“I’ll get you, my pretty – and your little dog, too!”

New York, N.Y. – The Wicked Witch of the West may have terrorized Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but this week on Roosevelt Island, it seemed a new ‘Wicked Witch’ was targeting a different little dog.

In The Wizard of Oz, Miss Almira Gulch, portrayed by Margaret Hamilton, famously threatens Dorothy’s dog, Toto, with the line, “I’ll get you, my pretty – and your little dog, too!” After a run-in between Miss Gulch and Toto, the small dog escapes and leads Dorothy on a journey to Oz. The Wicked Witch of the West, strikingly similar to Miss Gulch, resumes her menacing threats in the magical land.

But Toto wasn’t the only dog dodging threats.

A dog resembling Toto slipped from its leash on Roosevelt Island this week to play with another dog. Unfortunately, this innocent moment was interrupted by the other, larger dog’s owner who shouted, “Stop him, or I’ll kick him! Get him away or I will kick him!”

Unfazed by this NYC version of the Wicked Witch, the dog’s owner and good Samaritan, implored, “Why do you need to be such a bitch?” and followed up with a sharp, “You are very unpleasant.” The retort from the agitated woman? “I’m sorry you feel that way!” – hardly a comeback that diffused the tension.

What followed was more chilling than a Halloween trick.

Shortly thereafter, the woman’s husband, caught on the dog owner’s Ring video camera, pounded on the door, fuming, “You called my wife a bitch?!” The dog owner denied it on a technicality, but the man wasn’t backing down. “Yes, you called my wife a bitch!” he screamed. “I will kill you – and your dogs!”

Shaken but not intimidated, the dog owner shut the door. Adding a petty twist, the man stole a “Dog Dads” magnet from the door before walking away, all captured on film.

Disturbed by the escalating threats, the dog owner filed a police report with the New York City Police Department, charging the man with Felony Intimidation and Felony Criminal Threats, which includes “Threat of physical injury to another person or serious damage to property (including animals),” along with a charge of Petit Larceny for the stolen magnet.

The police acted swiftly, interviewing both parties.

The dog owner was advised to hold onto the leash more tightly in the future, the woman was warned against threatening to harm animals, and her husband was informed that intimidation, criminal threats, and theft would not be tolerated on Roosevelt Island.

It seems even outside Oz, we still have to deal with wicked witches and their henchmen—but this time, justice had the final word.

Roosevelt Island Dog Owner Threatened: “I Will Kill You and Your Dogs!” (Sept. 7, 2024)

#RooseveltIsland, #DogOwnerRights, #NYCDrama, #AnimalWelfare, #NeighborhoodDisputes

Tags: Roosevelt Island, dog incident, criminal threats, NYPD, neighbor dispute, animal rights, pet owner safety