Unvaccinated dog quarantined after toddler bitten in face

Riverside County animal control officers today seized a dog that bit a 3-year-old child just east of Hemet.

The attack happened about 5 p.m. Monday in the area of Columbia Street and Johnston Avenue, according to Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.

Watch: Dog Impounded in Unincorporated Hemet Believed to be dog that bit 3-year-old boy

He said the toddler, whose name was withheld, suffered a serious injury, possibly to the face.

It’s unclear whether the boy had to be hospitalized, and Welsh said the department does

“not have the details of … what led up to the dog biting the child. We’re still piecing some information together.”

The brown-and-white pit bull mix was located this afternoon and impounded at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

The owner, identified only as a Hemet woman, contested the seizure and may yet get the dog back pending the outcome of the investigation, which is ongoing, Welsh said.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Department of Animal Services at (951) 358-7387.