We have some more details about the case of a Cow Hollow dog-biting incident last month that left a little boy injured and now terrified of dogs, and the couple who left the scene without providing any of their information.
The incident happened on May 22, on the 2700 block of Lombard Street in San Francisco — which is near the edge of the Presidio. Surveillance video originally obtained by ABC 7 shows an unleashed white husky mix leap up from where it was sitting with its owners in a restaurant parklet or patio. A three-year-old boy, walking with his nanny, came around the corner and passed the parklet, and the dog appears to spot the boy and aggressively chase him down, knocking him to the ground.
The boy was left with a pretty bad but non-life-threatening bite to his arm.
The couple reportedly returned to their table to finish their food, and allegedly claimed not to speak English as they left the scene with the dog. Legally, as ABC 7 reports, they were obligated to provide their names and addresses to the victim, in this case the nanny.
As ABC 7 reports in a followup, the couple was located within about a day of the incident. The mother of the boy, who prefers to stay anonymous, thanks the station for applying pressure to the SFPD, saying, "I don't think things would've happen[ed]. I don't think we would have been able to track down the owners" without the media attention.
The San Francisco Police Department's Vicious and Dangerous Dog Unit was able to track down the couple after the first ABC 7 segment aired on June 5. The parents of the boy filed a police report on May 23.
As KRON4 reports, a hearing will now determine next steps in the case, and if the dog is determined to be repeatedly aggressive, it could be subject to a euthanization order.
The SFPD’s Vicious and Dangerous Dog Unit reportedly investigates 600 to 800 such incidents per year.
The couple, who has not been publicly identified, has reportedly been issued two citations, for charges of failure to report a dog bite to Animal Control, and failure to provide information after a dog bite.
Virginia Donohue, executive director of the San Francisco Animal Care and Control, called the incident "Appalling," and told ABC 7, "The whole thing could've been prevented if the dog was on a leash. We have a leash law in this city. The dog should have been on a leash."
