Dog Attack Inspired Levittown Lawmaker’s Benny’s Law

LEVITTOWN, NY — Nassau County Legis. John Ferretti’s Tibetan Terrier, Benny, barely survived after a dog escaped from a nearby yard and attacked him outside the family’s Levittown home two years ago.

Ferretti and two neighbors tried to pry the dog’s jaws from the dog, but they were unsuccessful, and it was not until the dog stopped struggling, that its attacker let go. Benny suffered five fractured ribs, bruised lungs, a fractured chest cavity and cuts requiring multiple surgeries that cost thousands of dollars, Ferretti said.

What Ferretti did not know was that the dog that attacked Benny was involved in previous attacks that could have been prevented had Ferretti known about its history, and it inspired him to draft legislation that would save others the same ordeal, he said at a press conference at the Eisenhower Park’s Dog Park in East Meadow on Monday.

Benny’s Law proposes that if a judge determines a dog meets the “high threshold” of being considered a dangerous dog, then its owners must mail the judicial order, as well as notification to neighbors within an 1,000-foot or roughly 6-block radius placing them on notice. The notification will include the dangerous dog’s identifying traits and address, and an affidavit of mailing must be filled out afterwards.

The legislation would also require the dogs deemed dangerous to be placed on a registry compiled by the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The registry would include a description of the dog, including its breed, weight, age and color, as well as the address where it is housed, the date of the attack, and the duration of its designation as a dangerous dog.

Violators of the law could incur a $500 fine, and an additional fine of $100 a day for every day that they do not comply.

The dog, which bit Benny in the frightening attack, had a history of attacking other dogs and was later deemed dangerous by a judge, Ferretti said. The dog was returned to its owner because it did not attack any of the people who were present, however, there was no notice given to neighbors, he said.

The dog’s dangerous designation will be lifted after two years if there are no more incidents. His office declined to release the name of the dog’s owners so that they could be contacted for comment.

Though Benny made a complete physical recovery, he never recovered mentally and emotionally and cannot be around other dogs, Ferretti said.

“The only reason that he is not here today is that we really can’t bring him anywhere anymore,” he said.

It has been just as frightening for Ferretti to watch people walk with their pets and young children past the house where the dog lives, unaware that a “dangerous animal” lives “20 feet away” behind a thin wall of sheet rock, he said.

“This legislation will help to keep residents safe and informed; hopefully saving residents from having to go through what Benny, my family and I have had to go through,” he said.

Ferretti urged residents to contact police in the event of a dog attack, noting that the legislation, once passed by the full legislature, will be triggered by police documentation.

Nassau Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals President Gary Rodgers said there is no mechanism for tracking a dog that has been labeled a dangerous dog between the townships, but the Benny’s law database will help keep neighbors informed of “other dangerous dogs throughout the county.”

Rose Marie Walker saw Ferretti the day of the attack and could see he was visibly upset, she said. “Our pets are like our children, and when something like this happens, it’s a terrible ordeal. This law will make sure that residents know about dangerous dogs in the neighborhoods,” she said, noting that they will know what precautions when in the area.