“Have you never heard of a leash in the city?” It’s a leading question that’s usually spoken out of compassion – especially in New York. The streets can be a dangerous place for dogs that aren’t properly leashed. Any pooch who strolls into traffic will find himself in a life and death situation. However, a recent confrontation showed that not everyone asking that question has a dog’s best interest in mind. The question was part of an argument between an aging white woman and an Asian-American man. The woman started to argue with the man about why his dog wasn’t on a leash. Again, this is a question usually issued out of compassion for a dog’s wellbeing. New York has well defined leash laws that seek to keep dogs safe in an area that’s often difficult for them to safely navigate. But that just makes the woman’s follow-up all the more disturbing. The elderly woman began the encounter by asking the younger gentleman if he’d ever “heard of a leash in the city”. The true reason for her anger would soon become apparent.
The man began filming her when it became clear that her problem had an underlying layer of racial bigotry. This is also the point where the man took out his phone to begin recording. And what he managed to capture is nothing short of disturbing. The woman had told the dog’s owner to go back to his “own country”. Now recording, the man asks the woman to repeat herself. He’s still keeping a sense of calm and his wits about him as he poses a follow-up question. He asks what country exactly he’s supposed to go back to. She’s obviously stymied by the approach. This leads him to use a little wordplay and ask if perhaps a “cat got your tongue?” The woman is clearly at a loss from that point on. She’d begun the confrontation with threats about calling the police. But it quickly becomes quite apparent that she herself is the real danger to everyone involved. After the man’s quick retort the elderly woman begins clapping her hands. And this wasn’t an impromptu admission that she’d been bested on the verbal front. No, this was the start of something far more sinister. She was trying to catch the unleashed dog’s attention.
The angry woman keeps trying this maneuver while walking further back into the path of traffic. The attempt doesn’t have much effect at first. But eventually, the dog does take note and begins to follow her. The dog’s owner is forced to take quick action and chase after him. It’s clear at this point that the woman is actually trying to kill the dog by luring it into traffic. Thankfully the dog’s owner is able to save it from the danger. The situation is helped even further by the fact that people in the area have now begun to take notice of the potentially deadly confrontation. One female bystander, in particular, takes a moment to state exactly what’s been going on. She decries the elderly woman’s racist accusations. The bystander also points out the fact that the woman had been trying to lure the trusting dog out into NYC’s highway traffic. The dog’s owner stops recording as the police arrive. Though it’s unclear exactly what may have happened at that point.
