Dog bites woman in Gold Bar

A woman who was bitten by a pitbull outside the Gold Bar Family Grocer last week still doesn’t know the identity of the woman who was with the dog at the time.

Tamzyn MacKenzie was talking to someone outside the grocery store Sunday, March 10, when the dog bit. The dog was on a leash at the time, but lunged and was able to reach MacKenzie’s ankle.

The dog’s owner couldn’t control the animal, so MacKenzie’s brother kicked it away.

The dog tore through the woman’s clothing and damaged tendons and arteries. The woman who owned the dog removed it to a vehicle and left the scene.

Only one witness at the busy store thought he might know someone who knew the dog’s owner, but that turned out not to be true.

The dog owner isn’t guilty of a criminal act, as she would be in the case of a vehicle hit-and-run. But she could be liable for damages, and animal control could force the owner to put the dog in a secure enclosure and take other measures to control it.