Grisly NYC dog attack inspires new Pennys Law to hold negligent pet owners criminally accountable
New York dog owners would be held criminally accountable if their dog harms another animal under a new proposed state bill — which advocates say would close a legal loophole and help get justice for mauled pooches.“Penny’s Law,” introduced by Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar this week, seeks to create criminal offenses for careless owners — including “cruelty to animals through negligent handling of a dog” and “leaving the scene of an animal attack.”The new bill is named for 16-pound Chihuahua pup Penny, who was attacked by a pair of pit bulls on the Upper West Side Saturday.The 16-pound pooch was left with multiple puncture wounds after the ambush, in which one of the dogs also bit a woman who tried to rescue the pup, PIX11 reported.The same pit bulls are believed to have killed a dog in Central Park earlier this year while the dogs were illegally off leash, Rajkumar’s office said.
The state legislation would also impose harsher penalties for those who repeatedly violate city leash laws. “This lack of accountability has permitted numerous dog owners to allow their pets to attack other dogs,” she added.
“The same owners will allow the behavior repeatedly, often dismissing it as ‘playing’ or ‘a dog being a dog.’”The weekend attack left Upper West Side locals fuming, prompting a town hall attended by hundreds of concerned locals Wednesday.City Council member Gale Brewer, who is drafting similar legislation at the local level, confirmed at the meeting that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating Penny’s case.“[From] East Harlem to Brooklyn, there are people who came from all over the city there … because they have the same concern: somebody has dogs who attack other dogs and nobody does anything about it,” Brewer told The Post.“The agencies try, but they operate in a silo.
We need to have everyone working together.”Dogs are considered property under state law, and police often don’t get involved ...