Two pit bulls that have repeatedly gotten loose in a Dix Hills neighborhood on Long Island have attacked people in the street, leaving residents fed up and on edge. Surveillance video captured one of the most recent attacks, in which the dogs got out and went after a man walking through the area.
The man said he was on his way to help his wife when the two dogs came at him. In the video he can be seen spinning around and shouting at the animals to stop as they snarled at him, coming at him from different directions before he could get away.
His wife, he said, had been at a neighbor's house after she was mauled and bitten by the same two dogs while she was out on a jog. She was bitten on the shoulder and back during that earlier encounter.
The dogs have been tied to more than one incident. A good Samaritan who stopped to help the 63-year-old jogger was also bitten by the pit bulls on August 10th, and the animals allegedly went after a child riding an e-bike back in July.
The owner of the dogs said their back gate on Penn Drive was left open accidentally on the occasions the animals got out, once by a landscaper and another time by a realtor. She said new locks have since been installed on the gates.
For some people who live in the community, new locks are not enough. Neighbors said they no longer feel safe walking through their own streets and want the dogs removed, arguing they should not have to fight the town and the county to feel secure outside their homes.
The Town of Huntington has served the owner with three dangerous dog articles through the local district court, along with a notice to comply for code violations tied to the containment and control of animals. The owner said she is looking for a behaviorist and was told the town is not seeking to take her dogs. She is due to appear before a judge, and neighbors said they plan to be there to voice their concerns.