Photo by Wally Gobetz via Flickr
A confrontation between two dogs on Wednesday night left one dog injured and its owner looking for answers.
According to her post on Nextdoor, Ly Nguyen was walking her dog in Central Park at the Greywacke Arch near the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 6:45 p.m. when the confrontation occurred. A dog approached Nguyen’s dog and lunged, pinning it down. According to Nguyen, the other dog clamped down, biting her dog for 30 seconds and causing it to scream in pain as she struggled to disentangle them.
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The other owner was unable to respond quickly as she was nearly 20 feet away with her dog on an extremely long leash, according to the post. When the two dogs had finally been pulled apart, Nguyen asked the other owner for her information, but the owner didn’t give it. Instead, Nguyen wrote, the owner took her dog and ran, yelling back ‘my dog was just playing.”
All dogs must be leashed in Central Park between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. While this dog was technically on a leash, according to NYC law, a leash must be a maximum of 6 feet in length, meaning this dog was effectively unleashed. Walking a dog without a leash or using a leash longer than the 6-foot limit is punishable by a fine of $200 to $400.
Nguyen’s post on Nextdoor, which she made along with images of the dog and owner, is an attempt to track the owner down. It’s unclear if she has found the owner yet, but as of writing, there are nearly 40 comments, including a promising lead from a Nextdoor commenter who wrote, ‘I know the owner and dog. She lives in my neighborhood, and her trainer was bad too.’
Nguyen has since taken her dog to the vet to get the injuries looked at but it is unclear how the dog is doing. We have reached out to both Nguyen and the commenter for comment but have yet to hear back.
If it is a fact that leashes must be no more than 6 feet it would be very helpful if they could publish this and make it known to all dog owners! It is not known at this time. These leashes are extremely probelmatic. The owners allow the dogs a tremendous amount of leash and pay no attention. I saw an older woman get tripped and then fall, seriously cuttig her knees and elbow. The dog owner didn’t even bother to see if she could be of assistance to the lady.
I have had dogs, large dogs, all of my life and I know from experience there is no need for these leads in the city. They are dangerous!