Recently, legislator John Ferretti introduced a law called Benny’s Law, which would create a database of dogs legally deemed dangerous in Nassau County, New York. This legislation comes after a recent dog attack in the area. It was dubbed “Benny’s Law” after Ferretti’s one-year-old Tibetan Terrier, Benny, that was attacked by his neighbor’s dog in 2019.
The goal of this new law is to prevent further dog attacks by keeping track of potentially dangerous dogs that have a history of attacking other animals. This would also be a measure to protect people from dog attacks. The law would make community members aware of incidents and would make pet owners responsible for protecting their dog and ensuring an attack does not happen again.
If a judge determines that a dog should be considered dangerous, the pet owner would be required to send a letter to property owners within 1000 feet of their home detailing information about the dog, including the breed, weight, age, and color. They would also have to disclose their home address and the date that the previous incident occurred. If the pet owner does not notify their neighbors, the minimum fine would be $500, and an additional $100 fine would be required each day after if the law is not followed.
Benny’s Law is particularly important for Nassau County residents. Prior to this law, if a District Court Judge in one Nassau County town determined a dog to be dangerous under the law and the owner then moved to the next town over, there may not be proper mechanisms in place to make neighbors aware of a dangerous dog. This new database will allow universal information about dangerous dogs to be available to Nassau County residents and will protect dogs and neighbors alike. The law was successfully passed unanimously through the Nassau County Legislative Committees on February 4th, 2021 and is now proceeding to the full legislature.
If you or your pet have been subject to a dog attack, you should start to seek accountability from the responsible pet owner. Reach out to our firm by calling today or by contacting us online to speak with a Long Island personal injury lawyer.
Goldstein and Bashner
