NYC dog attack: Manhattan DA assigns attorney to review case

(NewsNation) — The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has assigned an assistant district attorney to investigate a violent dog attack on the Upper West Side, where a Chihuahua named Penny narrowly survived an assault by two pit bulls.

City Council Member Gale Brewer confirmed the DA's involvement at a town hall meeting Wednesday night at Goddard Community Center, which drew approximately 150 concerned residents, many accompanied by their dogs.

The case has sparked calls for legislative action at both city and state levels to address what many see as a gap in existing laws regarding dangerous dogs and owner accountability.

Lauren Claus, Penny's owner, attended the meeting with her recovering pet. 

"We're really concerned that this person is breeding their dogs to fight," Claus told NewsNation’s “CUOMO.” "We want criminal action for these owners. We don't believe that they should be able to own animals ever again."

Claus said she was frustrated that police have repeatedly classified the incident as a civil matter despite video evidence of the attack and an alleged assault on a human bystander who intervened.

"They keep saying it's civil, it's civil, it's civil. ‘There's nothing we could do that's criminal, and it's because dogs are property,’" Claus said. "I don't know about you, but I have literally never thought of this dog as property. This dog is my family."

Brewer said that her top priority is getting the dogs involved in the attack off the streets and mentioned working on city-level legislation that would create more severe consequences for negligent pet owners.

According to residents attending the town hall, this is not the first incident involving the same pit bulls, raising concerns about recurring threats to public safety.

The small Chihuahua is currently recovering from her injuries.