Dog Bites 3-Year-Old In Hemet Area: Animal Services

HEMET, CA — Riverside County animal control officers Tuesday seized a dog that bit a 3-year-old child just east of Hemet. The attack happened about 5 p.m. Monday in the area of Columbia Street and Johnston Avenue, according to Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.

He said the toddler, whose name was withheld, suffered a serious injury, possibly to the face.

It's unclear whether the boy had to be hospitalized, and Welsh said the department does "not have the details of ... what led up to the dog biting the child. We're still piecing some information together."

The brown-and-white pit bull mix was located Tuesday afternoon and impounded at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

"The dog is being quarantined at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus because it is not currently vaccinated for rabies," Welsh said. "The owner did not relinquish the animal and, pending our investigation, she could receive the dog back after it is vaccinated and licensed."

The owner was identified only as a Hemet woman.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Department of Animal Services at (951) 358-7387.