Amy Cooper, who called cops on Black birdwatcher, gets dog back
Animal rescue thanked the concerned public and reported that the dog is in good health
Amy Cooper, the white woman who was dubbed #CentralParkKaren after calling the police on a Black man who asked her to leash her dog, has gotten her beloved pooch back.
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Amy Cooper, the white woman who was dubbed #CentralParkKaren after calling the police on a Black man who asked her to leash her dog, has gotten her pooch back.
The former Franklin Templeton executive surrendered the animal back to the original adopting shelter while the incident was being investigated by authorities.
READ MORE: Amy Cooper should be arrested for blatantly lying to police, endangering black people everywhere
Cooper adopted the dog from Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue several years ago. The rescue group noted in a Facebook post last month that she “voluntarily surrendered the dog” after a video showing her jerking and choking her pet during the confrontation with a Black birdwatcher.
On Wednesday, Abandoned Angels said they agreed to return the dog to Cooper upon her request, PEOPLE reports.
“The dog was promptly evaluated by our veterinarian, who found that he was in good health,” wrote the group on Facebook.
“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.”
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As theGrio previously reported, Christian Cooper, no relation to Amy, was out bird-watching in an area of the park where birdwatchers can catch a glimpse of some of the approximately 230 species found in the woods.
Because of that, dogs are to be on a leash at all times in the area.
Amy’s dog was not, and Christian asked her to place him on its leash. She refused and aggressively confronted the Harvard graduate. To that end, Christian instinctively began to record his encounter with Amy as their back and forth escalated.
In a Facebook post, shared by both he and his sister Melody Cooper, the woman demanded that he stop filming her. She then told him that she was going to call the police and falsely tell them that an African American man was threatening her life.
The viral clip shows her then backing away from the man and making good on her threat to weaponize the police against him.
The footage sparked outrage and debate across social media about race relations, and Amy was quickly fired from her job at the investment management company Franklin Templeton. She ultimately apologized for overreacting during her moment with Cooper.
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