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Unleashed Dog Attacks Mini Dachshund, Owner Doesn't Give Info

CHICAGO (CBS)-- A woman said she is left with hundreds of dollars in veterinary bills after the apparent owner of her dog's attacker walked away without giving her his information.

Debra Dunn's dog, Molly, a 10-year-old miniature dachshund, is now left with stitches on her tail and abrasions to her haunches.

"This is where the dog literally ripped Molly's tail open to the open," Dunn said, pointing to the stitches.

She said she was walking Molly last week after she saw a man with his big dog off the leash in Dunning near Nordica Avenue and Grace Street.

"When I looked back, the dog was running toward me and my dog full throttle," she said. "The dog jumped, bit Molly's tail and her haunches, and bit my hand."

Dunn said the man didn't make any effort to stop his dog and, after the attack, he put his dog on a leash but started to walk away.

"He was like, 'What's the matter with you? Why are you upset?' And I was like, 'I'm upset because your dog just attacked my dog and me."

She tried to follow him, and snapped some photos of him, but she had to stopped when she realized how badly Molly was bleeding.

Dunn said she told police and she's hoping CPD can figure out who the man is.

Walking a dog without a leash is illegal in Chicago. If an unleashed dog bites and injures someone, the owner could be fined up to $10,000 dollars or be forced to cover damages caused by the dog.

Molly's veterinary bills are already over $600.

"The vet said if the tail doesn't heal properly, they'll have to take most of her tail off," Dunn said.

Dunn said she's worried about the other dogs in the neighborhood, because the man made another poor decision as he was walking away.

"At that point, he took of the dog off the leash again. Which I really don't understand," she said.

Chicago Animal Care and Control gave out 375 citations last year for unleashed animals. That's their lowest year-end total in the past four years. CACC says it is because more owners are putting their dogs on leashes.

Chicago police can also cite owners.

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