amy cooper dog

Amy Cooper just got her dog back after racist Central Park incident

Amy Cooper, the white woman who now famously called the authorities on a Black man for asking her to leash her dog in Central Park early last week, has now gotten said dog back into her possession — and people are not happy about it.

Cooper was suspended and then fired from her investment firm job, and also lost her rescued Cocker Spaniel over the incident, during which she told birdwatcher Christian Cooper that she was going to call the police on him and "tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life" because he asked her to put her pet back on its leash, as per park rules.

During the whole confrontation, Cooper was shown on video holding and dragging the canine firmly by its collar as it struggled and flailed around, essentially choking it out for more than one minute.

And now, after complaining to the rescue that confiscated the dog, Cooper has apparently been given the dog back just 10 days later.

Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc. made a Facebook post on Wednesday explaining that they had indeed released the pup back to Cooper after consulting with local police.

"Abandoned Angels would like to express its gratitude for the outpouring of support regarding the dog that was recently placed in our custody, following (the) release of a troubling video that was brought to our attention," the post reads.

"We have coordinated with the appropriate New York City law enforcement agencies, which have declined to examine the dog or take it into their custody. Accordingly, and consistent with input received from law enforcement, we have now complied with the owner's request for return of the dog."

Because of Cooper's abhorrent behaviour toward her dog and most importantly, toward a fellow human during the encounter, residents are up in arms about this latest update. 

Many are saying that it is just yet another glaring example of the white privilege that Cooper tried to invoke in the viral video in the first place.

"Lemme tell you how whiteness works," one Twitter user wrote in response to the news. "After intentionally trying to get a black man killed by filing a police report, Amy Cooper asked for her previously confiscated dog back. And got it."

"She should be in jail. She falsely reported a crime," another wrote. "In light of current events (and repeated past events) willfully endangered an innocent man’s life, and was choking her dog."

And yet another said "That's disgusting! That dog was being abused! Poor pup was probably terrified to go back!"

The video of Cooper, who lives in New York City and attended university in Waterloo, Ontario, has been viewed more than 44 million times and has served as one of countless examples of overt racism against people of colour in recent days.

After the incident, along with tragedies like the death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement in Minnaeapolis and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet after a run-in with Toronto officers, demonstrations against race-based police brutality and anti-Black systemic racism continue to take place across the continent.

Lead photo by

@MelodyMCooper


Latest Videos



Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in News

Someone just spotted one of the weirdest looking fish washed up in Canada

Bear in Calgary caught eating Halloween pumpkins while residents were sleeping

Vancouver woman shoved out of bus after spitting on a fellow passenger

Air Canada and WestJet bicker over plans to refund airline tickets

Poppy donation boxes in Canada will soon take credit cards

COVID internment camps in Canada don't exist despite what you might have heard

Canada won't be having a snap election this fall

Someone is setting fire to toilet paper at Walmart stores in Canada