By Jeff Lipton
She knows that if the stray dogs plaguing her neighborhood see her small dog, they may move in for the kill and she will be caught in the middle of it.
She said for the past three to four years wild dogs, sometimes in packs of six and seven, including a pit bull and a German shepherd, have invaded the neighborhood. As far as Kerman knows, they have yet to attack people or neighborhood dogs, but they have killed a cat and a raccoon.
I've been here 20 years and it's really getting horrendous, said Kerman, who lives on Sutton Place South. I don't know what they're looking for but they're roaming the streets.
She believes they come from Rock Hall Road and Far Rockaway and mostly make an appearance at 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. She said when she walks her two-year-old Bichon named Bartholemew at night she is on the lookout for the strays. Her dog is like Rambo, she said, and will try to fight the much larger dogs, not realizing that they could rip him apart.
If they attack, God forbid, I was told to let go of his leash because they will come after me and I'll be surrounded and attacked, Kerman said.
She said she has called the authorities, but by the time they arrive, the dogs are usually gone. In addition, animal control officers don't work after hours and so it's hard to trap the animals when they actually come out and the stray dogs seem to realize this. She said she has also seen the dogs at 6:30 to 7 a.m. These are homeless dogs and they are vicious, she said.
I pay $22,000 in taxes and this is a horrible way to live in fear like this.
A pack of wild dogs roaming Sutton Park late at night and in the early morning has many other residents in the community on edge, not knowing if and when the stray dogs will strike. Particularly vulnerable are dog owners and families with young children who get ready for school in the morning.
Judith Freundlich, who has lived in Sutton Park for 20 years, is worried about her four children, ages two years old to eight years old. She said she has had to call the police when a stray dog jumped over her fence and into her backyard. The police used a tranquilizer gun to bring the dog under control and it still was wild after it was shot.
Unfortunately, we do have stray dogs coming into the neighborhood, and in packs, Freundlich said. She said she is frightened for her children, who if confronted by the dogs will panic. And when you panic in front of a wild dog, you're in trouble, she said.
We do have a lot of wild dogs, we definitely do, she said. It's scary for my kids.
She added that her children could hear the dogs howling at night and wake up scared, jumping into the bed with her for protection.
Sometimes, I feel bad for the dogs, Freundlich said, adding that many have been abandoned by owners and left to fend for themselves.
She said she also believes the dogs come into the community from Rock Hall Road, seeking food. She added that she has refused to get a dog for that reason and avoids walking in her neighborhood at night.
My main concern is for my children, she said. She said her children play outside and now that it's daylight savings time they will be out until about 8 p.m.
I think they come from Route 878, said Franca Volpi, who has lived on Lakeside Drive West for 10 years and has a seven-year-old teacup poodle named Toto. We have a gate and a lot of people leave the gate open.
She said the wild stray dogs could often be heard howling at night. I don't know what can be done about them.
There were a herd of dogs running around in our backyard. It's very disconcerting, said one man, who said about a year ago he heard a loud ruckus and screaming coming from his backyard and the next morning found that a raccoon had been ripped apart by the dogs.
Despite the trouble and panic the dogs have caused some of his neighbors, he said, I don't think it's an hysterical situation here.
Michael Perone, deputy administrator at the Village of Lawrence, described the problem of wild packs of dogs roaming the community as intermittent. He said his office has received only one complaint and that came about a week ago. He said when he gets calls on wild animals, he will arrange to set traps for the animals despite the time of day or night.
All they have to do is call us and we'll have the traps set up to solve the problem, he said. There's no problem with that. We're happy to try to solve the problem. We don't want wild animals around.
Many residents admitted they have never called village officials, even though they have been frightened by the sight or sound of the loose animals.
