A Christmas Tale
Christmas was going swimmingly until we decided to head out with the cousins and mother-in-law to Fort Greene Park around midday to get some air. We were at the top of the hill near the monument with three of the kids when we heard some barking and screaming. We ran down the hill towards the…
Christmas was going swimmingly until we decided to head out with the cousins and mother-in-law to Fort Greene Park around midday to get some air. We were at the top of the hill near the monument with three of the kids when we heard some barking and screaming. We ran down the hill towards the commotion, picking up a stick along the way. Turns out a man we’d seen earlier sitting on one of the tennis nets using the courts as his personal dog run for his two 100-pound pit bulls had decided to keep one of them off the leash as he walked through the park. Passing our four-year-old niece, mother-in-law and her Brittany Spaniel who were sitting on the bench near the big rock, one of the pits, the female off-the-leash one, went straight for the spaniel’s neck. After we all jumped into the fray and managed to pry the pitbull off the spaniel’s neck, the unapologetic owner took off towards the Willoughby exit. We followed while calling 911. The owner eventually got the both dogs on a leash. When we caught up and told him to wait there while the police came, he proceeded to take both dogs off the leash again and took off over the hill towards Myrtle Avenue. One dog—the one that had attacked—followed him; the other seemed lost and confused and lingered near the Willoughby entrance until the cops came a good 10-12 minutes later. The one moment of comic relief came when the cops were whistling through their PA system to try to keep the dog around the car until the van could show up to take the dog to the pound. We showed the cops these photos of the owner and they said it was not their job to go after him; instead, they said, Animal Control has their own cops that had to do it. When we got back to the house later and called 311, however, they said Animal Control would only arrest an owner whose dog had bitten a person. So now there’s an irresponsible owner who lets his pit bull roam free and no branch of law enforcement will track him down. That makes a lot of sense. Ideas?
More photos on the jump…
Things that aren’t relevant: this man’s socio economic status and your random pop culture “knowledge” about pit bulls. Those aren’t pit bulls, bra.
If I had the evil heart to train vicious and aggressive dogs I’d choose golden retrievers or yellow labs. If these animals appeared in a post like this I bet my toyota that the words “pit bull” would come up in the comment section at least thrice.
but hey, if over-simplification works for you, go with it. it definitely works for people who think all arabs are terrorists.
I really think you should make an effort to stop the other — blameless — dog from being put to sleep. It was sent to the Brooklyn CACC?
There are always going to be dogs with the potential to harm, and there will always be idiots who own them. That said, it doesnt make sense that you can buy a pitbull and you cant buy a ferret. Check out what the Health Department said when they upheld their ban on ferrets in 1999 and compare it to pitbulls or other aggressive dogs.
“Ferrets are known for their unpredictable behavior, and they are prone to vicious, unprovoked attacks on humans. Ferret attacks reported nationwide over time have become notorious for their severity and capriciousness, causing serious injuries to some infants and young children in particular… In New York City’s multiple dwelling residences, which are not natural habitats of ferrets, a ferret could crawl through holes in walls or travel along risers or ducts to other apartments, with potentially tragic consequences for the neighbor of a ferret owner.”
-New York City Department of Health, Office of External Affairs Press Release #36
That is a shocking story. Although pitbulls were bred for their powerful jaws and ability to use them, they won’t be vicious unless there is a combination of the following factors: they are unneutered, abused, starving, socialized to be around human beings or other animals or actively trained to attack. In other words, it’s not the breed, it’s the owner. Anyone who could have done such a thing with those dogs is dangerous. And I believe that there is something terribly wrong with law enforcement if that kind of behavior is allowed to happen unchecked. How many times I have seen some pathetic human being dragging a pitbull, hitting it, kicking it, turning it into the equivalent of an automatic weapon when let free. And that is the point after all. To terrorize others. I truly hope your spaniel is OK and I think that whatever loopholes there are preventing the enforcement of leash laws should be addressed in a more formal way. Good luck Brownstoner and go for it.
The dogs are pitbulls. The man is a brainless asshole. What’s the next question?
Dogs are not supposed to be offleash in Ft. Greene Park at any time between 9 am until 9 pm. Additionally, dogs are NEVER supposed to be in the tennis court.
The responding cops should have known this guy was breaking the law because he was offleash during off hours.
Fort Greene PUPS http://www.fortgreenepups.org/ is an organization founded to educate our community about making our park a safe place for dogs and people. (This month the group raised nearly a thousand dollars to donate to local pet shelters.) Visit their website for an explanation of the laws as they should be enforced.
This guy’s huge dogs (they look too big to be Pitbulls. Maybe they were something else?) had no business being offleash while the other dogs weren’t, and even during offleash hours a responsible dog owner with poorly behaved dogs should NEVER leave his or her dog offleash around dogs which are leashed. Dogs are quick to take advantage of a perceived power advantage – at best they’re curious and at worst the dog at either end can become agressive.
Really sad about the dog being taken to the pound. Are there centers to rehabilitate a dog like that, I wonder? Did the old guy even try to help you take his dog off your spaniel? What was his reaction?
NOP this guy maybe soft spoken but his behavior today says nothing nice or gentlemanly. Could you imagine unleashing his Pitbulls after one of them already attacked another dog…dommage non?
“Vermin,” according to Pierre de Taille (3.17pm).
“Nice softspoken gentleman,” according to La Di Da Di (3.46pm).
Put two Brooklynites in a room and be prepared to have an argument!
NOP