Shark sighting shuts beaches on Long Is.
vora, a Staten Island-based lawyer who handles many canine attack cases.
“New York does have potential misdemeanor charges they can bring against the dog owner if the dog attacks somebody and it leads to very serious injuries but they're not going to enforce that, and certainly not against dog on dog,” Devora explained.
In the days since, Johns said she's heard from neighbors about other violent incidents with the dog that mauled Anna and has papered her block with flyers warning people about what happened.
The Cane Corso's owner adamantly denies that his pets are vicious.
“No, never, never, never, never!” said William Mikulak, whose wife was walking the Italian breed dogs that fateful Friday. “We never even take them out. But it was so hot so we had to take them out for some exercise.
“I reached out to her (Johns), I told her, my heart is broken for you, I felt so bad, I'm an animal lover,” Mikulak said. “But I'm not taking blame for this. They were on the leash. I don't know what happened. Animals fight all the time.”
Johns' apartment, once filled with Anna's toys, now feels completely empty to her despite the cozy living space and well-decorated walls.
“I'm wrecked. It happened so soon and it happened so needlessly,” she said, holding back tears as she sat in her living room.
Johns said she plans to take whatever legal action she can, but fears the loopholes might enable her dog's killer to strike again in her pet-friendly neighborhood.
“A lot of people have come up to me and said, ‘This is terrifying, we all have little dogs,'” she said. “Nothing is going to bring Anna back but I have to be vocal about it, I have to do what I can.”
Another Long Island shark sighting forced frightened swimmers to paddle to shore Saturday, and prompted officials to temporarily shut down area waters.
Eagle-eyed lifeguards in Hempstead spotted the oceanic predator Saturday afternoon, and ordered people to clear out of the water.
By 1:30 p.m., town authorities said on Twitter that swimming would be prohibited at its beaches, which extend from Civic Beach to Lido West Beach.
A second tweet at 2:55 p.m. said people could now wade into the water — but they could only go knee-deep.
The sighting came after several other shark sightings this week, which also happened to be ‘Shark Week' — the annual Discovery Channel programming block dedicated to the gilled beasts.
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin warned residents Wednesday that an encounter with these skilled hunters could be perilous.
“A shark could pose a serious danger to unsuspecting beachgoers,” Clavin said. “Thankfully, we have a trained and dedicated lifeguard team at the ready to protect the health and safety of beachgoers.”
“I've never seen a shark so close to shore,” said Byrne, who lives in Rockville Centre. “The lifeguards did a great job of getting everyone out and making sure everyone was safe.”
A former Manhattan fashion executive was killed by a great white shark earlier this week while swimming off the coast of Maine.