Here is a number that should stop you: in New York City, a driver who hits a dog and speeds off can face a fine of about $50. That is the same amount you would pay for an illegal U-turn. The dog is, in the eyes of the law, closer to a traffic cone than a family member.
A piece of state legislation nicknamed the PAWS Act wants to change that math. It is not a sweeping animal-rights overhaul. It is a narrow, pointed fix aimed at one specific injustice: the idea that ending an animal’s life in the street should cost roughly what it costs to make an illegal turn.
Why the current penalty is so small
The reason the fine is so low is a single legal fact. Pets are classified as property. When a car hits a dog and the driver takes off, the law logs it as a traffic infraction, not as the violent loss the family actually experiences. That classification holds whether the animal is a companion pet or a working service dog.
New York already protects pedestrians, cyclists, and even cattle with meaningful hit-and-run penalties. Pets sit outside that protection, which is exactly the gap the bill targets.
What the PAWS Act would actually do
The Protecting Animals Walking on the Street Act was introduced by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Tony Simone. Under it, a fleeing driver who hurts or kills a pet would face a penalty as steep as $500, or up to 15 days behind bars. Jumping from a $50 minimum to a $500 ceiling is roughly a 900 percent increase, and it would put the penalty on par with what the city already imposes for a hit-and-run that causes minor injury to a pedestrian or cyclist. A second offense could climb as high as $750.
The point is less about the dollar figure and more about the signal. Raising the penalty reclassifies the act, in spirit if not in statute, from a minor slip-up to something the law takes seriously.
The dog whose death started it
Legislation this specific usually traces back to one real story, and this one does. Assemblymember Simone was moved to act after reading about Ginia Bellafante and her dog, Chicky.
In a New York Times essay, Bellafante described losing Chicky to a reckless driver. She wrote about a city where cars kept getting bigger and drivers seemed to grow more unhinged, while Chicky stayed small, low to the ground, and vulnerable. A Jeep struck Chicky mid-walk and killed him on the spot. An officer then explained the aftermath in the coldest possible terms: since the dog counted as property, the driver would probably be looking at a fine near $100.
That conversation, more than any policy paper, is the emotional engine of the bill. It is the moment where the law’s logic collided with a person’s grief and lost.
The lawmaker’s own dog
Simone has framed the effort in personal terms, too. He has spoken about walking his own dog, Radar, through the same streets every day, and about how the lack of accountability in Bellafante’s case convinced him something had to change. His argument is simple: four-legged family members and service animals, and the people who love them, deserve to know that justice follows when a driver treats them as disposable.
What’s new since this was written
The PAWS Act has not become law yet. After its initial introduction, it was reintroduced in the following legislative session and has continued to draw vocal support from animal advocates and pet owners across the state, but as of mid-2026 it remains a proposal working its way through Albany rather than a rule on the books.
If you live in New York and want it to move, the most effective step is still the least glamorous one: contact your own Assembly member and state senator and tell them, by name, that you support it. Bills like this one advance on constituent pressure, not petitions alone.
References
- New York State Senate. “Sen. Gounardes, Assemblymember Simone Introduce Bill to Penalize Drivers for Injury & Death of Pets and Service Animals.” nysenate.gov
- amNewYork. “PAWS Act Pushes for Stronger Pet Protection Laws.” amny.com
- Brooklyn Eagle. “Newly-introduced bill would increase penalties against drivers who kill or injure animals.” brooklyneagle.com
