large dog living in Prospect Park

Spotted a healthy-looking beautiful brown mastiff in Prospect Park this morning (in the Nethermead to be exact). Not aggressive at all but won't let you get close. Sean Casey Animal Rescue said the dog has been living in the park for 3 years now, eluding capture. A dogwalker told me the dog gets fed and sleeps in a parking garage at night. Has anyone else seen this dog or know anything else, like which garage?

I've seen it up close and it looked very healthy--great body size and muscle tone plus shiny, healthy coat. I've seen it (and so have others I know) in the fenced in area on the south side of the path from the dog beach to the Nethermead, the steep incline portion. It definitely had no interest in my treats and I think came kind of close because it was interested in my dog.

Last time I heard about it, the version I got was that it has owners that just let it hang in the park (apparently Sean Casey folks had followed it home), but maybe that was the garage.

If you want to do something for the dog, SC may tell you where the garage is. I would just try asking them.

If you find out anything more about this, please share.

I contacted Sean Casey after seeing the dog. They said it's been in the park for 3 years but they haven't heard of it sleeping in the parking garage. Not sure where the woman from the park heard that. I'm waiting to hear back from the Parks Department. Hopefully I'll learn more and then I'll post a follow up.

I work at Prospect Park and know about/have twice seen the dog you are talking about. He does not sleep in any facility in the park.

any photos?

No photos here but it looked like a pure cane corso, either blue or brown brindle, I don't remember which. He's pretty elusive--I know plenty of folks who spend almost as much time as I do in the park (and in that area) that have never seen him.

Why do you want to know where he sleeps? Sounds like he's pretty content.

I'd never heard of a Cane Corso, but that's exactly what he looks like. Brown brindle. I've seen him on Quaker Hill, near Center Drive and also on Lookout Hill. We agree with Sean Casey and think he lives outside the park as he looks quite healthy, clean, and has a collar. He does not look like a stray.

He is not friendly, but he has never been aggressive or chased joggers, horses, or other dogs, as far as I know.

I am looking at him now... How do I upload photos? Can I do it from iPhone? He's big, looks like a brown bear!

you have to uploand photos to photobucket (or another service) first. Then link to photobucket.

...or just email them to me and I'll put 'em up.

See you PM for my email.

As per the BurgerKing, here is the stray:

Looks like a big one!

Not as big as a Yetti, or a wild bore.

Not as fun as a chupacabra. ....but I will take what I can get.

...the hunt is on!

Too lazy to start a new thread, but since Sean Casey's was mentioned here, I'll share an email I just got about donating stuff to them (which I plan to do tomorrow):

"Sean Casey's New York Animal Rescue & Hamilton Dog House would appreciate used blankets, towels, old leashes and toys. Bag what you have and bring it to Coffee Bark tomorrow morning and we'll see that he gets it right away."

Coffee Bark happens on the south side of the Picnic House from approximately 8-9am.

I saw this dog at 6am on Center Drive on a dark morning in late October. He was very aggressive, and was actually following me slowly, matching my pace as if I were prey while growling. His head was low and his shoulders were up and he looked like a panther. I was a professional dog walker for years, and I have never been so frightened of a dog. I thought he would maul me if I tried to run away faster. That dog could easily kill a curious kid.Luckily, a guy came by with his dog and the dog stopped following me. I told the police, and to my surprise they took me seriously and went to check it out right away. I guess that's because they're familiar with the dog. He's not so friendly with people at dawn (neither am I) and his owners seem pretty negligent if they exist.

This shows how much the Park cares about enforcing off-leash rules, when nobody official seams to care about an owner-less dog roaming all over the park.

If the dog strays into LaGuardia's flight path, the Feds will take care of him.

Avoiding capture for 3 years is no small feat.

...maybe the poor geese could learn from him.

I think the first thing we should do is name him.

...I'll then get t-shirts printed up, like they have for Champ (the monster that lives in Lake Champlain), and all of the other places that have monsters.

Let's call him "Piglet"

I was thinking something like Hermit, or " Hermy" to those who have seen him.

Hermy's kind of cute. Takes the edge off a large, possibly scary dog. When I saw him, he kept stopping and sitting on the hills in the Nethermead, watching me from above. Very majestic fellow.

Let's take it seriously as AnnaPine's post suggests. Truly, this is no joke.

If this dog is surviving in the Park with no aid (like sleeping in a garage or being fed regularly) then he or she has a hard life.If Park employees are taking care of this dog in the Park they are doing it no service and violating the set of rules that governs how "owned" dogs can be exercised in the Park. If there really is an owner out there that is "letting" this dog live its life in the Park I don't understand how that is a dog owner at all.

Veets, I think we all agree on that. ...and predict that readers will try to engage Hermy in an attempt to get him into a rescue organization, or into the custody of the ASPCA.

...a feral dog is not something that the unexperienced and unequipped should try to secure.

I predict this is why the park employees have not caught pursued him: Hermy may be fast and rather large for the average park worker to cope with.

Sometimes it's tough to get the Animal Control people and the dog in the same place at the same time. The city seems to save its limited supply of tranquilizer darts for the occasional tiger in harlem.

http://articles.cnn.com/2003-10-04/us/nyc.tiger_1_antoine-yates-wild-animal-apartment-building?_s=PM:US

If they take the dog to Animal Care and Control he'll be killed, I guarantee it. If anyone has any ideas of helping this dog make sure it involves a local rescue not the city shelter or you're condemning him to death.

It's like the Loch Ness Dog.

The dog is NOT being cared for by parks employees, and rest assured the park does not want a dog roaming through the park, especially in the woodland areas. When there are animals that need to be captured and are not friendly and could possibly be dangerous, Animal Control is called.

For AC to capture this dog, it would require them to come to park, and essentially perform a stake out as he's not always in the park or visible. Considering he does not approach people (at least in a friendly way), I imagine they would have to shoot him with a sedative. If he is aggressive at the pound and they cannot locate an owner (if there is one) they will most likely put him down. To my knowledge, the dog has not attacked any horse, dog, or person, so it is unlikely that anyone is going to spend the time/funds needed to capture the dog.

Next time anyone is followed by the dog and he is acting aggressively, please report it. If it's an emergency situation and you truly feel threatened, call 911, if you have left the area and didn't feel like you were in danger, but you were concerned about the dog acting aggressively towards you or your dog, please call 311.

Would that Brooklynianites cared as much for people in need as they do a possibly homeless dog......

How do you know they don't Bricktop, why the cynicism and negativity? There have been threads about people helping a homeless man too.

I'm with you Mama. Help who or what you like, as you like. (And thank you, if you're helping someone or some thing other than your self.)

But...we should stay on topic. If you're interested in the dog in the park, post away!

FIDO just put out a notice about a search on Saturday for a new-ish-ly adopted dog who came from a feral colony in the Rockaways, and another dog new to Bklyn who slipped his collar in Marine Park. They're on Facebook or

http://www.fidobrooklyn.org/rescue/adoption.html#lost

Saw this guy a little while ago, in the same area I always see him. He looked to be frolicking in the snow, having a blast until he spotted us and then bolted away. He must be cold (such short hair), but looked good and ran beautifully through the snow.

ACC will probably never do anything about this. They are understaffed as it is now. You may try contacting Regina Massaro from SNIP. I know that she helped rescue a lot of feral dogs in years past. She is trained and knows how to do it. I have never met her but I hear that she does good work. Her e-mail address is: [email hidden]

Here is an article that I found about her: http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/newsletter/07-08/apo.htm

It also looks like Bobbi and the Strays has done work with feral dogs. Here is their website: http://www.bobbiandthestrays.org/

my be you shoulde leave it alone or he will b killed by cops or some feds bull wow if i see i will get it to come home with me i will look is it a bull mafv???? brown