By Luan Rogers<\/p>\n
A Queens couple is looking for justice more than a month after their Italian greyhound, Neelu, was mauled to death by a group of dogs in Sunnyside. <\/p>\n
The dog\u2019s owners, Sabine and Razakh, who declined to share their last names out of fear of reprisal, say current New York law has left them stranded with few ways to get any accountability for the attack, which also left Sabine with a bite on her hand. <\/p>\n
The couple says they have been forced to become their own investigators after the Feb. 16 attack, when a group of Cane Corsos escaped from their handlers with a dog daycare and pounced on Neelu on the corner of 47th Avenue and 39th Place. <\/p>\n
After conducting their own probe into the incident using CCTV footage from nearby businesses, Sabine and Razakh were able to identify the owners of the violent dogs. While they\u2019ve passed that information along to the NYPD and the city\u2019s Department of Health, they have little faith much will come of their work. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had to do all this work instead of grieving and processing,\u201d Razakh said. <\/p>\n
Under existing law<\/a>, dog owners are required to file a bite report<\/a> with the NYPD. The report is then copied to the Department of Health, which then takes responsibility for the investigation. Dog owners can then choose to sue the owners of the dogs in Civil Court. Though a judge may order the owners of the dogs alleged to have attacked a victim to pay damages to cover medical costs, the judge does not have the power to remove the dog from the owner\u2019s custody. <\/p>\n Following the attack of a Chihuahua<\/a> in the Upper West Side last May, Queens Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar introduced a bill to expand the laws governing dog attacks. \u201cPenny\u2019s Law<\/a>,\u201d named after the late dog, aims to establish criminal liability for the owners of dogs that commit violent attacks. <\/p>\n In a recent statement, Rajkumar identified the bill as one of her top priorities in Albany this year and claimed that she expects to \u201cget it done\u201d after the conclusion of the state\u2019s budget negotiations. The lawmaker said the bill could be passed as soon as June. <\/p>\n But the legislation has come under scrutiny from some legal experts who question the need for new laws around dog attacks. According to dog bite attorney Kenneth Phillips, the city needs to focus on enforcing existing laws instead of passing new ones. In a blog post<\/a>, he outlined how \u201cthe city needs to increase staffing so they can follow up on prior incidents.\u201d <\/p>\n Last year Queens Councilmember Julie Won co-sponsored a City Council resolution calling on the State Legislature to pass Penny\u2019s Law. A spokesperson for Won said that the lawmaker supports the bill because she feels that the current city system isn\u2019t functioning as intended. <\/p>\n \u201cIt unfairly puts the onus on dog owners who have been attacked,\u201d the spokesperson said. <\/p>\n The City Council resolution did not pass before the end of last year\u2019s legislative session and has not been reintroduced. Similarly, in the State Assembly, \u201cPenny\u2019s Law\u201d has yet to advance to the committee level. <\/p>\n Neelu was far from the first dog to die after being attacked by another canine in Queens in recent years. And dog owners have long struggled with what they describe as a \u201clack of accountability\u201d following an attack. <\/p>\n In 2023, Sheena Vo\u2019s pet beagle was mauled to death in Sunnyside. Though she won a civil case against the owner of the violent dog, Vo has yet to collect the winnings of her judgment. <\/p>\n \u201cDespite many tragedies and public attention, the same legal and enforcement failures continue,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n She highlighted \u201cthe amount of legwork\u201d that victims must do to raise awareness of their situation. <\/p>\n \u201cIt’s such an arduous process,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n