Woman bitten by pit bull at state park

A 34-year-old woman was bitten on the leg by a pit bull terrier mix weighing about 60-pounds as she walked in Manatee Springs State Park on Sunday afternoon.

Mike Schenck of Levy County Animal Control, said park officials contacted his office and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office about the incident.

Levy County Emergency Medical Services responded to the call, said EMS Director Trish Seibold, but the woman refused transportation to a medical center for treatment, preferring to seek treatment on her own.

Schenck said an animal control officer went with a worker from the state park to locate the 3-year-old dog, which they found at a residence outside the park. Although a child and adult were in the home, they were not the dog’s owner and would not answer the door.

Schenck said the officer left a notice and the dog’s owner contacted animal services on Monday. He said the dog’s shots are up to date and the owner is keeping the animal quarantined at the home.

The owner had the dog in a fenced in area, Schenck said, and it got out. “So now she has to take the dog out on a leash.”

“We have the right to go out there anytime to check on the animal,” Schenck said. He said there would be a check of the animal at the end of the 10-day period.

This is the first complaint about the dog, Schenck said.

He said anyone who is bitten by an animal, whether a pet or wild, needs to know that if they do not report it and have the animal quarantined, that there is a possibility of contracting rabies and “rabies is not a curable disease.”