On Vale Place, Residents Feel Bitten by Dog Owner

People in Rye love their dogs. But they don’t all love other dog owners, especially ones that don’t keep control of their four legged family members.

Three residents of Vale Place (just off Milton Road) spoke at the “open mic” session during Rye City Council earlier this week to recount an intractable situation in their neighborhood where one neighbor with a “huge” black shepherd dog that, by their accounts, has been repeatedly off leash; charging, attacking, and biting.

(VIDEO, below: An aggressive dog encounter on Vale Place in Rye, New York on January 20, 2025.)

“We don’t know where to turn at this point, we’ve called the police so many times,” said Vale Place resident Karen Lake, before describing when walking out of her house with her dog, the black shepherd charged and attacked her dog.

It’s a huge black shepherd that I thought was going to actually really hurt my dog and then myself in the process. But this has been going on for years on our street… People have been bitten, dogs have been bitten, children have been bitten, but we don’t know where to turn at this point.”

Rye Corporation Counsel Kristen Wilson described the local code Chapter 76 – its protections and limitations. Penalties for offenses are fines between $25 – $100 only. Public Safety Commissioner Mike Kopy, who was familiar with the Vale Place issue, was sympathetic.

“Unfortunately, the police department is literally handcuffed here,” said Kopy. “We would like to take action, but the state law does not allow us to commence a criminal action for a matter that’s considered a petty offense, and that’s what this is. And so there is what I would term outstanding evidence. I received this, I reviewed it. There’s certainly nothing wrong with it, and clearly shows a dog running off the property, barking and running back, at least in that matter. That said, similar to leaf blowers, these matters, petty offenses, have to be witnessed by an officer.”

Vale Place resident Sue Melfi said that she and her dogs have been charged by the same dog. “It has bitten children, numerous children.”

Wilson also discussed the options around a “dangerous dog” hearing, something recently outlined by our MyRye.com columnist, retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin (see Holding Court: Good Boy, Bad Doggy).

“I’m a father of two young daughters,” said Dave Cotten, the third Vale Place resident speaking at the Council meeting. “I have to play with my children in the street with mace [to protect them].”

Not New

In early January, two residents attended a City Council meeting to plead for assistance after recent dog attack incidents. And in a letter, another resident recounted being bitten by a dog. 

Officials including Wilson offered to meet privately with Lake, Melfi and Cotten to discuss what can (and cannot) be done.