Dog Attacks Runner On Buttermilk Trail In Virginia

An unidentified person was allegedly attacked by a dog on the Buttermilk Trail on Wednesday evening.

Details about the victim or circumstances of the canine attack were not immediately available, but one outlet had already posted the report. Various neighborhood groups also took time to share the news in an effort to provide more information and help find the dog and its owner.

RVA Hub said the injured person was running on the trail when he first passed the dog “as it walked quietly with its owner.” The runner passed by the dog for the second time as he was about to finish his workout. This time, however, the animal was not on leash.

The source also pointed that the dog “lunged and made contact” with the runner and latched his jaws on his knees and penetrated the skin.

It added that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on the trail between Reedy Creek and the bridge that connected Belle Isle.

The dog's owner, who was apparently nearby when the attacked happened, screamed and claimed that it was the runner who initiated the altercation and attacked his dog. Further the dog owner even “threatened” to set the dog on the victim he stayed “around a second longer.”

Fearing for another attack, the runner quickly left the trail and saw that the dog was “still snarling and lunging” at him.

The dog was described to be a stocky and heavily built “all-black pit bull” that weighed around 70-80 pounds. Its owner was said to be a male in his “late 20's to early 30's” who sported a crew cut and had tattoos on his upper body and arms.

It was also suggested that he weighed roughly 150 pounds and stood around five feet 10 inches. At the time of the attack, the owner was seen to be wearing “white shorts and no shirt.”

Pet owners are mandated by Section 4-243 to have their dogs “under restraint” and thus, its free roaming is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, dogs must be put on a leash when they are out of the owner's property.

A Richmond resident who commented on the source's post said that she has seen a lot of dogs without leashes and worried that these animals would be a danger to her safety considering that she rides a bike.

“Either I will inadvertently kill the dog or be badly damaged myself,” she said.

Another comment generally pointed that it's not “rocket science” for dog owners to know that they should have their dogs leashed at all times.