Moose the dog will get his own memorial tree in Prospect Park on May 5

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

Moose, the young dog that died last year following an unprovoked attack in Prospect Park, will have his short life memorialized with a commemorative tree at the Third Street playground.

Friends of the pup’s owner Jessica Chrustic organized a GoFundMe for a tree to be planted in honor of the two-year-old golden retriever mix. The campaign raised roughly $5,500, surpassing the $4,500 goal.

Prospect Park was Moose’s “favorite place to take his walks and play,” the GoFundMe page said, and that it would be the ideal place for a memorial for the “beautiful” and “loving” dog. The tree will be planted during a memorial ceremony May 5 at 11 a.m., according to Brooklyn Paper.

Organizer Lauren Dauro said on the GoFundMe page that Chrustic is “very grateful that everyone’s generosity and caring will allow for the tree to be secured in Moose’s memory.” The money beyond the cost will go toward her “fostering and/or adopting a dog to love and care for sometime in the future.”

The random attack on the dog last August shook and divided Brooklyn. A homeless man hit both Moose and Chrustic with a stick hard enough for Moose to later die from injuries. Chrustic previously told the New York Post that she was angry with the NYPD for not catching the man, who has spotted on several occasions following the attack. For their part, the police admit they may have “dropped the ball.”