STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Patricia Ratz's pit bull, Baby Girl, was more than just a dog.

Rescued by Ms. Ratz before she could be euthanized by Animal Care and Control, the 2-year-old was a loyal companion and friend and a playmate to Ms. Ratz's kids.

So after Baby Girl was fatally shot and killed by police in a tragic incident in Travis' Schmul Park last year, Ms. Ratz sued the city, seeking to deter further pet killings, her lawyer said.

Ms. Ratz recently settled the suit in Brooklyn federal court for $21,500, court records show.

"It was never a money thing," said Ms. Ratz in a telephone conversation. "I want to stop them from killing animals."

"We hope that the police department and the city treats animal-shooting cases more fairly in the future, and hope this is a sign they'll do so," said Ms. Ratz's lawyer, Leah M. Busby of the Law Office of Ronald L. Kuby.

Ms. Ratz said she had incurred $17,000 in veterinary bills in an unsuccessful bid to save her pet's life.

A spokesman for the city Law Department, which handled the legal case for the city and NYPD, said the settlement "was in the best interests of all parties."

According to Ms. Ratz, she and her sister had brought their three pit bulls to Schmul Park for an outing on April 6, 2013. Two of the dogs – not Baby Girl – began to fight, and when Ms. Ratz put her hand between the two dogs, trying to break up the battle, one of the dogs bit her hand.

A police officer and another officer in civilian clothing, both on scene, drew their guns in response to her screams and began firing, shooting more than eight rounds, Ms. Ratz said.

She said the park was filled with children.

Police sources said all three dogs were off their leashes, and the officers rushed to the scene because of Ms. Ratz's screams.

According to police, responding officers had tried to help Ms. Ratz, and in the attempt to get the dog off her, fired off some shots.

At the time, multiple NYPD sources characterized it as a "cut-and-dried" instance of an officer shooting an aggressive dog to protect the public.

But Ms. Ratz and her sister, Kathleen Dixon, maintained their dogs posed no threat.

Both said Baby Girl had run off in fear after a bullet struck her paw, but the officers kept firing off rounds, hitting her again from behind until the dog eventually collapsed. The other dogs had also been scared off, they said.

Ms. Dixon said she was calming the dogs down when the officers fired.

Baby Girl succumbed to her wounds five days later, despite multiple surgeries to try to save her.

Before her tragic end, the 2-year-old pit bull spent her days playing with Ms. Ratz's three young children, snuggling up with the family rabbit and two cats, and simply enjoying being alive.

"Adopt one and tell me if you think they're still dangerous," Ms. Ratz recently told the Advance, referring to those who assume all pit bulls are vicious.

According to Advance reports, Baby Girl cheated death in the fall of 2012 when she was minutes away from being euthanized.

Courtney Bellow, of the Northeast Region of Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation (SNARR), said the group tries to match at-risk dogs with a home before they're put down.

Ms. Bellow paired Baby Girl with Ms. Ratz, who already had fostered three dogs, one of which she adopted. Ms. Bellow said animal shelter volunteers who dealt with the dog raved about her good behavior.