HOUGHTON - The public is being reminded to be cautious around dogs after a Hamilton man was bit in the face by a 160-pound St. Bernard at Sand Hill Park on Saturday. The man was seriously hurt and was sent to a Hamilton hospital with a laceration to his lip. Officials expressed concern because the dog was on a leash and its owner had warned the man multiple times not to touch his pet. The man, 51, approached anyway and got down face to face with the dog as he tried to rub its head – and that's when he was attacked, said police. “When people say don't pet my dog, don't,” said OPP Const. Lisa Narancsik. No charges will be laid against the owner, said police. Anytime a dog bites someone it must be put in quarantine for 10 days for observation to make sure it doesn't have rabies. Officials also immediately check to make sure the dog has all its shots, including the rabies vaccine. Narancsik said the St. Bernard will be in quarantine at the owner's home. You should always check with the owner of a dog – or any pet for that matter – and get their permission before interacting with it, said Cathie Hosken, president and shelter manager of the Simcoe and District Humane Society. Even if the owner gives the okay, “stay put and allow the animal to come to you,” she advised. “Let the animal approach you. If the owner says don't touch, respect that.” It's important to let an animal come to you because even dogs considered sociable and safe can sometimes have a reaction if they believe their owner is suddenly being threatened, Hosken noted. Pet owners also bear responsibility, she added. “If the owner feels they are going to come into contact with strangers or other dogs, we ask them to use a muzzle or a halter,” said Hosken. Saturday's incident has been reported to the Haldimand- Norfolk Health Unit, which monitors quarantines. The unit receives about 450 reports a year of animal bites, said Kris Lutzi, acting program manger of the environmental health team. Bites come from not only dogs and cats but also horses, cows, donkeys, and bats as well as from more unusual sources such as deer. One time, said Lutzi, the unit investigated a bite from a kinkajou, a type of raccoon from South America that was being kept locally as a pet. Sand Hill Park is a lakeside campground and park on Lake Erie in the Houghton area of Norfolk County. www.simcoereformer.ca/2016/07/25/man-bitten-in-face-by-160-pound-st-bernard