Report: Dog bites 3-year-old at Florida restaurant

A family visiting from Louisville, Kentucky, said their 3-year-old son was badly bitten by a dog at a Neptune Beach, Florida, restaurant Wednesday.

The boy had a cut on his lip and scratches on his face after the dog bit him at Craft Pizza Co. on July 19.

The owner confirmed that the boy was on the outside patio when the dog bit him.

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A family member posted a review of the restaurant and photo of the boy's injuries on TripAdvisor. The family member, who appears to be a parent of the boy, said while they were leaving the restaurant, the child asked a man if he could pet his dog.

According to the post, the dog turned and bit the boy in the face. It left scratches and puncture wounds inside his lip, the family said in the post.

“I immediately grabbed my screaming 3 year old and took him from the place,” the post said. Mean while (sic) as I was trying to wipe the blood from my sons face they actually brought the dog a bowl of water. Really!!!??? He just bit my 3 year old.”

The post said the boy spent a day in the emergency room.

The customer complained that when the family decided to go back and get the dog owner’s information, the restaurant owner was talking to the dog owner.

According to the parent who wrote the TripAdvisor post, the restaurant owner and pet owner are friends.

“Nothing was offered to us outside of some ice and a napkin,” according to the parent. “I actually requested the owner to contact me. Nothing.”

The restaurant has a dog dining permit, which is required by the city of Neptune Beach if a restaurant wants to allow dogs on the outdoor portion.

The owner of Craft Pizza Co. said he is sorry about the incident. He said the man regularly brings his dog and it has never been aggressive before.

The owner told us the family and the dog owner exchanged contact information for insurance purposes.

He said he is considering no longer allowing dogs at his restaurants because of the liability.

City of Neptune Beach officials said the city has the right to revoke a restaurant’s dog dining permit depending on the infraction.

“It would probably depend in the infraction, but we do have the right to take it away immediately” Amanda Askew, deputy manager for Neptune Beach, said. “We do not need a police report to revoke any permit.”

The city has never revoked a permit since the ordinance was passed in Neptune Beach in 2008, Askew said.

Police said they received an anonymous tip about the incident, but a complainant never came forward. Animal control officers are trying to get in contact with the family members to learn if they want to file a report.

Cox Media Group