Pet day care owner: Euthanize dog that bit 3

The owner of a Ronkonkoma pet facility where a pit bull attacked four people Thursday said he thinks the dog should be euthanized.

The pit bull, a 1- to 2-year-old male named Gino, remains confined at the Hounds Town USA facility, after it attacked four women -- three employees and a customer -- the owner of the service, Michael S. Gould, said Friday.

None of the injuries was serious. Gould said one of the employees required some stitches.

Jack Krieger, spokesman for the Town of Brookhaven, said if the dog were to be sent to its shelter, it would be isolated for 10 days and evaluated before a recommendation is made on its future.

The dog could be euthanized or sent to a sanctuary, Krieger said. Town officials can make that decision if the owner surrenders the dog.

"It's probably in the best interest of all concerned that the dog be euthanized," said Gould, who could not explain why the dog turned violent. He said it had no history of being mistreated. "I think it's unpredictable," he said. "It attacked four people unprovoked."

Police said the dog had been at the facility about two weeks and was let out of its cage to relieve itself about 7:30 p.m. when the attack occurred.

The Hounds Town website says it is "a dog day care and training facility which caters to private pet owners."

Gould owns facilities in Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale; another Hounds Town facility in Port Jefferson Station has a different owner.