A 5-year-old New Canaan girl required six stitches in the area of her mouth and chin after a Bernese mountain dog puppy jumped up on her at Waveny, officials say.
According to a police report, the girl was at the park to watch a soccer game and had been been playing with the 11-month-old puppy when the animal jumped up, scratching her and opening up at least one cut near her mouth with its teeth.
The incident was reported to police at 1:59 p.m. on Sunday.
The girl had chocolate on her mouth and, according to the report, the child put her face close to the dog to get licked and then the puppy jumped.
“It’s all puppy stuff,” Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said.
The animal is undergoing a legally required 2-week quarantine at a Norwalk kennel, police said.
The puppy’s owner, who remained on scene with the dog, had been very concerned that more drastic measures would be taken with the young animal, the report said.
“Children have to be trained to do things like not to blow on dogs’ faces or take food away from them while they’re eating, especially a bone or a toy,” Kleinschmitt said.
Under the Connecticut state statute on dog bites, any visible sign of attack is viewed in the same way, whether it’s a dog’s scratch with nails or a bite with teeth.