Fort Lauderdale officer bitten by dog after family rabbit is killed
Fort Lauderdale police said an American pit bull terrier bit an officer on the forearm after entering a Southwest Eighth Street property and killing the family’s rabbit on January 13, 2026.
Incident summary
Fort Lauderdale police said officers responded to the 2800 block of Southwest Eighth Street on January 13, 2026 after a dog entered a property, killed the family’s pet rabbit and tried unsuccessfully to attack the homeowner. When officers arrived, the dog dropped the rabbit and bit one officer on the forearm. The officer shot and wounded the dog. Animal control later located the dog, and officials said it was euthanized at the owner’s request. The officer suffered a minor injury and received hospital treatment.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department Animal Crimes Unit was investigating. The reviewed reports do not identify criminal charges. The dog was wounded by the responding officer and later euthanized at the owner’s request; BiteDB does not count the animal’s death as a human fatality.
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Primary record used by BiteDB
Local 10 reported from Fort Lauderdale police and Broward County Animal Care that the incident occurred around 7:40 a.m. on the 2800 block of Southwest Eighth Street. Police said the dog bit an officer on the forearm after killing the family rabbit; Animal Care described the dog as an American pit bull terrier. The officer sustained a minor injury and was treated at Broward Health Medical Center.
Open original source ↗Additional sources
- Fort Lauderdale officer shoots pit bull after it killed rabbit — Miami Herald independent local corroboration attributed to Fort Lauderdale police and Broward County Animal Care · 2026-01-13
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.