A 3-year-old girl was bitten on the right cheek Friday afternoon after she approached a dog that was tied to a bench on First and Spring streets.

The girl was taken by San Juan EMS to Inter Island Medical Center for treatment and possible stitches. The incident occurred about 3:15 p.m.

The girl, from Texas, is visiting the island with her family. The dog is owned by a couple visiting from Seattle. The couple said the dog is a six-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever and had not bitten anyone before.

The girl’s father, his hand and shirt stained with blood, said he and his wife were shopping a clothing rack outside Joe Friday’s Shirt Co. when the incident occurred. He said his daughter walked away from them, “about eight feet,” apparently curious about the dog, and the dog bit her.

The owners of the dog said they had tied the dog to the bench while they shopped inside Joe Friday’s. The dog was alone when the incident occurred.

The girl’s father said the bite left a 3-inch gash. He didn’t know if stitches were going to be necessary.

The girl’s mother held a compress to the girl’s cheek while San Juan EMS Chief Jim Cole talked to the family. Nearby, Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Brennan talked to the dog’s owner. The woman seemed shaken. She said she would get proof of the dog’s rabies vaccination and take it to the Sheriff’s Department.

The dog’s future in the family appeared to be uncertain Friday afternoon. “I’m not going to have a dog that bites,” the woman’s husband said.