YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — An animal control officer in Yakima has been seriously injured in an attack by a dog.
The Yakima Herald-Republic says Julie Silva, a Humane Society of Central Washington employee who works under contract with the city, was being treated for facial injuries at a local hospital after the attack Friday afternoon.
The city’s top code enforcement official, Joe Caruso, says Silva was following up with the owner of a dog which had previously been complained about. The owner invited Silva into the backyard to show that they had repaired a fence meant to keep the dog from escaping.
Caruso says that just as the man was explaining that the dog had never bitten anyone, he let go of its leash. The animal lunged at Silva and bit her on the face.