PetSmart and PetCo regularly allow customers to bring their dogs in with them when they shop. Most of the time, things go as planned and everyone leaves happy. However, on October 28 at a Denver, Colorado PetSmart, a four-year-old girl was attacked by another customer's bulldog.

The four-year-old was with her mother and sister to get a collar for their dog. The girl suffered lacerations and puncture wounds along her pelvic region and backside. According to the girl's mother, the bulldog lunged and latched onto the child without provocation. However, the director of Denver Animal Control says a witness said the child startled the dog.

This was the first time the bulldog had ever attacked someone, which means the dog will be quarantined for ten days and then released to its owner. The child's mother wants the dog put down. This would only happen if the dog bites someone again, and the court decides on the disposition of the animal. They may simply order it muzzled while in public. The dog's owner is due in court sometime next month.

While attacks in pet stores are rare, the combination of young children running up to strange animals that may not be muzzled increases the chance that an incident may occur.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a dog bite, please contact an experienced dog bite attorney in your area.