UPDATE: Hamilton dog attack under investigation

The City of Hamilton is investigating after a couple reported a pit bull attacked their small dog and bit them.

A spokesperson for Animal Services says the dog was actually a female American Bulldog. An Animal Control Officer responded to the call on Locke Street South around 9pm last Friday.

The couple, Dana Mancini and her husband Ted Petkos, say they were walking on Locke Street around 8:30pm when a dog without a leash came out of seemingly nowhere, with no owner in sight, and bit their small dog Lucio on his back and thigh. The bite on his back was so deep it required a draining tube.

The couple says the attack only stopped when a few people nearby grabbed the dog and pulled him off.

The couple rushed him to a nearby veterinary clinic for treatment while Mancini went to St. Joe’s to be treated for a bite on her hand.

Petkos says he was also nipped on the ankle, but thankfully their other dog Lucky was not injured.

Animal Services says the owner of the American Bulldog contacted the City’s shelter about their missing dog on Saturday, and came to claim the dog. The City says the owner claims the dog was released from their rear yard by people walking in an alley, which backs onto the property of the owner. The owner has since padlocked their back gate according to the City.

Animal Services says the owner then reported the dog to Animal Services yesterday, and Public Health is monitoring for rabies.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.