A 4-year-old boy is recovering from his injuries after a dog attacked him at a Bel Air playground. It took several days for the police to find the dog and its owner, said Elizabeth Lotz, public information officer for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.

No charges will be filed against the owner because the attack happened during a “consensual encounter” while the dog was on a leash, meaning no laws were broken, Lotz said. By law, the dog has been classified as “dangerous,” requiring it to be leashed and muzzled at all times when off the owner’s property and constantly supervised while on the property after completing a 10-day quarantine.

The attack happened on March 11. Animal control personnel from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 5:30 p.m., to investigate a reported dog attack near Mayfield Drive and Marcie Court in Bel Air, according to a news release. A preliminary investigation determined the boy was with his father near the playground when he was attacked during a “consensual encounter” with the dog, which was leashed at the time.

Emergency personnel transported the child to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released, police said.

Lotz said Thursday that the dog’s owner was not present when paramedics arrived.

“He stated that there was significant commotion, with many other children present after the attack, so he sought to remove the dog from the area as quickly as possible,” she said.

On Tuesday the sheriff’s office reported that the owner, who was not identified, had contacted animal control to arrange a meeting. Since then, police saw the dog, believed to be a German shepherd mix, at its home and placed it under quarantine, according to the release.

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