Neighbors furious after man places pins around tree in Queens to deter dogs

ASTORIA, Queens (WPVI) -- Anyone who walks a dog in New York City knows that tree beds on the sidewalk are supposed to be off-limits to dogs doing their business.

But someone in Queens was so angry about dogs walking around their tree bed, they placed hidden hazards in the spot designed to hurt their paws. It's infuriating to pet owners in the neighborhood, WABC-TV reports.

A property owner put black plastic pieces mixed with pins in all three planters in front of his building.

Many push pins are mixed in with the shredded car tires in the bed around a tree on 23rd Street in Astoria.

The pins are apparently aimed at deterring dogs from using the tree.

They have injured at least one dog, whose owner posted a photo on a local Facebook group page.

After WABC-TV showed up in Astoria, so did the police.

They put up tape as a warning and started an investigation because it does seem as if some laws were broken.

Neighbors say the tacks aren't the owner's first attempt to keep dogs away, and the dog who got hurt isn't the first to get injured.

"It was about a month ago, we put her in this bed right there to go to the bathroom as usual," said a dog owner named Caitlin. "And she was sniffing around in it and I looked at her face and it was covered in blood."

Caitlin says there was glass in the tree bed, and not just a piece or two.

"I noticed it was a piece of glass and then went back to it and found more large shards of glass in it," she said. "Like sharp dagger pieces of glass."

A neighbor filed a complaint with the Buildings Department because of the push pins and we tried to reach out to the owner, but he has not responded.

"I'd like to be able to bring her out and not worry about her getting hurt while she goes to the bathroom," said Caitlin.

The area is right across from a new dog park at Hoyt Avenue South and 23rd Street.