A White woman was caught on video trying to lure an unleashed dog belonging to an Asian dog owner out onto the street to prove her point about her problem with unleashed pets in the city.
The woman also allegedly told the dog owner to go back to his "own country" during the encounter.
The viral video originally posted on the Public Freakout subReddit started with the woman already complaining about the unleashed dog and threatened to call the police on the dog owner.
The video was also shared by Nextshark on TikTok—where it went viral this week.
@nextshark Woman lures Asian Man’s dog onto traffic in NYC for not having leash. Link In Bio for more. #nyc #karensalert #stopasianhatecrimes
The dog owner filmed his confrontation with the woman – who appeared to be talking to another woman off-camera who was defending him.
The first woman argued with the lady who was out of frame:
"Have you never heard of a leash in the city? We'll wait for the police to clear it up."
The dog owner dared the first woman to follow through with her threat and to go ahead and call the police. In response, she crossed her arms and told him she was going to wait for an officer to come by instead.
Since he didn't catch her alleged racist remark on camera earlier, he asked her to repeat it.
"Which country should I go back to? Say it. Cat got your tongue?"
The woman suddenly clapped her hands and said to the dog, "C'mon puppy!" as she ran into the street in an attempt to have the pet follow her.
She failed the first time but when she made another attempt, the dog ran out into the street, forcing the man to run after his pet and bring it back to safety.
When the video resumed, the woman who was defending him said to the woman:
"You're actually instigating a dog to go to the middle of a highway? What kind of problem do you have, lady?"
"You insult someone of Asian descent … Why don't you go back [to] where you came from? Who are you? Leave people alone."
The clip ended with the woman approaching a parked NYPD vehicle and talking to the officer inside. It remained unclear if police eventually talked to the dog owner or if anything was resolved.
Reactions were mixed in the comments regarding the proper protocol of leashing pets in the city, but many took issue with the woman willingly trying to endanger the life of an animal.
Redditor SabeelRehman commented, "There's a way to tell someone to put a leash on their dog. This isn't it."
Similar reactions followed in the TikTok comments.
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
Some TikTokers said their reaction to the situation would have resulted in a different outcome.
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
People who were more disturbed by the woman's behavior and less concerned with unleashed pets weighed in with their thoughts.
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
Apparently, this woman has previously exhibited a lack of restraint.
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
@NextShark/TikTok
According to Raphaelson Levine, New York State does not have a state-wide leash law. These laws are determined by localities.
As a public safety measure, the city of New York requires all dogs to be on leashes that are no more than six feet long.
However, it is not up to another individual to enforce the rules by trying to get a dog killed to prove a point.