MONTANA -- A dark brown dog described as a Rottweiler lunged at and bit a 14-year-old girl on her arm at about 8 p.m. Thursday in Anaconda, according to the victim’s father.
Jacques Boulet told The Montana Standard his daughter was walking with a friend about two blocks from their home on West Fourth Street when the attack happened.
The dog that the girl said looked like a Rottweiler was on a leash and held by another woman, presumably the owner, Boulet said. It still managed to jump and bite his daughter hard enough to break the skin, though her injuries did not require stitches.
Still, Boulet is concerned his daughter may now need rabies shots. He is looking for the dog’s owner, who he said never came forward and did not offer any help after the incident.
“The act of not helping a child after an attack is, in my opinion, deplorable,” Boulet said. “If it were a smaller child, (the dog) could have bitten her in the face.”
Boulet did not personally see the attack, but is acting on what his daughter told him. She believes she heard the dog’s name as Picasso.
The Anaconda Veterinary Clinic has no records of a dog named Picasso, Boulet said. County animal control officer Tom Williams said he also has not yet found any records leading to the dog.
Williams said the owner would be charged with owning a vicious animal, which is punishable on first offense by a minimum $100 fine, or maximum $500 fine and six months in jail.
Williams hopes she will turn herself in, or potentially face those harsher penalties in court.
Boulet just wants the owner to step up and take responsibility, he said.
“As early as possible would be best,” he said. “Medical bills are very expensive and this is serious. Rabies can kill.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Boulet at 560-6824, or Williams at 560-3217.
(The Montana Standard - October 15, 2011)
