Madison police reported another pitbull attack Sunday, which resulted in the hospitalization of a labrador retriever.

According to the police report, officers responded to a call around 4 p.m. at the 1600 block of Golden Oak Lane, located in the southwest Madison area.

"A gentleman was walking his labrador retriever, and from out of nowhere a pitbull came," Madison Animal Control Lead Worker Pat Comfert said. "He sniffed the dog, and then he jumped and attacked."

The pitbull, named Psycho, ran outside and attacked the labrador, bit it on the neck and brought it to the ground multiple times.

Comfert said the labrador suffered puncture wounds to the neck and side, and lacerations on its legs.

The labrador was taken to the Madison Emergency Clinic for Animals once police arrived.

"The injuries were not life threatening," Comfert said. "He's doing well … he had to go to the veterinarian and get stitched back up."

Psycho reportedly does not have a history of attacking other dogs or humans, but does have a tendency to run outside of the house and is "too strong" to stay restrained inside the house.

The incident happened the same day a pitbull belonging to former University of Wisconsin linebacker Dontez Sanders killed a six-month old dachshund-Maltese mix puppy.

Sarah Kalnajs, a certified dog behavior consultant and certified pet dog trainer for Blue Dog Training and Behavior, said people hold misconceptions about pitbulls and their behavior.

"I see dog aggression cases all the time," she said. "The thing about it is, it's not the breed, it's the breeding."

According to Kalnajs, many people breed pitbulls for the sole purpose of fighting, which leads to a disproportionate number of aggressive dogs. She added Madison alone has a "pretty big" pitbull gaming ring.

Comfert noted Psycho's owners have had possession of the pitbull for a couple of weeks, and have not located the former owner.

"It's really important that people understand that pitbulls are a lovely breed and people shouldn't be afraid of them," Kalnajs said. "There are many pitbulls that are lovely with other dogs and lovely with people."

Kalnajs said aggressive behaviorisms of canines can be detected if people are previously aware.

"People should read a dog's body language," she said. "If they're coming at you with a high posture, a fast-wagging straight tail, it tells me that the dog is in a dominant and aroused state."

The higher the arousal level, the more likely a potentially dangerous situation could happen, Kalnajs said.

Though she could not specifically comment on the recent pitbull incidents, Kalnajs added the behavior of the dogs is not spontaneous.

"Without having been there or seen it, dogs just don't all of the sudden kill another dog," she said. "Aggression is a heritable trait."

Animal Control issued citations to the owners of Psycho for running at-large and causing injury off property, Comfert said.

In addition to the citations, Comfert will conduct a "dangerous animal investigation" to decide if the pitbull is a threat to Madison citizens.