Lucknow, Jul 3 (IANS): A 63-year-old man was bitten by a pet dog in the Balaganj area of Lucknow. The victim Rajendra Kumar Singh, a resident of Rastogi Nagar, has lodged a complaint with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), seeking action against the pet owner.

Rajendra was going to purchase flour from a nearby mill on Sunday when he was bitten on his leg by an unhinged pet dog. Fortunately, the victim did not suffer deep wounds as he was wearing jeans.

"The dog suddenly jumped on me and bit on my left leg. Hearing my cries, locals came to my rescue, but the dog was so ferocious that he again tried to attack me. However, the people managed to shoo it away," Rajendra said, adding that had the help not arrived on time he would have sustained more serious injuries.

Shubham Singh, son of the victim, said that the dog owner was present on the spot, but he did not offer any help.

Rajendra, who had suffered about an inch-long wound on his left leg, was rushed to Balrampur hospital where he was administered rabies vaccine along with the first aid.

"It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that their pets do not attack people," Rajendra said, adding that the LMC should initiate steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur.

Meanwhile, veterinary doctors cited several reasons for dogs attacking the human population.

"Usually, such cases occur when dogs have suffered any trauma or misunderstood the victim as a threat. There can also be some medical issues with the dog," said Dr Rajneesh Chandra.

Animal welfare officer, LMC, Dr Abhinav Verma, said, "The matter has been brought to our notice. We will take action against the owner if he does not have a dog licence."