A 1-year-old boy was bitten by a dog inside a Norfolk home Thursday night and rushed to the hospital with injuries that are currently considered non-life-threatening. Officers were sent to the 100 block of West Balview Avenue at roughly 9:15 p.m. after the attack, and the child was taken away for treatment shortly after police arrived.
According to WAVY.com, officials say officers were dispatched to the scene on West Balview Avenue at approximately 9:15 p.m. Thursday. Once on scene, units found the child with injuries that are currently considered non-life-threatening, the station reported, and he was transported shortly after.
Animal Protection Unit Takes Over the Case
The Norfolk Police Department’s Animal Protection Unit is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, per the same report. No further details about the dog, its owner, or the exact location within the home have been released. It also remains unclear whether the child's residence was the site of the bite or whether he was visiting another home at the time.
The Animal Protection Unit is the city body tasked with enforcing state and local codes on companion-animal ownership and welfare, and its humane officers hold the authority to issue summonses, secure warrants, and seize animals when warranted, according to the City of Norfolk. Whether any summons or seizure has resulted from Thursday's incident has not been disclosed.
What Virginia Law Says About Minor Bite Injuries
State law lays out specific thresholds for how these cases are handled. Under Virginia Code § 3.2-6540, an officer is barred from applying for a summons if, after investigation, the injury amounts to nothing more than a single nip or bite that results only in a scratch, abrasion, or other minor injury. It is not yet known how investigators have classified the toddler's injuries under that standard.
Dog bites involving young children are not confined to strangers or unfamiliar animals. A snippet from the Virginia Department of Health states that a majority of dog bites, 61%, occur inside the dog's home or another familiar setting, with 77% of biting dogs belonging to the victim's own family or friends.
Other Recent Bite Incidents in the Region
Thursday's hospitalization follows other dog-related incidents reported in the Hampton Roads area in recent months. A report from 13News Now described five people, including a child, injured in a dog-bite incident on Northvale Drive in Virginia Beach. Separately, WTKR reported that Norfolk Police investigated an August 30 attack that left two people injured and a dog dead.
As of Friday, no additional information has been released about the dog involved in Thursday's bite, its owner, or whether any charges are being considered. The Norfolk Police Department's Animal Protection Unit has not indicated when its investigation might conclude.
