Our Mission

They Trust Us. We Fight for Them.

City Compliance With State Law

Every day, dogs walk the streets of New York trusting that the laws meant to protect them will be enforced. Yet when dangerous dog cases are shuffled into bureaucratic dead ends, that trust is broken. Paws For Justice aims to mend that breach. Our first charge is to bring New York City into full compliance with Agriculture & Markets Law §123, ensuring every dangerous-dog complaint is heard before a judge, as the State already requires. We fight so that no family has to beg for action after an attack, and no innocent dog pays for human negligence with pain, fear, or life itself.

Grover

Chuckie

Changing the Laws

We are working on multiple fronts to make our communities safer for dogs.

Our proposal at the state level, Penny’s Law, would finally add criminal accountability for reckless owners, but lawmakers have made clear it has little chance of advancing this year.

We also have legislative proposals working their way through the city council and these have a much higher chance of passing Read about them here and here.

That’s why we need YOU. Contact your City Council member and State representatives—tell them that our pets deserve real protection, not excuses. Demand enforcement. Demand accountability. Demand reform.

Because until the laws have teeth, our dogs will never be safe.

Our Solutions

Contact Our City Council Members

New York City Council Members have the power—and the responsibility—to ensure local agencies follow state law. Under Agriculture & Markets Law §123, Council Members can hold the NYPD accountable by demanding compliance through oversight hearings, budget leverage, and direct legislative pressure.

which calls on New York State to strengthen protections against dangerous and reckless dog ownership.

Now, we’re seeing movement at the NYC Council level, with new legislation aimed at improving reporting, awareness, and accountability around dog attacks.

You can read the full bills here:
Dog Bite Reporting & Awareness

Dog Licensing Education & Outreach

These bills have been introduced and referred to the Committee on Health, but they still need public pressure and Council support to move forward. Without action, meaningful reform around dog attacks continues to stall leaving victims without clear systems for reporting, response, or accountability.

Find your Council Member here.

Contact the Mayor's Office

As the chief executive of New York City, the Mayor has direct authority over city agencies, including the NYPD. That means the Mayor can—and must—ensure the police department complies with New York State’s Agriculture & Markets Law §123. With a single directive, the Mayor can align city policy with state law, close dangerous loopholes, and protect both pets and people. Leadership from the top is how real change begins. Contact the Mayor here.

Contact Your NY State Reps

Help us make every dog in New York safer. We’re pushing for both a dangerous dog registry that needs proper enforcement and Penny’s Law, which would add criminal accountability—but neither will move forward without pressure. That’s where you come in: find your State Assembly member and State Senator, and urge them to support stronger, enforceable dog laws. A quick email, call, or message through NYSenate.gov or the Assembly’s contact page can make a difference—your voice matters. Let’s be the push legislators can’t ignore.

Harley

JoJo

Pepper