Loose dog attacks man on Eugene pathway, police seek animal

A loose dog attacked a 47-year-old man on a pathway near Burlington Drive in Eugene’s Bailey Hill Road area, sending him to the hospital after he managed to reach a nearby home in the 2200 block of Burlington Drive for help.

Eugene Springfield Fire and Eugene police responded at about 5:38 p.m. on April 27 after a call came through Central Lane 911. Police said the man’s injuries were serious enough to require urgent medical treatment, but they were not considered life-threatening. The city posted its notice on April 28.

The dog was still not found after the initial search, and Eugene police said they did not yet have a description of it. Nearby residents were notified about the attack, which immediately raises concerns for walkers, runners and pet owners who use the pathway through the Churchill neighborhood and west Eugene. Police asked anyone with surveillance footage from the area, or anyone with tips about the dog, to contact authorities.

City rules give investigators a clear framework for cases like this. Eugene code defines a dog at large as one off the owner’s premises and not under complete control by an adequate leash. Eugene Animal Services patrols for leash and licensing compliance and handles dogs found at large or otherwise lost or stray. If officers later identify the animal and its owner, Oregon law allows courts to consider whether a biting dog is potentially dangerous or dangerous, depending on the circumstances.

For residents worried about what to do if they encounter a loose dog, the city’s basic guidance is to back away slowly, avoid eye contact and do not try to fight the animal if escape is possible. The immediate question on Burlington Drive is whether the dog is still roaming nearby, and whether anyone in the neighborhood caught the attack on a camera.

The case follows another Eugene dog-bite incident earlier this year, when police said a 3-year-old child was bitten inside an Albertsons on West 18th Avenue on Jan. 5, 2026, and the dog and owner left the store. Together, the two cases show how quickly dog-attack investigations can turn into neighborhood searches when the animal is not immediately identified.