Happy Fourth! Promidade

Last year's  fireworks photographed from the Brooklyn Promenade.

This week's news items of interest:

NYU Expansion Project Clears Final Legal Hurdle and Will Proceed [DNA Info]

Seal makes a splash in Bayside [Queens Chronicle]

Chair of NYC Council parks committee wants Trump contracts terminated [amNewYork]

Plan outlined for Totten remediation [Queens Chronicle]

Protesters clash at American flag burning at Brooklyn park [NY Daily News]

Videos Show 'Inconsistencies' in Woman's Dog-Napping Story, Sources Say [DNA Info]

[NY Daily News]

Police Arrest Violent Pit Bull Owner In Prospect Park Attacks

 The Police Criticized For Initial Slow Response 

"For a couple months we'd call and try to get updates and it was just impossible to get in touch with anybody taking responsibility for this,"  - Eric Barstad

The owner of a pitbull that has been attacking dogs in Prospect Park for months was arrested Monday morning, police said. Donnell Barden, 42, was arrested at 9:14 a.m. Monday morning and was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. Witnesses said Donnell Barden even joined in the attacks. He would beat the dogs with his cane and stabbed one with an ice pick, they said.  

Brooklyn

A violent dog owner who has allegedly unleashed his pit bull to terrorize other dogs in Prospect Park was arrested Monday, according to the New York Daily News.  

Witnesses said Donnell Barden, 42, even joined in the attacks. He would beat the victimized dogs with his cane and even stabbed one with an ice pick, they said.

In one instance, Barden ordered his dog to "Eat it! Eat it!" as he attacked, according to one horrified onlooker.

Barden was nabbed by cops at the corner of 15th St. and West Drive after dog owners in the park pointed him out to authorities. He’s charged with aggravated animal cruelty, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon, a small knife.


Police arrested Donnell Barden after Eric Barstad, 28, and some friends posted flyers around the park warning others about the attacks.  (Image: FIDO)  The attacked dog's owner filed a police report in May he then saw the pit bull's owner in the park and was able to point him out to cops but the cops referred him to the 78th Precinct and did not pursue the owner, according to ProspectHeights Patch.   "For a couple months we'd call and try to get updates and it was just impossible to get in touch with anybody taking responsibility for this," Eric Barstad, a friend of the lab/husky's owner, told the website.  That changed recently when a sergeant at the 78th precinct took over the investigation and gave his cell phone number to Barstad and his friends. 


In 1992, he pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges after he fired a gun in the direction of a NYPD cop, prison records show. The officer was hunting Barden after he tied up his old boss, put tape over his mouth and stole his credit cards.

Barden served seven years behind bars and was released in May 2010.

Over the past few months, he's been terrorizing Prospect Park dog owners, ordering his brown pit bull to attack other dogs and threatening to hurt their owners, according to multiple residents.

His arrest stems from a complaint filed on May 17 after Barden allegedly stabbed a dog brawling with his pugnacious pit bull. Barden also allegedly hit the dog's owner after he tried break up the fight.

The victimized dog, Stetson, was knifed nine times, but survived after he was rushed to a vet, a source said.

More recently, the dog attacked a three-year-old Doberman Pinscher, Brandon, and chomped at his tail.

Barden also grabbed the unsuspect collar in an attempt to block him from fighting back, according to Brandon's owner, Janice Brown.

"We're lucky no dogs have been killed yet," Brown said.

In February, Barden's dog attacked JoAnne Brown's 38-pound mutt named Gray.

"He went berserk," Brown recalled.

"My dog started humping his dog, and he just hit my dog with his cane."

In the last few days, Eric Barstad, 28, who is friends with many of the dog owners, posted flyers around the park warning others about Barden.

"We are incredibly relieved that police apprehended him. The park will definitely feel like a safer place tomorrow morning," he said.

The NYPD brought Barden's dog to Animal Care & Control, a spokesman for the animal group said.

Read More:

Violent dog owner unleashed pit bull on other dogs in Prospect Park: cops 

New York Daily News - August 5, 2013 - By Reven Blau 

Cops Arrest Knife-Wielding Owner of Prospect Park Attack Dog

ProspectHeights Patch -  August 6, 2013 - By Caitlin Nolan 

Dangerous Dog and Dog Owner 

ProspectHeights Patch - August 3, 2013 - By Waldo Iscariot 

Dogs Bite Boy And Park Police Officer In Separate Incidents

City-Wide

By Geoffrey Croft

An 11-year-boy was bitten by an unleashed pit bull last night in a Bronx park, and hours earlier a parks enforcement officer was bitten in Riverside Park in Manhattan while in the process of writing a summons to a dog owner for the same condition NYC Park Advocates has learned.   

These incidents come days after an unleashed dog was shot by police in Schmul Park in Staten Island on Saturday.

The 11-year old by was in Harding Playground on Bolton Avenue and Gildersleeve Ave in the Bronx at 7:30 yesterday evening when he was bitten in his left knee.

He was transported to Jacoby Hospital with his mother.  According to EMS the incident was listed as a "major injury."

The extent of his injuries are unknown at this time.

A Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officer was bitten yesterday morning in Riverside Park after observing two dogs running around without a leash. The incident occured at 9:30 at West 102nd St. 

The dogs belonged to two sisters who said the dogs were no harm to anyone.

Both women said they did not have identification on them. One of the siblings was issued a summons after the officer obtained a verbal Id. 

While in the process of writing a summons to the second sister her mixed German Shepard jumped on the officer's right leg and bit it, drawing blood. The other sister grabbed the dog and fled the scene. The dog did not have tags according to a law enforcement source.

Sarah Brandoff was transported to the 24 Pct where was written a Criminal Court Summons for the off-leash condition and released on her own recognizance.

The officer went to the hospital where she received two shots,  one for tetanus and rabies and will have to get another five shots.

The Department of Health was notifed as was Animal Care and Control. 

Police Shoot Dog in Staten Island Park

 "I always see these dogs off their leashes. It was just a matter of time before they attacked someone, even if it was the owner," said a witness who lives near the park.


(Image: WNBC)

Staten Island

The NYPD fired multiple shots at fighting pit bulls this afternoon in a Staten Island Park, the incident left one dog seriously injured. The dog, Baby Girl, was initially reported to be dead.

The newly opened Schmul Park near Wild Ave and Pearson St. was the scene of the shootout that also left a park patron bitten just after 1:oo pm. 

An off-leash dog got into a fight with two other dogs, it is unclear at this  moment if the other dogs were leashed.  

Law enforcement sources say a female dog owner was bitten by her own unleashed dog during the altercation. She was transported to Richmond University Medical center in stable condition. 

It was not  immediately known if the woman was issued a summons in connection with the incident.


Police block off Schmul Park in Travis following the dog shooting incident. (Photo: Bill Lyons)

- Geoffrey Croft

Read/View More:

Police shoot at dog at Staten Island's Schmul Park in Travis

Staten Island Advance  - April 6, 2013 - By Ryan Lavis 

SI cops shoot pit bull

New York Post - April 7, 2013 - By Daniel Prendergast 

Pit bull attack forces police to open fire

Eyewitness News - April 6,  2013 - Matt Kozar  

Police Shoot Down Pit Bull After Woman Is Attacked On Staten Island
CBS  - April 6, 2013

Unleashed Dog Attacked Another In Isham Park - Lack Of Enforcement Questioned

An unleashed dog mauled another in Isham Park in the Inwood section of Mahnattan last week, sparking cries from residents for greater enforcement of dog laws by the police. The owner of the dog, Ginger (above) was walking with her 16-month-old daughter when the attack occured. It took four people to pull the unleashed dog from Ginger and hold it down until police were able to remove it from the park. A man's hand was bitten during the incident. (Photo: DNAinfo)

A Park Ranger was attacked in Inwood Hill Park across the street by a dog on November 2010 stemming from an off leash condition.

Manhattan

An unleashed dog mauled another in an Inwood park last week, sparking cries from residents for greater enforcement of dog laws by cops, according to DNAinfo.

The attack happened as Isham Park was packed during unseasonably warm temperatures at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The owner of the dog, Ginger, was walking with the dog and her 16-month-old daughter when the attack happened.

It took four people to pull the dog from Ginger and hold it down until police were able to remove it from the park and bring it to Animal Care and Control in Harlem. ACC did not immediately respond to a request for information about the dog.

A man was bitten on the hand during the melee. The injured dog, Ginger, a 9-year-old rescue dog, sustained deep lacerations along her neck, head and right front leg and may have long-term nerve damage, according to its veterinarian.

Although the injured dog survived, the incident has reopened old wounds in the community with residents who say the police's response was inadequate and exemplifies a hands-off approach in enforcing leash laws in Inwood.

The victim’s owners Jackie Parrott, 36, and her husband Eugene Gologursky, 40, listed concerns about the police failing to immediately taking control of the aggressive dog, not clearing the park of bystanders, and failing to issue a written report.

“I’m always supportive of the police, but this time they acted irresponsibly,” Parrott said.

Police, however, say that they handled the situation appropriately, following protocol and protecting the public.

But 34th Precinct’s commanding officer Deputy Inspector Barry Buzzetti said, “In this instance, highly competent officers, one a detective and the other a qualified EMT, responded to a dangerous event and, with the help of a bystander, were able to resolve the situation with no further injuries being sustained."

He added that police attempted to clear the park of bystanders throughout the incident.

Witnesses said they saw a man thought to be the dog's owner flee the park. Police have not found him.

Since the incident, residents throughout Inwood have been sounding off on local parenting and dog owner lists, criticizing the police response and voicing concern over lax leash law enforcement in area parks.

“It has been established (through local politicians and by the press) that the 34th precinct refuses to pursue solving or even reporting crimes because the precinct commander does not want any documentation which can prove that crime is going up (as it absolutely is) rather than down in our neighborhood,” wrote one resident on a local dog email list.

He was referencing a 2010 case where police admitted to downgrading crime in the precinct.

“This is why they refused to even take a report or take further action regarding these crimes,” the commenter said.

Buzzetti, who was part of the team that responded to the incident, told DNAinfo that he respects the opinions of the residents, but is dismayed at their interpretation of the incident.

“It is extremely disconcerting that a dangerous event in which our personnel did their best job to protect the public and themselves, utilizing limited resources, would result in some members of the community calling those officers ‘corrupt’ and ‘lazy’,” he said.

According to Buzzetti, police filed three reports regarding the incident — one complaint and two dog bite reports. He said the precinct plans to continue working with the community to identify the owner of the dog that attacked.

“Isham Park has become an area where people can do whatever they want,” Parrott said.

“It is not a dog owner's individual decision about whether they need to leash their dog, yet I feel that the lack of enforcement in Isham Park is allowing just that,” Parrott added on a neighborhood email list.

“We should all be able to use the parks without fear of roaming dogs.”

Although the police can write tickets for off-leash dogs, police say it is not a priority in light of more serious crimes in the area.

Parks said they issued 31 summonses in Inwood Hill, Fort Tryon and Isham parks between Sept. 2011 and Feb. 2012, with five issued in Isham Park alone.

That is nearly three times the amount of summonses issued during the same time frame last year when 11 summonses were written between Sept. 2010 and Feb. 2012. Only one ticket was issued in Isham Park during that time frame.

“Owners are responsible for their pets,” Parks spokeswoman Vickie Karp wrote when asked if the department would be increasing patrols of the park in light of the incident.

For now, Parrott and Gologursky said they are focusing on helping their dog heal her wounds, but hope to see changes in the way that police handle cases like this in Inwood.

“We want them to find the guy,” Gologursky said. “And in the future, we just ask that the police handle things differently.”

Read More:

Dog Attack Sparks Criticism of Cops' 'Hands-Off' Policing on Leashes

DNA info - By Carla Zanoni - March 12, 2012

Central Park Dog Off Leash Policy Questioned - Suit Filed After Injury

A Walk In The Park - November 22, 2011

Elderly Brooklyn Woman Mauled In Prospect Park Vicious Dog Attack

A Walk In The Park - March 20, 2011

NYC's # 1 Off-Leash Scofflaw

A Walk In The Park - March 28, 2011

Dog Owners Carrying Weapons After Dog Attacks In Tompkins Square Park

Walk In The Park - December 16, 2010

Extra PEP Added In Washington Square Park Over Dog Killing Squirrel Incident

A Walk In The Park - November 28, 2010

Off-Leash Dogs Killing Squirrels In Washington Square Park

A Walk In The Park - November 26, 2010

Dog Killed in DiMattina Playground Dog Run

A Walk In The Park - October 2, 2010

Central Park Dog Off Leash Policy Questioned - Suit Filed After Injury

Nancy Chilton has no memory of what happened after she entered Central Park on July 27, 2010. But here's the version she has patched together from witnesses: As Ms. Chilton cycled through her second lap that morning, a dog darted in front of her bike.

Nancy Chilton sued the city, the Parks Department and the Central Park Conservancy last month after colliding with an off-leash dog in Central Park on the morning of July 27, 2010 and being seriously injured. A number people have been injured as a result of dogs being off-leash in the park. Unlike the drives in Prospect Park - dogs are apparently allowed to be off-leash on the roadways in Central Park. (Photo: Kevin Hagen for the Wall Street Journal)

"I'm not sure why we did not include the park drive" in the list of prohibited places for dogs to be off-leash, said Michael Dockett, assistant commissioner for urban parks services.

Manhattan

They collided, sending her flying over the handlebars and smashing into the pavement, cracking her helmet, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Emergency surgery removed part of her skull; she fractured her pelvis and spine and sustained permanent hearing damage. If not for doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, she said, "I wouldn't have survived."

Off-Leash Consequence, Sara D. Roosevelt Park - March 10, 2011. Humans aren't the only ones at risk. An off-leash dog was tragically killed after running into traffic and being struck by a vehicle. The beloved dog and owner had been in the lower Eastside park when tragedy struck. (Photo: © NYC Park Advocates)

In 2006 the Juniper Park Civic Association in Queens sued the Parks Department over its "courtesy" off-leash hours and its lack of enforcement of existing leash laws. The City in turn amended its health code and made off-leash hours official.

While serious accidents with dogs are rare, cyclists said, a handful occur every year on Central Park's increasingly crowded roadway, the 6.1-mile loop around the edge of the park that's a jumble of bikers, roller skaters, runners, dog walkers and even cars. It is legal to have dogs off their leashes there during designated hours, including between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., when cyclists and runners swarm—a policy officials are now starting to question.

"I think a lot of these owners are really, really foolish for letting their dogs run across the road or even letting them near the road," said Linda Wintner, who was hit by an unleashed pit bull while riding her bike through Central Park in April 2010 and suffered a mild concussion. "A dog's an animal. It might not listen."

Although a brochure on the Central Park Conservancy website urges people to keep their dogs "on a short leash" when crossing the drives, the admonition is intended "to be helpful and advisory, but not necessarily regulatory," said Dena Libner, a spokeswoman for the conservancy. "We try to avoid language that's 'no, no, no,' but in instances like this, when clarity is called into question, it's worth revisiting."

City officials, the Central Park Conservancy and dog advocacy groups agree that changes might be warranted. "I'm not sure why we did not include the park drive" in the list of prohibited places for dogs to be off-leash, said Michael Dockett, assistant commissioner for urban parks services. "We would probably take that under advisement and consider it."

A Common Sight In Prospect Park. A woman plays with her off - leash dog last week in the afternoon. The public often complains about lax enforcement of off-leash laws. A number of Parks Department employees, as well as members of the public have been attacked this year by off-leashed dogs. (Photo: © NYC Park Advocates) Click on image to enlarge.

By contrast, Prospect Park forbids dogs to be off-leash everywhere, including roadways, with the exception of three designated areas during the city's off-leash hours: Long Meadow, Nethermead and the Peninsula.

That "could be a really smart way of doing it," Ms. Libner said.

It would also clear up the current confusion among cyclists, dog owners and advocacy groups, some of whom insisted it was illegal already.

"Dogs are not allowed off-leash ever on the roadways simply because it's just too dangerous," said Bob Marino, president of the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups.

When told that the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Central Park Conservancy agreed that it was technically allowed, Mr. Marino said that he would favor a discussion about changing the regulation.

Regardless of the law, "it's absolutely ludicrous behavior for a dog owner to have their dog off the leash on a roadway," he said.

Still, on a recent morning in Central Park just before 9 a.m. a handful of dogs, large and small, trotted along the road with no leashes.

Lizzy Klein said she moved to the Upper East Side to take advantage of Central Park's off-leash laws with Mimosa, who is half German Shepherd and half Husky. "There's not really many other ways in New York to get a big dog like this to get the exercise," she said, adding that she normally took Mimosa to the North Meadow and that she was well-trained.

When told there had been a series of accidents involving cyclists and dogs on roadways, Ms. Klein frowned.

"That's a bummer," she said. "I think it probably depends on different dogs. I mean, she's 8 years old, so the only thing that gets her to do something erratic is a squirrel."

That is exactly what caused a dog to bolt across the road in 2009 into the path of Theresa van Vugt, who was leading a bike ride into the park. As Ms. van Vugt, a triathlon coach, turned toward Tavern on the Green, she heard someone "screaming, 'No, no, no!'" she said.

Then she spotted a squirrel scurrying across the road, and a golden retriever in pursuit.

In the collision, Ms. van Vugt said she fractured her elbow, wrist, hand and three ribs. Her knee later required surgery and she suffers from permanent nerve damage, she said. "I've never had that many parts of my body hurt all at once all at the same time," she said.

She has since witnessed several other crashes, she added, and heard about others from friends who compete, coach and train in the park. "It's probably something we hear about on a monthly basis," said Ms. van Vugt. Not every owner even stops, she said, and one dog owner cursed at her when he overheard her warning other cyclists about off-leash dogs.

Use of roadways has become an increasingly contentious issue in the city's parks, as the number of users rises.

Although Prospect Park has largely avoided dog-and-cyclist collisions, an accident this summer involving a cyclist and a pedestrian that left a woman with serious brain injuries prompted park officials to convene a working group in September to address safer ways to share the roadway.

Last week, officials instituted a pilot program to increase safety on the roads, including narrowing the vehicle/cycling traffic to one lane and posting more signs warning cyclists to be aware of pedestrians.

The park is "trying to strike a balance that leaves everybody feeling safe and comfortable and accommodates all these different needs," said Prospect Park spokesman Paul Nelson, who said that there have been four accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians since June.

Ms. Chilton, 51 years old, was cleared by her doctors to ride again last month. But though she was an avid cyclist for 20 years, she said she has no plans to mount a bike again any time soon.

"I would never ride in Central Park," she said. Seeing the off-leash dogs "just makes me too nervous. I just couldn't do it."

Last month, Ms. Chilton filed a lawsuit against New York City, the Central Park Conservancy and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, claiming that they failed to create and publicize safe off-leash laws. The city Law Department declined comment.

She said she hopes that officials clarify the rules—and enforce them.

"I would ask that they go out there at 7 in the morning and see all the people that could come to harm if there are no rules," she said. Posting signs around the roads "seems like something that would be pretty easy to do to make it safer."

Read More:

Central Park Leash Policy Questioned

The Wall Street Journal - November 22, 2011 - By Sophia Hollander

NYC's # 1 Off-Leash Scofflaw

LOAD OF BULL: William Carrasco with his pit bulls. Mr. Carrasco was slapped with five tickets for letting his dogs off-leash in Tremont Park during three separate incidents in 2009. He now owes $8,000 in tickets. More than 3,040 dog owners were ticketed for letting their dogs roam off-leash in 2009 and 2010, ECB records show. Another 13 were busted for multiple offenses.

(Photo: Angel Chevrestt)

Bronx

This guy’s dogs have gone wild.

A Pennsylvania man with an itch for letting his pit bulls loose in Bronx parks is the city’s top dog scofflaw, owing $8,000 in tickets for parading his pets around public parks without their leashes, according to the New York Post.

William "Willie" Carrasco, 43, of Bethlehem, PA, was slapped with five tickets for letting his dogs prance around untethered in Tremont Park during three separate incidents in 2009, according to city Environmental Control Board records.

The rogue ruffs are "Precious," 11, a pit bull-Boxer mix with freckles and plenty of girth, and "Spartacus," 9, a pit bull-Labrador mix with white fur and black patches.

Carrasco said he was just trying to help his doggies’ digestion by letting them off their leashes.

His babies need to run around before they feel nature’s call, the unemployed father said.

"You don’t just eat and do it right away. You have to go out and walk around," said Carrasco, who sleeps with his dogs and treats them like family.

Dogs must be on a leash in parks 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. They are allowed to roam free in designated parks in the early morning hours, along with dog runs.

Tickets issued by parks officers start at $100 and grow to $2,000 for multiple offenses.

Carrasco admitted to being slapped with fines for hanging out in Tremont Park after closing time. He paid those tickets, but didn’t have the dough for the other ones and shoved them in a shoebox, he said.

More than 3,040 lax dog owners were ticketed for letting their dogs roam off-leash in 2009 and 2010, ECB records show. Another 13 were busted for multiple offenses.

The city slapped the dastardly dog owners with $425,860 in fines from the incidents.

Letting fido run free may seem natural enough, but harried hounds have bit parkgoers, drowned in lakes or gotten hit by cars while leash-free, said Geoffrey Croft of New York City Park Advocates, a watchdog group.

"The public should be able to walk through a park without being attacked or scared by an animal," Croft said.

The city officially made early-morning off-leash hours legal in 2007. But the roaming rights only apply to designated parks, and wild areas, ball fields and playgrounds are off limits.

Read More:

8G paddle for No. 1 off-leash scofflaw

New York Post - March 27, 2011 - By Heather Haddon

Elderly Brooklyn Woman Mauled In Prospect Park Vicious Dog Attack

STUNNED: Terrified Yuk Ho Chan, 80, sits on the grass in Prospect Park yesterday, bloodied and holding her dentures after being attacked by two dogs in her hands and face. The unidentified owner was issued two summonses for failing to have a city Health Department-issued license and failure to control a dog after the 7:40 a.m. incident. The Health Department recored 3,609 bites in 2010. (Photo: G.N. MILLER/NY Post)

Brooklyn

An elderly Brooklyn woman was mauled in a terrifying, unprovoked Rottweiler attack as she took an early morning walk through Prospect Park yesterday, according to the New York Post.

"I was just walking on the sidewalk [inside the park], and two dogs ran after me. They attacked me on the hands and face," the still-trembling, 80-year-old victim, Yuk Ho Chan, told The Post after she was released from Methodist Hospital.

"They were clawing at my face."

The dogs were on a leash, as per the park's regulations, but the unidentified owner was issued two summonses for failing to have a city Health Department-issued license and failure to control a dog after the 7:40 a.m. incident.

The owner was allowed to leave with the animals.

"It was very scary. I didn't know what happened," said Yuk, who had dried bloodstains smeared on her jacket. "He [the owner] couldn't control the dogs. They were mean-looking and they were furious."

Yuk, who lives across the street from the park, was bitten out of the blue about 100 yards from the 15th Street entrance on Prospect Park West.

Police sources said the dogs' owner managed to pull them off Yuk, who collapsed to the ground bleeding from her hands and the left side of her head.

The Health Department will decide the fate of these dogs.

The city's most vicious breed -- measured by the number of bites on humans reported last year -- was the pit bull, with 815 reported chompings, The Post first reported.

That's nearly a quarter of the 3,609 bites recorded in 2010 by the Health Department. The pit bull was followed by the Rottweiler, Shih Tzu and Chihuahua.

Read More:

Granny mauled Prospect Park Rottweiler fury

New York Post - March 20, 2011 - By Joe Walker, Doug Auer and Cynthia R. Fagen

Dog Owners Carrying Weapons After Dog Attacks In Tompkins Square Park

John Juback, 62, an actor who lives in the East Village, has taken to carrying a serrated kitchen knife when he walks his dog, Jesse, a foxhound terrier mix, after he and his pet were attacked by a pit bull in Tompkins Square Dog Run on Oct. 27. Juback said his beloved dog was bitten on the left jowl, requiring $215 worth of medical attention. When he intervened, Juback himself was bitten on the left cheek, which resulted in a bloodied face and a painful series of rabies shots.

Manhattan

Some East Village dog owners have taken to carrying knives and other weapons when they visit the Tompkins Square Dog Run after a recent spate of pit bull attacks there left them fearing for the lives of their pets
, according to DNAinfo.

Users of the dog run in the northeast corner of Tompkins Square Park say there have been at least five attacks since September on both pets and humans by pit bulls — a breed known for its strength and for locking its jaws on its victims.

When asked to confirm the pit bull attacks, a Parks Department spokesman said Tuesday that his agency had met with NYPD and community groups to address the issue and added that Parks Enforcement Patrol officers and undercover units had been dispatched to patrol the area in response.

John Juback shows where he holds his kitchen knife, which he carries to protect against pit bull attacks. (Jordan Heller/DNAinfo)

Still, some East Village dog owners are on edge.

John Juback, 62, an actor who lives in the East Village, has taken to carrying a serrated kitchen knife when he walks his dog, Jesse, a foxhound terrier mix, after he and his pet were attacked by a pit bull in Tompkins Square Dog Run on Oct. 27.

Juback said his beloved dog was bitten on the left jowl, requiring $215 worth of medical attention. When he intervened, Juback himself was bitten on the left cheek, which resulted in a bloodied face and a painful series of rabies shots.

"Now, whenever I walk Jesse, I have a kitchen knife in my pocket," said Juback. "If I was in the same situation again I would stab the pit bull in the neck or the chest as much as I could. ... I will not stand there and watch my dog potentially be killed."

Another dog owner who refused to give his name for fear of law enforcement reprisal admitted to carrying a knife into the dog run.

"You go through the list of options on how to protect your dog in the event of a pit bull attack and I felt a knife was the only option," he said. "Their jaws lock, you can't beat them and have them let go, so, yeah, I carried a knife — I just want to protect my dog."

Contrary to popular belief, pit bulls jaws do not lock, but the breed is known for holding on to its victims, and a string of recent attacks have given some East Village dog owners reason to fear.

Dr. Sally Haddock, 56, the owner of St. Marks Veterinary Hospital said a distraught couple came into her East Ninth Street practice on Sept. 8 after their Doberman pinscher was attacked by a pit bull in the dog run. The owners were also bloodied in the fight, she said — the woman claimed she was bitten on her breast and the man sustained a bite wound.

Eileen Bertin, 40, who owns a Brussels griffon named Gideon, said she knows of two people who carry knives into the run and one person who brings a 12-inch metal rod.

"Every animal is unpredictable, but with the pit bulls ... they're very strong, and a lot of them are rescue dogs, so they have a history," said Bertin. "You look at them and think, 'that dog could kill my dog in two seconds.'"

Garrett Rosso, 52, a member of Friends of First Run, a volunteer organization dedicated to the beautification and maintenance of the Tompkins Square Dog Run, said he knows of over a dozen people who have been carrying knives or hammers following the recent attacks.

While he was alarmed by recent events, he lamented hearing of owners willing to use lethal force on dogs.

"I heard two reasonable people discussing picking up a shovel and bringing it down on a dog's neck like this," said Rosso, who grabbed one of the metal pooper-scooper shovels kept inside the dog run to illustrate.

Dr. Haddock dismissed the idea that pit bulls were worse than any other breeds.

"Anytime you have a dog run you have dog bites," she said, adding that if you're going to go to a dog run you do so at your own risk.

Jack Morer, another member of Friends of First Run, a park regular and owner of an English setter named Savannah, said that while he hasn't resorted to carrying weaponry, he understands why others have.

"If a dog latches onto my dog, I will do whatever I have to do to save my dog's life — up to and including killing the dog that is trying to kill my dog," he said.

In addition to knives and hammers, Morer said he knows of one dog owner who armed himself with a billy club.

Locals blame Robert Shapiro, the owner of Social Tees Animal Rescue, an animal shelter on East Fourth Street that finds homes for unwanted dogs — including pit bulls.

While Morer believes Shapiro does good work, he said he has seen a number of the animal rescue volunteers bring rescued pit bulls to the dog run even though they don't know how to handle the animals. One pit bull from Social Tees was involved in a fight at the Tompkins Square Dog Run in the summer, prompting Morer to ask Shapiro to stop the dogs from coming to the run.

Shapiro, 54, said that after the summer incident he stopped letting volunteers walk pit bulls and warned new owners not to take them into the run. 

But once in a while, he said, people are going to walk into Tompkins Square Park with a pit bull they adopted from Social Tees.



"If I'm the primary shelter, it's gonna happen," Shapiro said. "It's their dog, it's their property, but I'm the fall guy for this. All I can do is tell them not to take the dogs into the dog run."

Shapiro defended the pit bull breed, saying, "most pit bulls are totally fine like any other breed. The dogs we get are so friendly."

But even he supported a full ban on the breed entering the Tompkins Square Dog Run in light of recent events. He said the ban would help clear pit bulls' reputation.

"The problems will still be there," he said, "but they'll have to blame somebody else for them." 



Now locals are pushing for education to prevent future incidents. Rosso invited Drayton Michaels, an expert on pit bulls, to visit the Tompkins Square Dog Run at 11 a.m. on Dec. 18 to talk to the community about the breed.



"He's going to educate people on how to spot aggression and prevent fights from happening," said Rosso. "He'll also talk about how to responsibly break up a fight when one dog has latched onto another."

Khalid Haaziq, 29, who owns two rottweilers, thinks violent tendencies in dogs are a mixture of nature and nurture.

"These dogs could be raised for evil, too," he said, gesturing to his two dogs while walking through Tompkins Square Park last week. "But you can train them — and you can breed the evil out of them, too."

Read More:

Dog Owners Carrying Knives After Pit Bull Attacks at Tompkins Square Park

DNAinfo - December 15, 2010 -By Jordan Helle