A 12-year-old girl was treated for a dog bite to her finger Halloween evening, after two dogs allegedly went at each other in downtown Clarkston.
Main Street was filled with trick-or-treaters at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, when the “event” occurred in front of The Clarkston News building.
Police Chief Ernest Combs said there were two distinct stories told by the involved parties, but it was clear that a Great Dane and a shih-tzu, each being walked by their owner, became involved in a tussle.
The girl, walking the shih-tzu, was bitten when she attempted to rescue her dog from the conflict, Combs said.
“I don’t know who was the aggressor in this case,” the chief said. “I have two different perspectives.”
A 43-year-old Independence Township man was walking his Great Dane, and his daughter was walking a second, when they approached the girl and her mother from the other direction.
The Great Dane owner claims the smaller dog made the first aggressive move, while the girl said she first noticed her dog in the jaws of the Great Dane.
At the sound of her screams, Officer Robert Barnes (who was assisting pedestrians at Washington and Main) came running to the scene. Combs, on patrol in a vehicle on Main Street, followed soon after.
“Within five seconds, there was an officer on the scene,” Combs said, and two others came quickly after Combs arrived. Fire department paramedics administered first aid, but the mother declined transport to the hospital. Instead, Combs said he drove the mother and child to their clinic of choice.
Both Great Danes, trained as show dogs, had immunization certificates, Combs said, and the case has been turned over to Oakland County Animal Control.
The incident is likely to add to the debate over a possible revised dog ordinance in the city limits. While he’s sorry it happened, Combs said this was a unique situation involving a lot of people at a special event.
“Are you going to put the dogs down because they got into a dog fight and a little girl got caught in the middle?” he said. “That’s not appropriate.”
The rest of the evening ran without incident, Combs said, believing the efforts of five officers and a number of Halloween caution signs throughout the city helped prevent other problems for trick-or-treaters.