A New Canaan golden retriever mix is in quarantine at a local vet through Saturday after biting a woman who had picked up her own, smaller dog while walking on Heritage Hill Road, police say.
It happened at about 1:47 p.m. on Sept. 16, a Tuesday. The 4-year-old golden retriever ripped the leash out of its owner’s hand and made for a Chihuahua mix, according to a police report. The smaller dog’s owner picked it up and the golden mix scratched her, ripping her pants and breaking her skin “pretty severely with scratches,” Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said. (In such cases, bites and scratches are handled the same.)
Since the incident happened off-property, the golden mix cannot undergo its quarantine at home, Kleinschmitt said.
“It’s not unusual that big and little dogs do not get along,” she said.