A German shepherd bit a man and attacked an animal control officer in Riverside Wednesday, forcing the officer to deploy pepper spray to fend off the dog.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services received reports mid-morning that a cable installer was doing work at a house in the 5400 block of Tyler Street when the canine, “Rocky,” clamped down on one of his legs or arms, according to agency spokesman John Welsh.
He told City News Service that the victim got away from the large tan-and-black dog and contacted authorities.
An animal control officer was sent to the location about 11:30 a.m. to investigate, and while approaching the front of the house, Rocky slipped through a broken gate and charged the officer, who attempted to retreat to his vehicle, Welsh said.
“The officer deployed his pepper spray gun on the dog,” the animal services spokesman said. “The dog turned and ran back through the damaged fence. The officer radioed for assistance, and a colleague responded to the property.”
The two officers returned to the residence together to find the owner and encountered three girls, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, in the backyard, attempting to wash the pepper spray off of Rocky, according to Welsh.
He said that in the process of washing the animal, the girls exposed themselves to the oleoresin capsaicin from the pepper spray gun and began complaining of skin and eye irritation. It was later determined that two of the girls lived at the house.
The officers safely seized Rocky and requested that paramedics check the teenagers, none of whom required hospitalization, according to Welsh.
“We impounded the dog for quarantine, and the officer issued a PDR — potentially dangerous dog restraining order — with a requirement to build a kennel to house the dog,” Welsh told CNS. “The latter was required because the fence is not sufficient to contain this dog.”
The dog’s owner, a woman at the residence whose identity was not released, received a citation with unspecified fines for the canine’s actions.
There was no word on the cable technician’s condition.