Pit bulls implicated in two incidents

Commerce police reported two instances where pit bulls attacked last week, one in which a man was bitten and another in which a dog was injured.

A 70-year-old Oak Street man told police that he was trying to put a black and white lab mix dog on a leash by a fence when a pit bull bit him on the hand and finger.



Police determined that the pit bull was not current on its shots, so they took it to Commerce Veterinary Hospital for a rabies-related quarantine. Two other dogs belonging to the same person were also picked up because they were running at large.

In the other case, a 39-year-old white male reported that he was walking his dog on a leash on Lewis Circle when a pit bull ran up and attacked his dog. After about 15 to 20 seconds, the man said he was able to separate the two dogs, at which time the pit bull chased the man’s cat, which retreated safely up a tree.

Shortly thereafter, the man said, a white male in his mid to late 30s walked up and took the pit bull away. The victim said the man refused to give his name, but the officer gave police an address where he thought the man lived. Police were unable to locate the dog or its owner.

The other dog suffered injuries to a leg and to the chest area, according to the incident report.

For accounts of other incidents investigated during the past week, read the Feb. 6 edition of The Commerce News.