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A Wednesday night dog attack along the 500 block of Deal Lake Drive serves as a warning not to approach stray animals.

Officials say a 28-year-old Asbury woman attempting to help contain the unleashed animal was rushed to a nearby hospital after the seemingly friendly animal turned on her.

“We responded near 8:20 p.m. to reports of a female being bit on the lower part of her face near her mouth,” Fire Chief Kevin Keddy said.

The woman was transported via the fire department’s ambulance to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Keddy said.

But now the animal, an 8-year-old Pitbull and its owners are headed to court.

Associated Humane Societies General Manager Veronica Ehrenspeck said charges include running at large, not having an up to date rabies vaccination or a current license.

“I’m sure the woman will be there,” Ehrenspeck said. “She will want restitution for her bites.”

The case is one that often plays out across the nation, and often broadcast on popular court television shows.

In this case, the dog is not a known repeat offender and the woman was trying to do a good thing, according to Ehrenspeck.

“The dog got loose and the woman tried to get the dog to read the tag on its collar,” Ehrenspeck said. “The dog got spooked and bit her face.”

Ehrenspeck said the dog had never been loose before. According the AHS report, the dog ran across the street, got around the corner, got spooked, and ran back toward its home after the attack.

The lesson here, as the weather turns warm, is to always be on guard with animals you do not know, she said.

“One slip up look what can happen,” Ehrenspeck said. “Always use caution when approaching a dog you don’t know. Always call us or the police department to contain an animal.

“Any dog, even the most friendliness animal, can react, especially if you are bending over them,” she said. “Sometimes we forget to keep our own safety in mind but the face is the first thing they are going to get.”

Ehrenspeck said the victim will have to get rabies vaccination.

[Feature photo is a file photo, not the dog in question]

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