A Pelham Gardens mother says her five-year-old daughter is recovering after a dog bit the girl's head and face while they were trick-or-treating on Halloween, and that the animal's owners disappeared before she could get their names. Christina Raven said she and her daughter, Isabella, were walking near the intersection of Fenton and Mace avenues when the attack happened.
Raven told News12 that the dog, which she described as a pit bull, was with another dog on long leashes when both animals turned aggressive toward her and Isabella. She said the owners left the scene before she could get their contact information, leaving her without any way to track them down or hold them accountable.
Isabella is recovering well, according to the report, and can now open her right eye. Raven said she wants justice for her daughter and wants the community to know what happened, adding that people need to take responsibility for their actions and that the dog's owners should be held accountable.
A Pattern of Dogs Fleeing the Scene
Raven's account of the owners vanishing before she could identify them echoes other recent incidents around New York City. In Harlem, a pit bull attack sent a 4-year-old boy from the Bronx to the hospital last month, after the dog bit the boy's cheek when his mother asked the owner to control the animal, per the same News12 report. In that case, video showed the dog's owner being questioned by police, though he was not facing charges at the time of that report.
On the Upper West Side, the owners of a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix and service dog named Penny said two pit bulls attacked her unprovoked, according to FOX 5 New York. Penny's owners said they filed an animal bite report with police after the attacking dogs' owners fled the scene, a step that mirrors what city health officials say is required of anyone involved in a bite incident.
What the Law Requires After a Bite
Under city rules, NYC Health says any type of animal bite must be reported within 24 hours of the event. The agency also notes that dogs are required to be walked on a leash no more than six feet long, a rule relevant to Raven's description of the dogs involved in Isabella's case being on long leashes.
New York State law also lays out consequences for dogs legally found to be dangerous. Per the New York State Senate statute, if a judge or justice is satisfied that a dog is dangerous, the court must order neutering or spaying, microchipping, and one or more additional measures deemed necessary to protect the public, which can include evaluation by a qualified behavior expert and completion of training or other treatment.
Citywide data suggests these cases can be harder to track than they once were. A nyc.gov report notes that age was missing from 20% of reported dog bites in 2024, up from just 4% in 2015, which the agency says limits comparisons by age and understanding of who is most at risk.
For now, Raven is still hoping the owners of the dog that attacked Isabella will come forward. No identification of the owners or confirmation of any formal bite report in this incident has been made public.
