MONTANA -- Danielle Nicole Porter of Helena will appear in court on Monday after her dog reportedly bit a 56-year old woman at a Valley Bank of Helena location on Thursday.
Porter, 23, was showing off the dog at the Fuller Avenue location when it reportedly bit the woman on her face.
The woman was treated and released from St. Peter's Hospital after the incident; her name has not been released.
Immediately after the incident, the dog, described as an adult male pit bull, was taken to a veterinarian for quarantine.
Porter was cited for not having a current rabies vaccination for the dog, having a nuisance animal, and a potentially dangerous dog.
Tom Kandt, a dog behavioral consultant who works with the Humane Society in Helena, says dogs can bite for various reasons, but that stress in a new environment can be a key factor.
Kandt noted, "If you have a new dog, until you get to understand it and it gets to know you and bond with you, you shouldn't put it in a lot of new or stressful situations, or situations that it isn't used to. And it's a matter of knowing the dog, too, what a dog's triggers are. Every dog has different triggers according to their genetics and their environment."
The dog will remain under quarantine by a veterinarian pending the results of rabies tests.
(KXLH Helena News - Oct 26, 2012)
