Dangerous Dog incident

Dangerous Dog incident

On Nov 13, 2018, at 5:43 PM, John.Salka <john.salka@troyny.gov> wrote:

Distinguished members of the City Council:

The City Corporation Counsel’s office has issued the following statement this evening regarding the dangerous dog incident:

“On November 1, 2018, in Troy City Court, a “dangerous dog” proceeding was held involving “Luna”, a dog residing in the City of Troy. The proceeding was based upon a complaint made to the City of Troy regarding an incident that occurred on October 25, 2018, in Troy, New York wherein Luna charged up two (2) flights of stairs, broke through a safety gate, and attacked a neighbors’ dog.  The owner of the victim dog was also bit by Luna during the attack.

“After having been carefully advised of her various rights  in open Court, Luna’s owner made an agreement wherein her dog would be euthanized.  The dog’s owner voluntarily and freely made that agreement on the record, and The Court made an Order based upon her agreement.

“Last Friday, November 9, 2018, Luna’s owner made an application to the Troy City Court for an Order vacating the Court’s previous Order and reopening the entire matter for a full Hearing.  The City made a good faith attempt to settle the matter in a reasonable and rational manner that included the sparing of Luna’s life and the return of that dog to her owner.

“The settlement reduced the fine, required the owner to muzzle and restrain the dog when it is outside, agree to reimburse veterinary bills to the family of the dog that was attacked, and require Luna’s owner to purchase insurance to guard against losses in future event.  These requirements are set forth in the City Code.  Tragically, Luna's owner refused the terms of the agreement that would have spared the dog’s life.

“To date, the victims have not been reimbursed for the veterinarian’s bills or for damages to the property. It is not the City’s wish to see any dog euthanized, but we take seriously the responsibility of preventing similar situations from occurring again in our community.”

Please let me know if I can provide any additional assistance.

Thank you.
--

John Salka

Deputy Director of Public Information

City of Troy

433 River Street

Troy, NY, 12180

John.salka@troyny.gov

(518) 279-7131 (office)

(518) 270-4546 (fax)