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The owner of the pit bulls who attacked Penny the chihuahua in early May had previously been ordered to muzzle his dogs and walk them separately, according to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene order shared by Fox 5 NY.
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The order was addressed to Joseph Columbus, an Upper West Side resident who owns two American Pit Bull Terriers, “one of which is named Champagne.” It was issued on March 5 after the dogs reportedly “attacked one woman’s two Shih Tzu mixes” in January. One of the dogs died a week after the attack.
“If they had acted on the violation of the order, this never would have happened to Penny, because he would have been in violation. And under that misdemeanor, his dogs could have been seized, without question,” Lauren Claus, Penny’s owner, told CBS News.
Columbus has also been issued two separate $1,000 fines by the Health Department for not following their order to muzzle his dogs, according to CBS News.
“Penny was thankfully released from the hospital a few days after the attack. Following the incident, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar introduced “Penny’s Law,” a bill to hold irresponsible pet owners held criminally accountable for pet-on-pet violence.
The attack took place on May 3 on the corner of 85th and Columbus Avenue.
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Later on Thursday, Claus shared the Dept of Health order on Reddit.
PENNY UPDATE! The DA Could Have Seized The Dogs And Prevented Penny’s Attack
byu/DirectorChick inUpperwestside
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So, what happens now? He had violated the order, he was fined several times and now the dog has attacked a second or third time. WHY CAN’T DOH SEIZE THE DOG?
Whatever happened to the iPhone footage of the criminal dragging another man into the street by his hair during the melee the day his dog attacked the Chihuahua? Police saw nothing wrong with that behavior? The individual this happened to, he’s OK with that brutality because, hey, you come to expect that when you intervene on someone’s behalf?
What’s going on here exactly?
Such a sad story. Everyone complains about our authorities for enforcing rules meant to protect others. And now this. What will it take for this person to learn?