Since the New York City Housing Authority implemented a ban on pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers in public housing projects last April, at least 113 pets have been turned over to centers run by Animal Care and Control, and 49 have been euthanized. Tenants and animal welfare groups are outraged about the ban, which also prohibits any dog expected to weigh more than 25 pounds when grown.
After a woman set a pit bull on cops, prompting them to fatally shoot the dog in an Upper East Side public housing building on Tuesday night, there are some inevitable arrests: NY1 reports that the dog's owner, Milagros Martinez, and five others were arrested on "charges of possession of a controlled substance after police said they found crack residue in a crack pipe." Martinez was also previously evicted; according to the Daily News, she was "booted from her First Ave. apartment in April for not paying rent - but a judge let her back in." Apparently she was evicted because her husband was arrested "in a kiddie-toy drug bust," but was allowed back after paying back rent; Mayor Bloomberg said, "We had disagreed violently with the judge that let these people go back into their apartment." The News also spoke to the neighbor who claims she called 911 on Tuesday because she was "sick of the drugs" in the apartment; the woman felt bad about the dog's death, "I cried. But I feel the dog's probably in a better place than being with them."
Last night, three police officers were hit by bullet fragments when, WABC 7 reports, "they tried to thwart an attack by a pit bull terrier in a public housing complex on the Upper East Side." The pit bull's owner, who police say deliberately set the dogs on the cops, was also hit by a fragment. NYPD spokesman Deputy Commissioner Paul Brown said, "The bullets fragmented and shattered. They were in the hallway, a very confined space."
The NYC Housing Authority's decision to ban dogs over 25 pounds and certain breeds, including pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, and Rotterwilers—and Boston terriers and Shar Peis (puppy pictured)— has relieved some while riled up others. A LaGuardia Houses resident and owner of a miniature Doberman told the NY Times, "I think it’s great. In my building there’s a pit bull. He looks at Dobie like he wants to eat him," but others say it's "dog profiling that unfairly singles out three entire breeds and treats owners of those dogs as potential problem tenants." The ASPCA said the policy "discriminates against responsible dog guardians on both counts," and the American Kennel Club notes the City Council acknowledged (in Admin. Code Section 27-2009.1) pets are kept "for reasons of safety and companionship." The AKC says dogs passing its Canine Good Citizen program should be able to stay and offers to help "develop a model pet policy." The list of banned breeds is here (PDF, p. 11). Also, all dogs in NY State are supposed to be licensed and all dogs in NYC must wear their licenses when in public.
The NYC Housing Authority has prohibited pit bulls from all the housing projects it administers, and placed a new weight restriction on all pets, requiring them to weigh no more than 25 pounds. (Previously, and according to the NYCHA website, the limit was 40 pounds. Here's a pdf outlining the new rules.) 24 other breeds, including Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers are also banned, but residents who already own any of the proscribed pets can keep them as long as they register the animal before Friday. Queens Councilman Peter Vallone praised the ban, telling the Daily News, "Finally someone is realizing that these potentially dangerous animals have no place in a confined urban space." Of course not everyone is pleased; Anthony Nieves, who was walking his 1-year-old pit bull, Storm, near his home at the Wald Houses, says, "It all depends on how you teach a dog. My dog is like a puppy." And the ASPCA's advocacy rep explains that the group opposes both the breed-specific ban and the weight restriction because "so many breeds are over 25 pounds. You can get an overweight beagle that weighs more than 25 pounds."
On Tuesday, Kola, a one-year-old pit bull mix, had successfully chased away a burglar who attempted to break into her family's New City, NY home. When her owners came home, they discovered a "window was broken" and "muddy footprints in the house." Nothing was taken but Kola, who was rescued from a dog-fighting ring and adopted by the Rosen family earlier this year, was missing! And the Rosens were especially worried since Kola has an infected leg and needs medication. Last night, the pup surfaced in NJ. Someone found her tied to a pole at a Costco and took her to a shelter, where Mitch Rosen ID'd her and took her home.
A stray pit bull attacked a pregnant woman yesterday morning as she sold newspapers beneath an elevated subway station in the Bronx. According to the Post, the wild dog lunged at 32-year-old Nogotaly Meite, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, around 8:30 a.m., sinking its teeth into her left ankle. Her cries of "Help me! Help me!" were heard by good Samaritan Johnny Hernandez, who tells 1010 WINS that he "put the dog on the ground and put my knee on his neck...I repeatedly punched it in the snout...at which point it released." Apparently, it then attacked and bit the left hand of NYPD Transit Officer Mike Stone, who shot the dog dead. Meite was taken to the hospital and given stitches; the Times notes that the incident "left the sidewalk on East Tremont Avenue stained with a four-foot trail of blood, leaves and newspapers."
Henry Piotrowski, the 90-year-old man who was mauled by a neighbor's pit bulls on Staten Island last month, died on Sunday. The Advance reports his death "means prosecutors are almost certain to pursue more serious criminal charges against the dogs' owners, and has spurred renewed calls for a ban on the breed. " Neighbors had apparently called to complain about the dogs before, and one who witnessed the attack said Piotrowski was essentially being "eaten alive." The niece of the victim, a World War II veteran who spent the past six weeks in intensive care and had his leg amputated, said, "Uncle Hank's legacy is whatever changes to the law happen because of this. I understand the police are busy. But when people call over five months saying there's a problem, something should be done."
Three-year-old Kamar Reynolds, who was attacked by a pit bull owned by his mother's husband (the husband, Frantz Cesar, meant for the dog to attack the mother), is recovering from his injuries at Bellevue Hospital. The Daily News visited the little boy, whose ear was reattached, playing with his sbilings, though "his stitches, cuts and bruises kept him from smiling." Cesar was held on $15,000 bail and ordered to stay away from Kamar, his mother, and other family members.
A three-year-old boy was seriously injured when a pit bull, unleashed by his mother's boyfriend, attacked him. Kamar Reynolds underwent surgery to reattach his ear and remains in serious condition; his aunt said, "His ear was torn off. His face was swollen. Half of his face was open. His mouth was bleeding blood. We put a sheet over his mouth so it could hold in the ear and the blood."
Earlier today, a 90-year-old man was mauled by a neighbor's pit bulls. The victim, Henry Pitrowski, remains at Richmond University Medical Center in critical condition.
A pit bull named Tyrus is described by the New York Post as being "The Bitch of West 72nd St." and a 'Hell Hound.' Neighbors of the dog's owner at the former Olcott Hotel on the Upper West Side say that Tyrus is a menace who runs wild, poops in the hall and mauls other pets.
We always thought that Visine poisoning was an urban legend, but a crazy story from Long Island seems to suggest otherwise. Twenty-four year-old Kristine Anzalone has pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and third-degree criminal mischief after being arrested for allegedly spiking her roommate's drink with Visine and then agitating his dogs to get into a fight. According to Newsday, Anzalone and her husband Christopher lived with a male roommate in a North Bellmore home...
The Giants are heading south to play Atlanta this evening and the Falcons won't have their star quarterback, after Michael Vick was caught running a dogfighting ring out of his Virginia home. It turns out that New York City might be the nation's dogfighting capital though. The New York Post reported yesterday that Bronx resident Ralph Reyes runs an unlicensed kennel out of the basement of a residential walk-up building on Valentine Ave. That's where he allegedly breeds and supplies American Pit Bull Terriers for fights to the death.
What is wrong with people? The director of the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter found three boxes full of kittens (63 of them!!!) on her doorstep. Paula Young believes that the kittens were used as bait during dogfighting in Westchester and possibly the Bronx. She told the Journal News, "It is impossible for one person to have all these kittens, calicos, tabbies, males and females."
A barking pit bull named Bleu (or Blue) was a hero yesterday, as his barking alerted a neighbor to the cries of a young girl who was being molested between two houses on 171st St. in Flushing, Queens. The Daily News writes that a young man had been sitting on the steps of a house, across the street from where the attack would take place, watching a seven-year-old girl and her friend ride their scooters. Around 7:45 p.m., he approached the young girl and asked her if she wanted to see some worms in a backyard. NY1 reports that the man just pulled the girl off her scooter and carried her to a backyard. Once between two neighboring garages, the man pulled down the girl's pants and attempted to molest her as she started screaming for her parents.
Nice guys may not finish first, but it helps with voters. The NY Times' Michael Powell looks at Rudy Giuliani's evolution from mayor to presidential candidate and the shift in style he's had to take. For instance, more smiling, less snarling!
Last night on Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock appeared on the cold open (what's a cold open?) to give his thoughts about the 2008 presidential race. While his riff on Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was great, it was also a little too long for our meager transcribing chops this morning. So we give you his thoughts on the Republican contenders:
On the Republican side, we have McCain and Giuliani. Now, is it just me or wasn't McCain too old eight years ago?Continue reading "Chris Rock on Election 2008"
A 5 month old puppy was dropped in a trash chute by his owner during an argument. The Daily News reported that ex-con Anthony Blow had been arguing with Robin Hines and threatened, "You don't think I will do it?" before dropping the pit bull terrier mix through the chute seven stories. Hines called the police, who managed to rescue the dog after breaking into the compactor room.
Last week, we had a brief mention about a terrible dog cruelty case in NJ. A pit bull puppy was critically injured after being sodomized; she was found in a pool of her own blood in a Newark apartment building. The Humane Society was looking for information to find who committed the crime, and now it turns out that many people were so moved by the story that another $7,000 was raised. A total of $12,000 is being offered as a reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person(s) who were involved.
- This past weekend, a Queens man was arrested for animal cruelty. Oswald Joudan faces up to a year in a prison and a $2,000 fine for a number of terrible things he did to his Chow Chow "Lumpy" (pictured). A neighbor called the ASPCA, which found the dog so badly beaten that its face is distorted. The dog was also starved to the point of being 30 pounds (!!) underweight and had a 14-inch collar on the its 17-inch neck that was so restricting that it was embedded in the flesh. The dog needed 100 stitches to close up the wound. The ASPCA will determine whether the dog, who has a "great disposition" and will be renamed, can be adopted, but in the meantime, you can call 212-876-7700 to find out.
When City Councilman Peter Vallone is not complaining about graffiti, it seems like his other pet peeve are pit bulls. Vallone is trying to ban pit bulls from city pet owners (by way of repealing a "state law prohibiting breed-specific legislation"). NYC would join cities like Denver and Miami, and the resolution notes that pit bulls are "often a weapon of choice of drug dealers and gangs seeking to intimidate and terrorize neighborhoods." Vallone tells the NY Sun that the pit bulls' jaws "lock," which prevents people from defending themselves, their children or pets from being hurt: "It's out job to get this done before another child's face is ripped off."
There's supposed to be a connection between animal cruelty and violence to humans, and there's a pretty sick case of that in Queens. Based on a complaint, the ASPCA went to the Queens Health Care Facility in Rockaway to ask security guard Dustin Gill about a girlfriend's dog. But the ASPCA agents found much more. From the NY Sun:
An ASPCA special agent, Richard Ryan, was investigating a complaint phoned into the agency's hotline on December 11 that Mr. Gill had taken a dog and killed it. When the agent arrived at the guard shack to question Mr. Gill on Sunday, the guard answered the door wearing no shirt and with his pants undone, sources said. Inside, Mr. Ryan found the girl in a bathroom, wearing nothing.Continue reading "Animal Cruelty Complaint Turns Into Rape Arrest"
When 24 year old Priscilla Pimentel didn't go home to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, her family was worried. Her brother and sister went to her home at 102-9 87th Avenue in Richmond Hill and found Pimentel stabbed to death in her bathtub. She was stabbed in the chest and arms, her hands were bound behind her back and the body of her pet pit bull was next to her. A neighbor said, "Her sister ran out crying and screaming. I went upstairs and saw her in the tub with the dog." And apparently paint was found all over the room and on Pimentel's and her dog's bodies - possibly to hide evidence.
-- Tomorrow is Columbus Day, if that is your thing.
Early Sunday morning, a couple policemen were injured while responding to a landlord-tenant dispute at a Bronx apartment building. And, no, the injuries weren't caused by the landlord or tenant - they were NYPD-inflicted. To top things off, they killed a pit bull as well. A sergeant, a lieutenant and three rookies were pursuing a pot-smoking teen, Lenin Acevedo, who kicked in the door of another apartment. That's when pit bull named either "Cookie" or "Red" came bounding out, biting one of the officers. So two other officers tried shooting the dog, and somehow 26 bullets were unloaded into the hallway and the dog. The family who owned the dog said that there were seven children in the apartment during shoot-out and added that the police didn't even apologize for killing the dog. Man. The police are classifying this as a friendly fire incident that's within department regulations and will reenact the incident, but, really, 26 bullets for one pit bull?
- "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Ming. I'm still hurting, hurting everyday." So says the man, three years later, who used to keep a 400-pound-tiger in his Harlem apartment.
Have you ever been on a plane and felt like something brush your feet, but you just convinced yourself it was the AC or someone else's bag? Well, it might have been something more. Seventeen mice were found on an American Airlines plane that regularly flies between NY and Los Angeles, spurring the debate, which town has some pests? And while mice are tiny and cute, they had been chewing through wires and were building nests in the oxygen generators for oxygen masks. Now, we know it's not possible, but how crazy would it have been for the oxygen masks to come falling down and mice along with it? (And yes, this is great for Snakes On a Plane jokes!)
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