Longmont police say Sereniti Herrera was riding along East 5th Avenue Saturday when a neighbor opened a garage door and a dog escaped from the home.
The dog charged the girl and knocked her off the bike, according to police. Sereniti suffered a bite to the leg and went to the hospital. The bite pierced the skin.
Authorities say it's the second time the same dog attacked a neighborhood minor.
The first incident happened August 2013.
Johnny Cortez was 17 years old at the time. He was also riding his bike when the Border Collie-mix attacked. Police say he suffered three bites.
"I didn't even notice the dog coming at me, and once it was close enough, I fell off my bike," Cortez said. "Once I tried to stop him, he bit me."
Sereniti's mother, Jerica Herrera, wants answers.
"I'm frustrated, because the dog had attacked someone before," Herrera said. "Obviously, the dog wasn't taken away then. And if this is the second time it bit somebody, it's obviously going to keep doing it until something is done about it."
Longmont police say it is uncommon to have the same dog attack two people in separate incidents, and there is no ordinance ordering consequences for more than one attack.
"Longmont does not have a 'three-strikes' rule," Longmont PD spokesperson Jeff Satur said. "Animal control evaluates every dog bite, and they look at the nature of the attack."
In both cases, the injuries were not serious and the owner was cited for having an aggressive animal and for failing to restrain the dog.
The dog was put on a 10-day quarantine at home.
"The dog chased this kid, bit this kid and stopped," Satur said. "It's much different than some of the vicious maulings that we've seen over the years."
The dog owner, Maria Reyes, told 9NEWS that her family is truly sorry for what happened and adds that they accept full responsibility for the dog's actions.
The next step is for the owner to attend a court appearance, where a judge will decide what actions to take.
(9NEWS.com - June 10, 2015)
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