A chihuahua mix was nearly killed after it was attacked by two pit bulls on a Manhattan sidewalk.
Video footage of Saturday’s wild scene showed Devon Allen walking Penny, a 16-pound rescue, just a couple of feet behind the pit bulls, which were held by a man and a woman near the sidewalk curb.
Allen led Penny past the two dogs, when one of the pit bulls lunged forward and began to bite her.
The second pit bull then turned around and began to maul the tiny dog, as Allen and a woman that was walking behind him tried to save Penny from the pit bulls’ jaws.
Instead of remaining on the spot to help, the man and the woman fled the scene with the pit bulls.
‘She was on a short leash right next to me. It wasn’t like she was just running free,’ Allen told CBS 2.
‘It wasn’t like she provoked anything. It’s obviously negligent. I mean, it’s clear that these dogs are a problem.’
Penny suffered multiple gory wounds and required surgery. She remains in intensive care at a local veterinarian.
Allen’s former girlfriend, Lauren Claus, shares custody of the dog and launched an online fundraiser to cover the medical expenses.
While police told her that there is not much that they could do because a dog is considered property, Claus is calling on elected officials to step in.
Both pit bulls reportedly killed another dog in an attack that took place in Central Park in January.
‘So, basically, the only thing I can do is maybe sue this man in civil court and I could possibly try and get the dogs declared dangerous and taken away,’ Claus told CBS 2.
‘It’s very difficult to find people who care enough about a dog to help, which is crazy, but I just really hope they care about this dog because she’s really the best dog.’
City Councilwoman Gale Brewer already was aware of prior violence incidents provoked by the two pit bulls and was looking into
‘I’ve also gotten a lot of complaints about a similar situation in Central Park,’ Brewer told Fox 5.
‘Different persons, same problem, and nobody is doing anything about it.’