SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Dog bite causes commotion downtown, authorities say.
A female pit bull was taken into custody by a Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter employee Friday after the dog reportedly bit someone on the hand, authorities said.
Details were unclear, but the incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. near Laurel and Front streets, police said.
A lack of available animal control officers Friday resulted in an employee who is not an animal control officer taking the call and the dog, said Melanie Sobel, general manager of the county agency.
The pit bull will be under a rabies quarantine for 10 days, because the owner was unable to produce proof she had been vaccinated, she said.
The man who owns the dog said the victim had hit his dog and that is what sparked the bite, but Sobel added that she did not yet have the other side of the story.
The victim was taken to Dominican Hospital, she said.
Typically, the owner would have to pay boarding fees for the standard 10-day quarantine, if he wants the dog back and if the bite is not so severe that the dog is declared vicious after an investigation, she said.
(Mercury News - August 5, 2011)
