Update July 26, 2024: The owner has apparently come forward and the situation is being resolved. You can find our most recent coverage of the incident here.
Update July 23, 2024: This story has been updated after the father whose child was bitten reached out with further information.
The battle between human and dog (or rather, human and entitled dog owner) continues to be waged in Greenpoint. Two different Greenpoint locals are asking for the community’s help in identifying dog owners, after they each sustained serious dog bites in separate incidents.
If you were in Newtown Barge Park recently, you might have noticed a plethora of signs alerting the community that a “DOG BIT A CHILD.” According to the sign, the incident took place around 8:45 p.m. on July 13.
Those signs have been replaced after a witness came forth to confirm information about the incident. Now, the new signage reveals that the dog in question was an off-leash brown and white pitbull, and the owner is described as a young Asian female.
If you have additional information, you’re encouraged to call 347-216-3746 or 347-216-3868.
Sadly, an incident like this unfolding at Newtown Barge Park comes as little surprise. Last year, the City’s Parks Department temporarily shut down the park’s turf field due to the prevalence of unleashed dogs.
Now, another person has shared a similar incident with Greenpointers. Kendall, whose last name we’re withholding for privacy reasons, was at Paloma Coffee and Bakery’s Nassau Avenue location around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 21. She and her sister were leaving the coffee shop with their dog when another dog snapped and bit her in the thigh. The bite was so severe that Kendall ended up being taken to the ER in an ambulance.
“I realized the bite was quite deep and needed medical attention. The owners came out of the store but mostly just stood to the side and watched it happen. They didn’t offer any assistance or their info,” Kendall tells Greenpointers. “I’m not sure if they didn’t realize the bite was so bad, as I initially thought it was just a scratch, but I’m still quite surprised they didn’t ask if I needed anything or offer their info. I’m sure they were shocked and worried about their dog, but this is going to be quite costly, and although this was an accident, they should take some responsibility.”
Kendall and her sister both stressed that they’re animal lovers; they just hope the dog’s humans can step up to the plate.
The descriptions are thus: “the dog was all white with a few brown spots on the face, blue collar, long tail, pointy ears. The man was about 6 feet, the woman a few inches shorter. The guy was tall, white, brunette, wearing a white shirt and dark shorts, the woman was average/tall, white, light brown hair, wearing a white tank top.”
If you have more information about either incident, feel free to get in touch at [email protected].
Inconsiderate, self-absorbed dog owners in Greenpoint? I’m shocked! I suppose blocking the sidewalks, letting your dog slobber all over strangers, and acting like the world revolves around you were early warning signs.
Whew! So sorry for everyone involved and happy everyone is ok despite the situation. BUT thank goodness no pitbulls were involved because when ppl hear of a dog biting ppl randomly 95% of the time they ask “ was it a pitbull??!” Or “yup of course it was a pitbull”
Update: it was a pitbull
Same thing goes on at Transmitter park in the morning. Sometimes eight or more dogs are running wild both in the grass and on the sidewalk. The Park police come once a year and clear the area and then when they leave, two minutes later the dogs are back. I understand the need for dogs to run but they should lobby for a dog run there. They could have a decent enclosed one there and still have area to sit with a blanket and enjoy the park. With Murphy’s law sooner or later if not already there will be an incident with a dog knocking over a senior or child.
It’s a shame because even in mcarren pk and mcgoldrick pk have dog parks for dogs to play there are still dogs that run loose in both parks
I too was attacked by a dog and was bitten in my arm when I entered McCann Park a couple of months ago with my little dog. My little dog was obviously on the leash and the other big black dog wanted to attack my dog. The other big black dog was unleashed and way far from their owner. The dog attacked us because I tried to intervene, the dog bit me really badly in my forearm. The female owner of the dog did offer her help by giving her phone number. But was playing incognito with me. Not giving me her name or the dog name. It It is a very busy neighborhood and it should be illegal to unleash your dog otherwise in the dog park. The city should do something about it.
The off leash problem in greenpoint is out of control ! So many dog owners have zero respect for the laws or safety of others , if they’re not off leash they’re on long leashes half a block In front of their owners , owners who think letting their dogs go up to anyone child or adult under the assumption everyone loves dogs , owners that let their dogs consume parks meant for people and children to play with piss and crap , it is out of control and truly something needs to be done , there needs to be more patrolling in the neighborhood and tickets , citations given to those who don’t follow the law , park rangers need to enforce rules regarding dogs and where they are allowed in the park .. enough is enough … nyc is not a dog city if you want you dog to run wild get a house in the suburbs…
Agreed. Early in the morning and late at night, McCarren Park is a dog toilet. Can’t believe people sit in the grass.
Where’s it say in the City Charter that “NYC is not a dog city?”
Where’s it say in the City Charter that “NYC is not a dog city?”
“NYC is not a dog city” says who? Dogs and all animals have a right to exist here and anywhere in the world. 99% of dogs in the city are incredibly well socialized and well behaved. If you’re that pressed about a dog being in your space then maybe NYC isn’t the place for YOU
Irony here is, oftentimes the dog offenders are both pushing their toddlers in strollers, with their dog alongside. LOL In other words, folks with babies and dogs. Hard to be in control of both in a park situation. These people prob don’t let their kids play in the grass cuz they know better …
Here’s the problem with people moving into the neighborhood and taking over the parks when there are functioning dog parks all over the place We’re letting these dogs off the leash and they think it’s okay just because your dog is nice to you does it mean your dog is going to be nice to everyone else I mean to enforce the leash law 94th present needs to do better
Really? Where are these functioning dog parks? McCarren is the only rat infested one that I know of.
There’s a nice big one at the corner of Metropolitan and Union.
Someone has since marked the signs “kid’s fault.” A dog who has the capacity to inflict ER-level harm and is prone to aggression shouldn’t be around a park/kids. Period. And some people shouldn’t own dogs.
100% correct on both. Hopefully someone on the community board will attend to this growing problem and do something about it. The list is growing here in N Greenpoint … : /
I moved back to Greenpoint 2 years ago and I am disgusted by all of the dog crap that litters our sidewalks, some people think it’s beneath them to pickup after their animals. I grew up here when dogs ran the streets and the streets were cleaner, please pickup after your fur babies!!!!
Dogs are out of control in Greenpoint.. feel like thousands of people bored during Covid all got dogs and have zero interest in properly training and taking care of them. Mcgolrick park is genuinely an open air cesspool of dog piss and skid marks. If it goes more than a few weeks without raining, the whole park reeks of ammonia. Thankfully parks department patrols somewhat regularly for leash violations, but they’re barely making a dent in the problem. Feel terrible for parents trying to let their kids play here – it’s literally a minefield of off-leash pitbull rescues running amok, or generally dragging their selfish/entitled owners around. I watched the other morning as someone, with unlimited space, walked their dog right up to the feet of the older guy that does tai chi, and let his dog drop a massive loaf literally 3 feet away. Feel bad for the dogs, feel bad for kids, feel bad for people who enjoy a clean, safe, peaceful park.
This !! I’ve watched dog owners let thier dogs take a massive dunk in front of people sitting outside dining ,right in front of a busy street and think it was okay … the rudest thing I’ve ever seen
Sadly this neighborhood is full of virtue-signaling dog adopters who do the “right thing” by rescuing dogs from pounds or adoption centers but DON’T FOLLOW THROUGH WITH TRAINING. I’ve been soft-bit twice this summer, once walking on Green Street (alone) and once in McCarren Dog Run. Both times was simply walking, not intentionally engaging with either dog. I babysit two dogs in the neighborhood weekly. The number of vicious dogs seems to have exploded. Too many owners scared of their own dog, oftentimes they’re pushing strollers with kids too. Not only do you need to train your dog, but the owners need training to maintain the appropriate behavior. I know it’s easier said than done but it’s part of what you signed up for.
Yes, lots of these offenders are likely trying to control both babies and dogs, and as you said well meaning with the pet adoption but no clue about how to care for a dog. What’s really scary is that they’d have these dogs co habitating with their kids. : O They really have no idea what they’ve taken on, unfortunately …
What people in GP need to learn is dog etiquette. There are so many stories in the comments of dogs being aggressive, but dogs don’t get aggressive unprompted. I walk my dog in McCarren Park and there are countless strangers who come up to my dog without asking, as if they’re entitled to pet my dog. You wouldn’t ever do that to someone’s child, so why is it okay to do that to someone’s dog? Not to mention, the dogs play off leash because the dog parks are a cesspool (e.g., lepto outbreak in the dog run that killed multiple dogs). If you leave someone else’s dog alone, they’ll leave you alone.
I’ve lived here almost ten years and I can’t tell you the amount of unprovoked dog attacks there have been due to dogs being off their leashes in places they shouldn’t be , or dogs on leashes so long the owner has no time to interfere /stop an attack because the dog is so ahead of them ….just because one dog park isn’t up to your standards doesn’t mean you can take over another park not meant for dogs , that’s a very entitled reaction , you go find another dog park ….and the petting thing sure but most people won’t just pet a strange dog … but you’d be shocked the amount of dog owners that have these dogs on leashes as long as the block letting them approach children and strangers laughing about it because they think everyone must love dogs right ??,their dog doesn’t bite them so why would it bite anyone else right ?…
Here’s a deal: people shouldn’t entitle themselves to pet your dog without asking, and you shouldn’t entitle yourself to let your dog run wild off leash. “If you leave someone else’s dog alone, they’ll leave you alone” is a comical, borderline delusional comment to leave under an article about *the distressingly common prevalence and uptick of -unprovoked- dog attacks*. If anyone wants an insight into the mind of people that are part of the problem, I feel like this is pretty illuminating. Sorry that the mccarren dog run needed to be cleaned by the city once – but feel free to encourage people to let their dogs run amok. No problem with some toddler skin and blood flying around as long as your perfect angel has everything it needs, right?
Perfectly articulates how this/similar dog owner’s arguments collapse under the weight of just astounding and shockingly oblivious entitlement.
And frankly, the incidence of off leash dogs/dogs with irresponsible owners is not only more frequent than poor dog etiquette, the danger is effectively impossible to mitigate. Meaning, a toddler approaches (toddles over; older children generally understand dog etiquette), you may at least have a chance to sternly alert the child or adult not to touch your dog, and your dog is on a leash that can be retracted. Versus: if a dog is off leash, no human is biologically capable of matching the strength or speed of an animal attack. Period. This story and others like it clearly illustrate that. How many more of these do we need to underscore that basic biology can yield devastating consequences?
It’s actually horrifying that anyone could advocate a position that encourages dog owners to go off leash — to the absolute sickening danger of others, especially kids. The absence of satisfactory dog runs does not thereby entitle you to endanger others.
There’s a reason we have a bright line rule when it comes to off leash dogs — rather than individually adjudicating, on the spot, whether every single dog is an angel (an aside: How do you even reliably determine that? You ask the owner, who will invariably and understandably report their dog is well behaved, rendering the whole adjudication process a worthless charade?), we’ve decided we cannot tolerate the unmitigateble and inherent danger of off leash dogs and we enshrined it into law. That’s the point: We’ve already considered the opposing views and struck the balance — it’s built into the rule.
Very, very well said. Virtually 100% of dog attacks see the same delusionally entitled quote from the owner in the aftermath: “they’ve never done this before!!”, or worse yet, blaming a child for existing in the presence of their out of control landshark.
If a kid runs up to an on-leash dog and gets bit, that’s still a bummer, but a completely different story, and one with a lot of nuance at that point, where it’s tricky to point fingers, and the parents of the kid are ultimately liable.. but off leash dog attacks are black and white. Anyone that thinks otherwise is doing mental gymnastics to justify their laziness, arrogance, and entitlement, and should honestly be locked up for negligence
Your assumption is absolutely untrue, and indicative of why there’s a problem here. If you let your dog run around in any public area w.o a leash, then YOU are responsible when someone gets bitten. PERIOD.
Perhaps a solution here is those who don’t want to be approached by an out of control dog should be carrying mace around for their own protection (and their companions/children/pets that ARE under leash control). Can’t believe I’m making the suggestion, but dog owner attitudes like yours prompt me to do so. After a couple aggressive dogs get mace in the face, perhaps the issue will resolve itself.
Use the damn dog runs – that’s what they’re there for! If you have an issue with those, then complain to your community board! That’s what they’re there for. Sheesh.
Multiple Asian women with dogs have reported being stalked and harassed because of these flyers. They’ve had deranged people show up at their building, demanding the doorman tell them what apt they live in. And others have reported people following them and screaming in their faces. There have been Asian women with dogs who have been terrified to leave their apt because they’re worried people think they’re responsible for the dog bite. One woman had her addressed doxxed on the Greenpoint Reddit because she matched the vague description of the flyers and Greenpointers posts.
Sorry these bites happened, but it has become a racially-motivated witch hunt that has damaged the community and the people who live here.
Greenpointers played a role in this as well by posting these vague descriptions and fueling this mass hysteria/vigilante justice and turning it into a “find the Asian woman with a dog” witch hunt. The initial flyers put by with the Greenpointers emails just had the description “young Asian female with dog,” that fits so many people and it turned us into targets. And the initial Greenpointer post also included the vague “young Asian female with dog” description.
This!!!! Greenpointers needs to take responsibility.