Brooklyn Residents Demand Accountability After Series of Dog Attacks
BROOKLYN,NY – Residents of a Coney Island building are calling for action after multiple dogs were attacked by two pit bulls,leaving one French bulldog critically injured and another dog dead. owners say current New York State law offers no recourse for attacks between dogs,allowing the owner to avoid consequences.
Diane and Derrick bradley are caring for their 3-year-old French bulldog, Calypso, who sustained serious injuries in an attack Sunday morning in the lobby of their building. Video footage shows the Bradleys attempting to separate Calypso from the two pit bulls.
“I was screaming, literally screaming: ’Please, can you please let your dog let go of my dog.’ I fainted at one point and when I came round her head was still in his mouth,” Diane Bradley recounted. She stated one dog had Calypso’s head in its mouth while the other latched onto her bottom.
The Bradleys managed to free Calypso, but video shows the pit bull owner then repeatedly punching the dogs. Calypso’s leash broke during the attack and she required multiple stitches, narrowly avoiding losing an eye.
“I cried and I cried and I cried til I couldn’t cry. He cried as she’s our family,” Diane Bradley said.
Calypso is not the only victim. Leshia Palmer’s Yorki mix, Milo, suffered four bite wounds in May.
“They attacked him, bit him like four times and caught him on the neck.Thank God he lived,” Palmer said.
Additionally,a small therapy dog named Denim,who worked with domestic violence victims,was killed by the same pit bulls,according to her owner.
In each incident, police filed reports with the Department of Health, but no legal action could be taken. According to New York state law, a dog attack against another dog is not considered a crime.
“The reason why he’s getting away with it is because he knows the law can’t touch him,” Diane Bradley stated.
“I’m enraged. Something has to get done,” Palmer added.
Building residents report the pit bulls are frequently off-leash and left unattended in the hallway. They are demanding the owner be removed from the building and the dogs be taken into protective custody.
