old was bitten, his guardian who was accompanying the victim at the time, contacted the store manager. An announcement was made via the public announcement system asking the dog owner to step up and claim responsibility for the incident. While the owner did arrive at the scene, he left with his dog a short while later, without providing any necessary details about his identity or his pet’s vaccination.

Have you seen him? #SanFrancisco police say his pug bit a 3-year-old boy at a Trader Joe's in Laurel Heights last month and left the store with the dog without identifying himself. (Pics: @SFPD) https://t.co/0PmOHsGFfK pic.twitter.com/yzEPfcthVH
— KPIX 5 (@KPIXtv) July 3, 2019

Investigators have released a photo of the owner, which showed the man wearing a camouflage jacket and carrying an empty leash in his hand. There was no dog seen in the picture. According to police reports, the dog in question was light-colored pug-type with black spots.

Robert Rueca, a police department spokesman, told San Francisco Chronicle that the victim escaped with non-life threatening injuries and was undergoing treatment, which included rabies vaccinations.

He added that there was a possibility that the owner of the dog might face charges as and when he was located by the authorities.

“Part of what we do is assess the dog and see if it really is a vicious dog,” Rueca said. “We’re hoping someone will be able to locate the owner and the dog and help us bring closure.”

Anyone with information regarding the case was requested to contact the department handling the case at (415) 553-9182 or a 24-hour tip line at (415) 575-4444. Tipsters can also leave relevant information by texting to TIP411. In that case, one had to begin the message with “SFPD.”