I had a terrible experience today at the 5th Ave dog run by the Old Stone House. An aggressive truck of a woman with a shepherd mix and an abundance of leisure time stopped me and my dog from entering the park, and by “stopped” I mean physically blocked the entrance, called me a “bitch”, and said that my dog and I would enter “over her dead body.”
I wish that I were joking about this.
It was like walking into an episode of COPS.
Now I’ve dealt with my share of crazy dog people before but this lady was a whole new level of lunatic. She calIed me Dorothy and accused me of being from Kansas. KANSAS!
This would not stand. Rather than face a physical confrontation with this stool sample I called the cops on her after she quite elegantly volunteered to “kick my ass.” The police were nice enough to stop by and let her know that she was neither the boss of the dog park, nor the President of Armenia.
I had unfortunately previously encountered this beastly woman. I warn you Park Slopers to tread carefully because the wicked witch may come for you and your little dogs next.
A few months back our dogs were in the park together with a few others. This woman…let’s just call her Ava Braun was waving a stick in the air to throw. My dog (being a dog) jumped up to get the stick. She was less than a year old at the time and still mastering the command “Down”. Ava yelled out “You had better get your dog off of me. I have a head injury.” Now in hindsight this should have been abundantly clear. However at the time I apologized and pulled my dog back. Then at some point during the course of play our two dogs got into a tussle. Nothing too vicious mind you, no blood or anything, just your average carried away dog scuffle. So Ava pretty much lost her shit on me all while warning me that she may indeed lose said shit. “Get your fucking aggressive dog out of here before I lose it!”
I am sure I asked her not to swear at me and assured her that my dog was not aggressive but had just gotten overly excited as her dog had seemingly also done. This just seemed to make Ava angrier and apparently “we would no like Ava when she angry”. So the pooch and I decided to abandon the park for the time being and pray for a return to a Democratic regime.
That was the last time we had the misfortune of running into Ava until today’s sorry incident. I pray that this will be the last I see of her but I seriously doubt it. Ava has a lot of free time but only so many more summer afternoons left to ruin. The boyfriend will be coming with me to the park from now on just in case she wants to get frisky with me again.
Incidentally my dog came home from the day’s events and viciously licked my feet for a while, ferociously attacked an ice cube, and passed out while I was rubbing her belly. Clearly we are both a menace to society.
If you were from Kansas your dog would be free to play and not tortured in this doggie hell of a city.
This idiotic woman has a dangerous pitbull that attacked several dogs in that run. This post is another example of her narcissistic personality. Her dog is named Betty and is a pitbull brindle mix puppy, this dog appears friendly but has attacked 3 dogs that required hospitalization.
Four telling things about this poster:
1) She needs her boyfriend to protect her: I am sure the dog feels the same way thats why its agressive
2) IN this incident this woman believed the NYPD are here to serve her needs, who else but someone from somewhere else but NYC would call the police over not getting into a dog run because of public shaming.
3) This woman admits not to have trained the dog to have control over it, which really shows how much of a mess she is mentally.
4) She has enough leisure time to have been at this dog run more times than the person she has seen there, and then enough time to post in two blog spots about it. How sad is her life that this is her narrative.
Now take a look at the replies from other dog owners at the other blogspot:
I find it quite telling that this owner left out the fact that she is a pit bull owner in her recounting of this incident. That alone should give anyone hearing or reading her story the permission to roll one’s eyes in contempt at not
only her exaggerations but also her gross, insulting and horrifyingly inhumane comparison of another dog owner protecting her pet to Ava Braun. That she could make such a comparison, is indicative of her desperate, and deep level of denial in taking responsibility for her poorly trained PIT BULL–a breed notoriously predisposed to hyper-aggressive, dangerous behavior if untrained or poorly trained–
It also shows her deluded and inflated sense of entitlement to drag the NYPD to cater to her wishes and that because SHE says her untrained pit bull is safe, it MUST be so..tho Betty’s every behavior to OTHER people and their dogs has proven the opposite.
We all know this owner and we need to band tog. to prevent her and Betty using the dog run until she has adequate control of this poor dog.
Posted by: lisa | Aug 13, 2007 4:22:20 PM
Lady, you are the nightmare at the 5th Avenue Dog Run and the Crazy person
I heard this story from the many other sides of it, and the lady who told you not to come in is a community leader who with my help and the help of others kept this dog run from closing down five years ago. Since then she has been a vital part of its upkeep unlike you who give the 5th Avenue dog run a bad name by not being in control of your dog.
There is a dog run group as the poster mentioned, that has been in existence for 5 years. Naturally, you know nothing about it since you just bring your pitbull over, it attacks other dogs and jumps on people and then you leave. So you know nothing about the dog run group that exists, just like you dont know your dog is aggressive. Shame on you.
Maybe your boyfriend is able to control the dog and you are not, either way, you should not be in the run with your agressive pit bull and I have head from three people who own dogs about your dog “Betty”. Betty is all fun at first and then attacks in a way that one dog owner called “chilling”. So why do you think you should be allowed to go to a dog run that other people have fought so hard to keep in this neighborhood with your untrained agressive dog? You admit you havent taught your dog “down” in this post, so what planet are you on that you imagine you have control over your dog?
If three different people on three different days reported Betty attacking their dogs what makes you think you are right? Your dog jumps up on people, you say your dogs name in response. That is not control. Your poor dog is going to end up getting put down because you have not trained it and you are in denial over its agressive tendencies. Your dog is a rescue pit bull, the number one dog put down for aggressiveness in NYS and you will have to have a great deal of control over the dog to change that possible outcome. Why dont you take your pit bull up to the park off leash and see what the people there will do to you when your dog is aggressive. You wont be able to call the cops. By the way, what did the cops do when you called them? You left she didnt, that sounds like you were the crazy lady.
Your calling our friend Ava is both disgusting and insensitive. She worked with Survivors of the Shoah for several years along with a rich number of human and civil rights groups. Boy are you a jerk with egg on your face. Forget about bitch.
Posted by: Linda | Aug 13, 2007 1:25:34 PM
Snoopy was attacked by that pitbull!!
Posted by: Charlie Brown | Aug 13, 2007 10:55:41 AM
I’m going to set the record straight. As someone who frequents the 5th Ave Dog Run and also volunteers for the dog run group I’ve heard of this irresponsible woman who owns the pitbull that we’re trying to keep out of the dog run (for everybodies safety) until she gets proper control of her dog through training. There are many reports from other dog owners of her dog becoming aggeressive after being playful and her not taking control over it and more importantly, not assuming any responsiblity for it.
We dog run users have an obligation to keep our own and other peoples aggeressive dogs out of the run.
Posted by: Jojo Scagnetti | Aug 13, 2007 10:42:49 AM
I’m going to set the record straight. As someone who frequents the 5th Ave Dog Run and also volunteers for the dog run group I’ve heard of this irresponsible woman who owns the pitbull that we’re trying to keep out of the dog run (for everybodies safety) until she gets proper control of her dog through training. There are many reports from other dog owners of her dog becoming aggeressive after being playful and her not taking control over it and more importantly, not assuming any responsiblity for it.
We dog run users have an obligation to keep our own and other peoples aggeressive dogs out of the run.
Posted by: Jojo Scagnetti | Aug 13, 2007 10:41:36 AM
I had a terrible experience at the 5th Avenue dog run-
I wish I was joking about identifying this poster-but I was in the dog run that day with my French bulldog and witnessed this entire event. This poster is a woman with a pitbull “rescue”-in other words an aggressive pitbull that she has no control over, whatsoever. This dog is not smiply ignorant of the command “stay”, this poor dog is only aware of her name “betty’, which all to many of us in the dog run have heard repeatedly screamed as this woman attempts to take control over the dog, in vain.
This day was like any other, this woman was walking her pitbull towards the run, completely ignorant that there is a universe of people and dogs in this run. Now I have heard of two other incidents where her pitbull’s play turned into violent dog attacks. This is a small dog run, yet still I dont know anyones name but “Betty”, as I heard it screamed over and over again while her dog jumps on people. This day a woman was in the run with a doberman mix and actually had the balls to say something.
I wish I had. The police came and this woman and her pitbull left, and I only hope the police come the next time she brings this dog to the run. The first time I was there and her dog was aggressive, after she left all four of the people that were in the run hoped she got the message, which she did not as she had the guts to bring her dog back and then the completely insane respnse to call the police. My only hope is that more people stand up to this woman and that she trains that poor dog so it is not doomed to a life of misery and isolation.
i don’t even know where to begin.
#1 my dog is not a “rescue pit bull.” My boyfriend and i have raised her since she was ten weeks. we don’t even know if she is a full pit since her mother was rescued when she was pregnant and birthed the puppies shortly after.
#2 my dog has NEVER attacked ANY dog that EVER required hospitalization. this is slander and i won’t stand for it.
#3 the police were called because the woman (using the term loosely) in question physically threatened me and verbally assaulted me. not because i am “not from NY”. and their response to me was, and i am quoting, “we wish we could arrest every crazy lady in NY but we can’t.” they then told Brunhilde that she had to allow us into the dog run and asked if we wanted to go in. at that point i was so furious and so upset that i decided to just leave.
#4 as for my “leisure time” um…seriously? you are posting on the same blog and frequenting the same park! i make a very successful living and am fortunate enough to be able to spend time doing things i enjoy, like writing about psycho freak shows on the internet. i just felt the need to warn people about you. clearly you felt that i warranted a warning as well. fair enough. guess everyone is warned.
#5 people have a prejudice against pitbulls. they are demonized dogs very similar to the dobermans and german sheperds of decades past. fact is they aren’t even an actual breed of dog. it is a term people use to lump together a whole group of dogs from the staffordshire breed.
i had no idea that i had become the pariah of the park slope dog run. it is sad to me how close-minded people are and how quick they are to judge but i suppose that is just the state of the society we are living in.
okay.
i am SO done with this issue now. i got an email saying that all of these posts had been made and that’s why i am here to respond but truly i am ready to move on with my life, my boyfriend, and our happy, loving, friendly dog. obviously this is a very sad, lonely woman who has nothing better to do with her time than attack. she will probably miss everything cool and die angry. sucks. my life kind of rocks. i feel sorry for her. i hope that she gets some counseling to deal with her anger issues. until then we will stay far away from the dog run and stick to the park.
I was thinking about getting a dog in Park Slope, but now I’m not so sure. Seems like everyone is crazy.
First of all, my name is not a reference to anything, it’s just my initials. normally that’s not an issue but there are so many references to stuff around here i don’t feel like getting associated with anything incorrectly due to my posting name.
My real question is i was wondering if someone can tell me exactly where this dog run is. i just moved into the neighborhood and would really like to check it out since my dog has been living in the country and needs some space to chill in and other dogs to play with. Thanks for the help.
“My life kinda rocks” Now anyone who types like that isn’t very successful as this moron alludes to. Dollars to Donuts the um “boyfriend” pays for her “rocking” life. She admits she can’t control the mutt. She is wrong, the end.
Normally, I would enjoy watching a bunch of Slope yuppies fight it out, but where dogs — especially pitbulls — are concerned I gotta step in.
The last thing that the “bullie” community needs is another irresponsible pit owner. These dogs are very powerful and have lots of energy. They need to be trained and well socialized under controlled conditions before they can be allowed to roam the dog run unsupervised. Maybe you and your boyfriend can take the doggie to some obedience classes or rent a few Dog Whisperer DVDs.
To the dog run Gendarme — good job! That’s the way to show the dogs how to NOT be aggressive! Come on, lady. Instead of pounding your chest and threatening bodily harm do something to help this dog. Teach her owner how to handle her better. If you are truly a community leader, as one of the respondents said, then lead by example.
hey, I have no comment on the dog incidents BUGSY is turning 1 years old and I would like all his furry little friends to come to his PARTY Sunday September 16th at 2:30 pm
there will be treats and toys
5th avenue dog park YAY ITS A PARTY
i agree with MG. stop “doggin” on the lady with the pit and stop assuming that a “Rescue pitbull” is an aggressive or dangerous one. how shameful it is that you call yourselves dog owners yet are so ignorant of this breed. punish the deed, not the breed.
i agree pits are powerful and energetic. must be well socialized but to assume that rescue pits are dangerous is like saying all homeless people are mean and criminals. i have FOUR rescue pits all of which are great dogs both at home and at the dog run. one got into a fight? and HE is the one who got bit by some dopey ass chocolate labrador who had an ignorant owner like most people on this board. what does this owner say afterwards? that her choco lab was protecting her from my pitbull so the dog bit my dog. how childish.
like MG says….if you are TRULY a dog community then help the woman out with her pitbull. you guys sound more like a click than a community.
my suggestion to stagegirl….socialize your pit and maybe wait until the run is a bit smaller. keep the leash on the dog at all times but dont hold the leash tense while in the dog run. only walk into the run after your dog is calm and submissive. if the dog misbehaves two strikes then remove the dog from the run. best thing you can do is to teach your dog “come” commands. no humping is allowed. if another dog tries to hump your dog let your dog correct reasonably but NO biting no matter.
if the other owners are not receptive and think all their cliche dogs are innocent then you do not want to be at this run in the first place.
dogs do not need to go to dog runs to be happy. dogs also do not need to socialized with every dog out there to be happy. not all dogs are social. some are dog selective, aggressive or social. find your dogs personality. we arent all cesar milan’s nor do we have the time.
my suggestion is that if your dog doesnt work in the run just get him plenty of exercise otherwise by running with him or taking him else where. most people in the city dont know how to properly handle their dogs anyways except a select few. good luck.
thanks everyone for your comments. i am sure that you will all be happy to know that we have had no further problems from the park slope dog police. our dog has undergone more rigorous training to keep her from jumping up on people, and we have stayed away from the dog park ever since that awful day to avoid further incident.
we go for long walks now and meet dogs on the street to sniff and make friends with. i don’t ever let her off leash even in the park, not because i fear my dog, but because i fear the reaction of other people.
we are not out to change anyone’s opinion but i count myself very lucky to have such a loving, affectionate companion in my life. and i do hope that people will open their hearts and minds to all dog breeds and stop the stereotyping.
this incident had a profound affect on me and i posted in another thread that i was actually grateful to the woman who assaulted me on that day in august. as traumatic as the encounter was, it caused me to reflect on and re-prioritize my life. i am a very lucky woman with a loving family, an amazing boyfriend, and a healthy, happy dog and for all of these things i am truly grateful. thank you to all for your insight and assistance. i wish you all great happiness and peace.
glad to hear. im tired of hearing people stereotype pitbulls and other powerful breeds. its irresponsible owners!
but it sounds like youre doing well. glad to hear you are going for long walks. again, a dog doesnt need a dog run to be happy.
Get a HOBBY people! I’ve been going to dogruns for 15 yrs and they’re like a Springer show. Let the dogs work it out and stop sniffing each others butts!
sad.
i think it’s quite unfortunate that people are attributing blame. while there are some very irresponsible owners out there, who am i to call them so?
my main concern is the continued calling of pit bulls as monsters. as a pit bull owner myself, i am often confronted by such ignorant attitudes. it bothers me simply because it is not true.
as a breed, pits are actually quite sweet dogs and are extremely common in use of therapy (moreso than other breeds). contrary to popular belief, they are actually horrible guard dogs. they are simply bred to be exceptionally good with people. sadly for the breed, people who tend to adopt pits have a different idea of what the breed is all about and adopt them for such ridiculous traits the commenters above have shared with the world.
now, i have no idea if the original writer of the post has an aggressive pit. or if she has an aggressive beagle. it shouldn’t matter. just don’t generalize the breed due to your own ignorance.
kudos to all the non-ignorant people who have posted responses to this thread. i have a pit-mix that i adopted. yep, a rescue. rescue dogs are not monsters and perhaps all the yuppies in park slope who buy their dogs are unable to see outside of their tiny, narrow world views.
i’m so sick of people bad mouthing pits. why don’t y’all do a internet search on this breed. there have been ‘stress tests’ done on how various breeds react to various situations. guess what folks? pits did better, rated higher, then goldens and labs. look it up, it’s the facts.
my dog is a sweet gentle soul and has never gotten into a fight.
recently i went to the 5th ave dog run and as i was walking in, a yuppie who had a purchased dog, actually quizzed me before i went in. why? because her un-spayed female just got out of heat the day before.
now, who’s irresponsible here? a female dog in heat should never enter the run. and how irresponsible is it to not spay your dog so that you may breed? there are thousands of amazing, homeless animals needing to be adopted.
wake up people.
I ran across this blog while trying to find a dog park to take my “rescue” pitt. He is the sweetest boy and only has 3 legs! I am not sure I want to take him to the Park Slope dog run now because of these demonizing comments. Anyone know if the people there are still like this? Or have they become more tolerant to Pitts (as they should).
Also, to other pitt owners:
Anyone know of any pitt owner clubs/meetings? I know this sounds silly, but I just got this sweetie and am new to the breed (except for lots of internet searching).
Well, hopefully people will start to change their views about these amazing dogs. I think it’s crazy the turn this country has taken on these dogs. In the 30s and 40s they were a symbol of this country’s strength and loyalty and were even put on posters demonstrating patriotism.
Well, hopefully they will be respected again one day by everyone. Kudos to you who already do!
Hi everyone, whew! this thread kind of stressed me out while I read it. I have a general inquiry for Park Slope dog owners. I will be in Park Slope for just 2 weeks this summer and would REALLY appreciate a referral to an affordable and flexible dog training center/group classes/private instructor in Brooklyn. I’m now out of the country and have done an internet search but none of the better-known dog centers have a schedule that will suit my limited time in New York (August 17-Sep 1) and most private instruction is frankly out of my budget. I have a beautiful adult mini wire daschund that is very aggressive with strangers. I’m only to blame because I’ve spoiled her by not taking care of her behavior, in some part because she had back surgery at a very early age and I couldn’t bring myself to be firm enough with her ever since. (For reference, she came from a top breeder; I don’t want to give the false impression she was a puppy mill daschund). Thanks for your help. I still think Park Slope folks are great people. ~ Mana
I have a quick question for stagegurl and all the other pitt owners on here. My husband and I just recently adopted the most wonderful pitt mix however, she is leash/dog aggressive. We really want to be responsible dog owners and get her trained so she can enjoy all the pleasures of Prospect Park! Can anyone recommend a trainer? Thanks!!!
I’m reviving this thread, as I have a rescue dog (also a rescue – he’s a Lab mix and I adopted him from NYACC at 2 months after his owners abandoned him) and frequent the new run on 4th Ave.
Since there was an outpouring of ‘I’m so sick of stupid people demonizing pit-mixes and their owners’ – despite the fact that “Stagegurl” herself did not contest that she’d failed to adequately train her pup to avoid jumping – I’d like to provide a contrary view of the average pit-mix owner who goes into the run. In my experience, many have been unbelievably irresponsible and behave as if their dogs are not capable of harming other dogs and people. It’s been terrifying, frankly, and it’s painful to read comments where those who are uncomfortable with pits are mocked as ‘yuppies’ who ‘buy their dogs’ and otherwise marginalized and mistreated for their concerns.
On the afternoon of 11/29/2009, a guy brought his unneutered, unharnessed, uncollared adult male pit into the run, told those present that they could just say “No!” to make his dog stop any behavior (he asked whether the other dogs – all female – were spayed; the owners of the female dogs were responsible and so all of the dogs present were spayed), and then left the dog alone so he could enjoy the skate park. His dog began furiously mounting one of the female dogs and could not be stopped; the other owners were terrified. My friend, who owns one of the dogs pursued by the pit, told me this; she and her boyfriend fled the run in terror with their dog as they could not stop the pit’s aggression.
I happened to enter the run within 5 minutes of my friend departing — my dog is neutered and trained, an 11 month old mix puppy. The pit rushed my dog and started trembling and growling. My dog began to tremble as well, and I almost went faint with fear, and releashed my pup asap and fled the run, and we left — pursued by the pit. We were not bitten, but I estimate this dog — again, no collar, no harness, no tag, and NO OWNER in the run — was about 80 pounds, taller than my Lab-mix dog. It was the most frightened I have ever been for my or my dog’s physical safety.
Over the past six months, I have personally witnessed:
– an idiot woman bring in an unspayed, in-heat female pit mix to the run, where it stalked and attempted to bite through the fence to get at dogs in the small-dog run (I was in the small run with my dog, as he was then a smaller puppy)
– the same female pit (still unfixed at a year-plus) attack every other dog in the run within 5 minutes of entering, creating a situation where every other dog and owner fled to the small-dog side (and leading the finally-shamed owner to leash her dog and leave within 10 minutes of entering)
– a pit-Brindle mix attack my dog and and bite him til his (my dog’s) mouth bled — the owner did nothing and was apparently too afraid to help me pull off his dog (another owner stepped in)
Week before last, a different friend told me that a BAFN dog – another pit mix – bit another owner, and that Ms. Bleier, per her usual, did nothing.
If you don’t own a pit-mix, aren’t you still allowed to want your dog and your person to be safe? Can’t people understand that for folks like me — who also rescued a dog, who always pick up after him, who pay for training, who would never leave him in a run or otherwise disclaim responsibility — the fear of pits is not necessarily based on prejudice, but rather founded on the realities of what these dogs can do when ill-trained? That concerns about owners who adopt pit-mixes not out of a simple desire for companionship but rather to prove a point — that they see beyond mainstream people with their stupid ideas about these dogs, that they are do-gooders and everyone else is a puppy-mill supporting fool that they are cool and not yuppies, or are tougher than someone with a cocker spaniel — are often legit concerns? That an owner who gets a pit-mix with these sorts of fantasies about the dog is innately more dangerous than a fool who adopts a pocket dog because a pit really can kill?
When is a different reality allowed to intrude on these self-righteous conversations about pit-mixes, without the distortion of “stupid people don’t know about how the RCA Victrola dog was a pit/what about Petey from The Little Rascals?/look up the facts, pits are the most peaceful dogs out there/it’s all media lies”? Because frankly? Bullshit.
Well, I was going to bring my “little” dog to this dog run, but you people seem kind of crazy, all of you. I can take five stabs at why this dig run was in the process of being closed and I bet each one would hit the mark.
Not sure whos lying and who isnt, but it looks like the woman with the pit-bull isnt the only one with too much time on her hands. All dog owners are narcissistic, I know because I just got my dog and practically every dog owner Ive met is convinced that theyre right about everything, and that one dog defines all dogs. And thats just plain silly.
I guess having a dog means mingling with other owners, but this is some heavy stuff, and goes far beyond the usual, “Hey, whats his/her name, have a nice day.”
So, yea, not looking to stumble into a dog run thats littered with drama. Im 24 years old and I feel older than most of you.
Elizabeth,
If your comment is directed at my post, immediately above yours, then go to hell, you stupid and arrogant brat. Nothing you wrote is responsive to any part of this conversation. I’m sure you think you are way smarter than people who’ve lived longer. You aren’t. Smart people don’t write about stuff they admit to knowing nothing about (here, the dynamics of that dog run). Good riddance, fool.
the dog park on 86th st and 7th ave is great I have 2 “rescue” pits and there are plenty other pits there too…. nobody is prejudice about the breed of dog and everybody is friendly. by hearing this I would never go to park slope. i hate when i go place and they look at my pits like they are monsters when really their little shit dogs are the nippiest little things.
Omg, we know that crazy bitch too. She doesn’t pick up her dogs poop, ever!
What ever happened to just letting the dogs play? Accidents happen! Training your dog is on-going process that will never be 100% accident free. Just act in safe and calm manner and always be attentive of your dog.
There are crazy, neurotic dog owners everywhere! If you sense an inevitable personality clash with other owners or feel that they have an apathetic feeling to your dog’s safety. Just leave.
But yes, prejudice dog owners over breeds of dogs is a problem. But, I am sure they are prejudice from previous experience.
ALL IN FAVOR FOR A PITBULL ONLY DOG PARK, SAY “AYY AYY”!!!!!
Hi Everyone,
I am looking to hire a husky-type dog for a photo shoot on Wednesday, 6/22 in Central Park in the morning (sometime between 8 and 1:30) The fee paid will be $150. Please contact me if you have a dog we could shoot for this ad campaign for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Thank you,
Katie
I red your post too late. I own a beautiful, one year old female husky who would proudly campaign for all BAM has to offer.
If you are still looking for a dog, please reply to my post.
Frebie