Police Need Help Identifying Dog Owner

The Santa Barbara Police Department’s Animal Control Unit is looking for the owner of a dog that bit a five-year-old girl on the face July 5.

A community alert sent out by SBPD spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood states the dog is believed to be a red chow mix, and the department thinks its owner is the woman depicted in the accompanying photo. If you recognize her, police ask, call Animal Control Officer Anthony Nunez at (805) 963-1513 or call anonymously at (805) 897-2386.

According to Harwood, the girl was attending a charity event with her parents and sister at Plum Goods craft store on State Street. After asking permission, the girl reached down to pet the chow when she was bit. Harwood was unable to say how seriously, but noted the girl was taken to the emergency room.

The dog’s owner reportedly started to walk away after the incident when she was stopped by the girl’s father. The owner provided him with a name, contact information, and dog license number, all of which proved to be fake, said Harwood. The girl’s mother was able to track down an image of the suspected owner taken at a different fundraising event held in recent weeks.

[UPDATE, July 18]: After receiving numerous tips from the community, Santa Barbara police have identified the dog owner pictured above. They’re not releasing her name, however, until they interview her and further investigate the incident.