A vicious dog attack caught on camera is renewing calls for a change in New York City’s laws.
Penny, a chihuahua mix, was mauled Saturday night on the Upper West Side, police said. Penny is now in intensive care, but the owners of the dogs who attacked likely won’t face any serious criminal charges.
What the video shows
As the footage shows, Penny was viciously mauled out of nowhere by a much larger dog. The woman holding the leash appeared powerless to stop the attack.
“She was on a short leash right next to me. It wasn’t like she was just running free. It wasn’t like she provoked anything,” said Devon Allen, the chihuahua mix’s owner. “It’s obviously negligent. I mean, it’s clear that these dogs are a problem.”
More video from the corner of 86th Street and Columbus Avenue on Saturday night shows the large, muscular dogs with their jaws latched on to Penny, a rescue who weighs just 16 pounds.
That’s when Allen grabbed a man’s cane.
“And I was able to get the cane in its mouth to get it to open up,” Allen said.
The footage then shows the couple that appears to be responsible for the larger dogs just walk away without helping.
Will this attack lead to a change in NYC laws?
Penny has serious and extensive wounds. Allen shares custody with his ex-girlfriend Lauren Claus, who was not there.
“I saw the video once and I can’t watch it again,” Claus said.
Claus launched an online fundraiser to pay for medical bills and she’s lobbying lawmakers for stiffer penalties, after police told her there was little they could do because dogs are considered property.
“So, basically, the only thing I can do is maybe sue this man in civil court and I could possibly try and get the dogs declared dangerous and taken away,” Claus said. “It’s very difficult to find people who care enough about a dog to help, which is crazy, but I just really hope they care about this dog because she’s really the best dog.”
CBS News New York spoke with City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who said this appears to be the second time the two dogs have attacked another dog, adding she is now committed to launching an investigation and hopefully introducing some sort of legislation.
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