Local man treated at hospital after Saugus dog bite

SAUGUS – A local man was taken to the hospital Wednesday, suffering from puncture wounds and lacerations sustained when a leashed dog being walked by its owner turned on him, police said.Tim January was bitten as he walked on the sidewalk near the corner of Winter Street and Westland Avenue, shortly after 11 a.m. The dog, described by police as a pit bull but classified by a town veterinarian as a mixed breed, was being walked by Anne Cardalisco.According to Harry Young, the town animal control officer, the incident was not an attack but more an unprovoked biting. “As they passed by each other, to dog just turned and bit him in the upper thigh and buttocks,” he said. “The dog was on a leash but the bite broke the skin.”Young said the 2-year-old canine was licensed and vaccinated.Saugus firefighters responded to the scene. January was taken to Union Hospital in Lynn where he was treated and released.”The dog owner received a citation for the violation because a dog must be held firmly on its leash and this one had enough leeway to do something as the man passed by,” Young said.The dog has been quarantined at the pound on Main Street for 10 days, during which the owner can contest the citation.Young said a similar incident occurred last year at Breakheart Reservation. “There was a little boy on a bike and must have startled the dog, which was on a leash. The dog bit him as he passed by,” he said.Saugus enforces its leash law, said Young, noting the fine for a first offense is $150.