Upper West Side – A New York State judge has ruled in favor of the owners of dogs attacked by a pit bull owned by Joseph Columbus, finding him liable for damages stemming from a May incident and a prior January attack. The decision, issued by Judge Perry-Bond, comes despite the partial coverage of veterinary bills for one of the injured dogs through insurance and a triumphant GoFundMe campaign.
The case centers on two separate attacks by Columbus’ dogs. In January 2025,Lauren BlockS shih tzu mixes,Chuckie and grover,were seriously injured,resulting in Grover‘s eventual euthanasia. Block was awarded $21,697.26 to cover veterinary and euthanization costs. A subsequent attack in May involved a dog named Penny, whose veterinary bills totaled $12,392.95 as of early October. While Judge Perry-Bond found Columbus liable for the injuries to Chuckie and Grover, she ruled he was not responsible for Penny’s bills due to the dog’s owners having pet insurance and having raised nearly $44,000 through a GoFundMe campaign.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Upper West Side’s [Go Fund Me contributions] it [this court case] was never about the money,” Penny’s owner, Claus, told the West Side Rag in a phone interview. He further testified in June, “We’re looking to make this [behavior] harder to get away with in the future. We’re going to use that money to…get better laws passed for dogs.”
Judge Perry-bond stated in her decision that ”draconian measures” were needed to protect the public from Columbus’ dogs. Throughout the legal proceedings, which began on May 27th and concluded with summations on October 2nd, Columbus appeared in court only twice despite repeated summonses and never testified under oath. A warrant remains out for his arrest after he failed to appear for a second hearing.
Columbus’ lawyer has not yet responded to requests for comment.
