Pit bulls have a bad reputation — usually due to some idiot owner — but in the case of an incident this morning in North Beach, a pit bull and his companion did nothing to provoke a random guy stabbing them.

As the Chronicle reports, at about 1:30 a.m. the pit bull, his owner, and a friend were taking a walk when a man rushed toward them near Broadway and Kearny. Both the dog and the owner's friend tried to fight back, at which point the assailant stabbed them with a pocket knife then fled.

According to the owner, the dog was on a leash and the attack came out of nowhere.

SFPD confirmed that the pit bull and friend are okay, the latter treated for minor stab wounds in the hand.

Update: NBC Bay Area reports that the man wielding the knife had a dog with him, and the altercation started when the pit bull and his dog began fighting, according to a police blotter. SFist has reached out to SFPD for more details on what actually happened.

[Chronicle]