MTA Chairman Joe Lhota on Wednesday asked riders to snitch on all non-service dogs seen on the subways not properly enclosed in a carrier.
“I encourage New Yorkers, if they see anything like that, to report it,” said Lhota.
The chairman made the statement at the monthly board meeting a day after a video surfaced of a pit bull attacking a woman on a subway train. The dog chomped down on the woman’s shoe and wouldn’t let go for several seconds.
“There’s no reason in the world why that dog was allowed on board, down to the platform, and on the train, let alone harassing one of my passengers,” he said. “Our system is open to everyone. It is not open to people with dogs that aren’t service animals or enclosed.”
Lhota said it is up to both NYPD cops and MTA staff to be on the lookout for rogue pets.
When he was running for mayor back in 2013, Lhota famously said he wouldn’t have stopped the trains for a pair of kittens that were stuck on the B/Q tracks in Brooklyn. The cold-hearted remark earned the candidate plenty of jeers and he has yet to live it down.