A beloved Queens dog was attacked and killed by two unleashed pit bulls last month, the owner’s lawyer said, and one of the pit bulls was involved in another attack over Memorial Day weekend.
The pit bulls attacked the little Maltese, named Bobby, and his owner, a 72-year-old woman, while they were on a walk on Alstyne Avenue, near 98th Place in Corona, at about 8:30 a.m. on April 25, the woman’s lawyer, Richard Lomurro, and police said.
Cellphone video, which amNewYork chose not to publish, shows the pit bulls biting Bobby’s neck. Several people are seen trying to get them to let go of the Maltese, but they couldn’t pull them off.
When he was finally freed, Bobby was bleeding heavily from large gashes in his neck. He was taken to the veterinarian, but he didn’t survive, Lomurro said.
The dogs also bit the woman, who did not want to be identified, on her hand and arm, Lomurro said. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
Both pit bulls were quarantined for rabies observation after the incident and returned to their owner, who was not identified, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.
One of the dogs was involved in another attack over Memorial Day weekend, a health department spokeswoman said. Details of that attack were not immediately clear.
“The Health Department is investigating this recent event,” a spokeswoman, Danielle De Souza, said in a statement. “The dog involved in this past weekend’s incident has been quarantined for rabies observation and case assessment.”
The dog is being held as the investigation of the recent attack continues, the health department said.
Bobby’s owner is “outraged” that the pit bulls were returned to their owner after they attacked her dog, and she is considering taking legal action, said Lomurro, who is a partner at Lomurro Law.
“If you talked to my client, you would understand how much agony she is in, both physically and mentally,” Lomurro said.
