Glendale girl, 14, taken to hospital after allegedly bitten by terrier mix

A 14-year-old girl was bitten twice Tuesday morning by a 5-year-old Terrier-Shih Tzu mix dog as she was walking to school, police said.

The girl, whose name wasn’t released because she is a minor, sustained the bite wounds on each leg and was taken to Glendale Memorial Hospital for treatment, police said.

She and another 14-year-old girl were walking to school about 9 a.m. on Columbus Avenue, just north of Garfield Avenue, when the dog, which is named Patrick, slipped out of his collar, prompting the girls to run, Glendale Police Sgt. Peter Pressnall said.

But the dog caught up to one of the girls and bit her legs, he said, puncturing the girl’s skin.

Animal control officials planned to secure the dog in the owner’s home, and allow Los Angeles County authorities to quarantine it.

The dog’s owner declined to comment on the incident.

Neighbor Melkon Melkonian said he often sees the owner and the dogs strolling in the neighborhood.

“But I have never seen them so aggressive,” he said.

Melkonian offered the injured girl a glass of water and a chair in an attempt to calm her down, he said.

“I just tried to comfort her,” he said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA

Photo: Pasadena Humane Society animal control officer T. Berdigay takes control of “Patrick,” the dog, after it got loose from it’s owner and allegedly bit a 14-year-old near Columbus and Garfield in Glendale Tuesday morning, Nov. 1, 2011. The two dogs the lady had with her were taken to her home by the officer for further investigation of the alleged biting incident. Credit: Raul Roa / Times Community News