Gruesome video captures NYC pit bull mauling Percy the Jack Russell: ‘So much pain'
Percy's traumatized owner, David Baldwin, 48, said he was walking his beloved little pooch the morning of July 3 by Broadway Avenue and 42nd Street in Astoria when a tan and white pit bull who slipped through a nearby yard's damaged fence 'jumped in the air' and 'clamped down' on his pup's ribcage.
Surveillance video shows Baldwin screaming, 'Help! Help!' as he fought and kicked the four-legged attacker off his 17-pound pet.
4 Surveillance video shows David Baldwin screaming, 'Help! Help!' as he fights off a pit bull attacking his Jack Russell mix Percy.
Provided by David Baldwin
A neighbor eventually bolted from his home to help fend off the pit bull and another female pit bull from the same yard who tried to join in on the melee, the video shows.
'Eventually, I got away, and my dog was bleeding, and I was scratched up and bleeding and crying and screaming,' Baldwin recalled.
'So then I ran off, and my dog spent three days in the ICU after getting stitches and a lot of medication, and the list of treatments that they did for him is three pages long,' he said.
The fence that the pit bulls escaped from bears a sign that reads, 'You may be in danger of losing your teeth and not realize it!'
The attack left Percy with multiple broken ribs and other injuries — costing Baldwin more than $8,000 in veterinary bills, he said.
4 The attack left Percy with multiple broken ribs and other injures — costing more than $8,000 in veterinary bills.
David Baldwin
Percy, who Baldwin described as 'a cuddler and a lover,' still trembles when he hears sounds from the video of his attack, his owner said.
Baldwin said he went to his local precinct to file a police report but that cops told him they'd be unable to do anything about a dog-on-dog incident.
'They tossed the paper in the can and sent me on my way and said all you can do is sue the guy, and I was like, 'Are you serious?' ' Baldwin said.
A bill pending in the state's legislature aims to close the loophole that only makes dog-on-human attacks a crime. It's been dubbed 'Penny's Law,' after a 16-pound 'happy little' Chihuahua pup Penny who was attacked by a pair of pit bulls on the Upper West Side in May.
Baldwin eventually filmed a now-viral TikTok video outside of the Astoria home that houses the pit bulls, warning dog walkers to stay far away.
The video led NYPD Officer Sarah Frankel, an 'animal-cruelty liaison' in the 24th Precinct, to reach out and take a report on the incident to at least officially document the attack, Baldwin said.
4 The tan and white pit bull is believed to have attacked other dogs, too.
Provided by David Baldwin
The same tan and white pit bull that attacked Percy is believed to have wounded more dogs during at least three separate attacks in recent months, according to other pet owners.
Samuel Gutierrez said he was walking his Shiba Inu, Stella, on April 15 when the dog leaped over the fence and bit his dog in the groin.
Stella was 'bleeding out' as he was forced to tackle the pit bull to the ground.
'I was scared because anything could happen to me,' Gutierrez said. 'The dog could have bitten my face, could have attacked me. These pit bulls are very strong, so he could have easily just gotten out of my arms to continue to attack my dog.'
As Stella escaped, the pit bull's owner emerged from the home to pick up his dog but 'refused to acknowledge' the attack, Gutierrez said.
Stella was left with a 7-inch wound to her groin and another bite on her back, requiring stitches and antibiotics, her owner said. The injuries left her unable to walk for weeks and cost Guitierrez roughly $3,000 in vet bills, he claimed.
'At this point, I'm traumatized. My dog is traumatized. I don't walk her around the streets anymore. But even though I walk her on different streets, she's traumatized … She starts shaking,' he said.
Guitierrez also filed a 'dangerous bite' report through Officer Frankel.
Twelve 311 complaints have been made since September 2024 to report unleashed dogs and animal neglect at the home, according to city records.
4 The pit bull was able to escape through a dilapidated, gaping fence with a sign that read 'You may be in danger of losing your teeth and not realize it!'
Brigitte Stelzer
A citation was issued by the city Department of Health to repair the fence roughly a year ago, but repairs were never done, a Big Apple official told the Post near the home.
Baldwin ultimately wishes repairs could be made to fix the fence once and for all to keep pets and people safe.
'My vet bill was $8,000, and this is resulting in so much pain for my dog and for me, money and heartbreak for people who shouldn't have to go through this because we know where the dog is, and we know it can get out of its fence,' he said.
'It could be a toddler's face next time. … If the fence was secure. I wouldn't worry about walking by,' he said.
The Department of Health did not respond to a Post request for official comment.
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