STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – There have been some frightening dog attacks on people on Staten Island recently.

And what we’ve learned is that if you’re the victim of such an attack, it’s tough to get action taken against the offending dog. And that there’s little recourse even if one dog is thought to be the culprit in multiple attacks.

That has to change.

A 71-year-old Sunnyside man last week reported that he and his dog had been attacked by a black dog in the neighborhood. He said the other dog was a pit bull that slipped its leash and attacked without provocation.

The video of the attack is truly horrific. Thankfully, a good Samaritan got out of his van and tried to help break up the attack. Still, the 71-year-old man got bites on his hands that required surgery. The black dog’s owner was said to have stood idly by while the attack was underway.

Here’s the thing: Residents believe that the black dog is the same animal that attacked two Chihuahuas in the neighborhood last month. There’s scary video of that attack as well. They say that the dog is a menace. The owner of the dog in the most recent attack denies that his pet has ever attacked anyone. He says that he owns a Lab, not a pit bull.

I’m a pet lover. I have two cats at home. I had dogs when I was growing up.

I’m one of those people who believes that there are few bad dogs, but that there are bad dog owners. The vast, vast majority of people out there are good owners. But not all.

It always makes me nervous to see a dog off the leash, for example. I know this can be a trigger point for some dog owners, who like to let their dogs roam free when they’re out in public.

But some dogs can be unpredictable. We don’t always know what type of behavior a dog might see as threatening. Just you jogging by could set a dog off. And not all dogs are friendly. That’s just nature.

And we also know that there are people out there who pride themselves on being the owners of “tough” dogs. Dogs that might frighten people just by their very presence. These owners seem to feel that having a tough dog makes the owner tough too. They don’t mind if their dog is a neighborhood threat.

District Attorney Michael McMahon’s office is looking into this recent dog attack. The Health Department and Animal Control are also looking into it. But the Police Department isn’t involved in the case. So we don’t know whether any criminal charges will come out of these attacks.

The Health Department said cases usually come to them through NYPD referrals. Sometimes dogs are removed to shelters. The Health Code dictates that dog bites be reported within 24 hours.

Sure. But then what? If you were the victim of this viscious attack, if you or your dog was injured, you’d want some action taken. You’d demand justice. And rightly so. There’s no penalty for a dog owner who stands by and lets their dog attack another person or animal?

We’ve seen cases across the country where dogs viciously attack or even kill people. The dogs are euthanized. Not every case rises to that level, but people have a right to feel safe in their own neighborhoods.

There has to be something that can be done to sanction people who know they have a viscious dog and don’t do anything about it. They at least have to be compelled to make sure that their dog is on a leash that the dog can’t easily get out of.

And if a dog is the culprit in multiple attacks, whether it be on other dogs or on humans, that dog has to be removed. Having the attacks on video should certainly help.

A dog attack is something that can be totally preventable. If a dog owner doesn’t have enough common sense to ensure that, then authorities have to step in.