I desperately need some advice, our neighbour hits his dog and I'm just not sure what too do, we have got a 6ft colour bond fence so we can't see anything, we just hear the hitting and yelping, the poor thing is tied up most of the day too. I've rang the RSPCA earlier this year and I've spoke to the police recently, they both can't do anything unless there is evidence. Our neighbour has mental health issues (his partner told me), he has caught us a couple of times trying to get a recording and with that he threatened to kill us and threw rocks on the roof so I'm just not sure what to do, it's upsetting us to hear the dog being hurt but I'm too frightened to do anything else because he is such a loose cannon. I would love some suggestions if anyone else has been in a similar situation.
18 Replies
I'd go to the length of getting a security camera and installing it without them seeing you, and so that it catches him.
I couldn't live with that going on.
I would personally video record the dog being abused while you stand against the fence, without showing yourself. I would then email and send the recording to the RSPCA and your council ranger and maybe even the police
How awful 😔
Are you able to discretely get just a sound recording from somewhere safely inside your property (maybe from inside with a window open or something)? Surely that would be enough for the police/RSPCA to at least look into it!
Having said that, I don't know if the RSPCA are just drastically underfunded, if they're hindered by red tape and the legalities or if they're just useless but it tends to need to be at the absolute worst before they'll remove an animal or even intervene at all. My old neighbour was neglecting her dog (was her boyfriend's dog, they broke up, he left dog behind etc). She fed him when she could be bothered (which was no where near enough), he was tied to the clothesline 90% of the time and cried and wimpered day and night. It was truly upsetting!
I know for a fact it was reported to RSPCA by several people in our street, 6 months this went on for. Not one visit from them, i think the police gave her a few noise violations but that was it.
I still wonder about that poor doggo.
I hope you get a better outcome!
Wait till he goes out and get the dog and drop it at the pound. Break the clip on his collar so it looks like it escaped. RSPCA are useless sometimes.
That's stupid she risks getting caught for stealing and trespassing!
Exactly. She could get a criminal record when there are other options.
Not to mention potentially dangerous. If he's mentally unwell enough to beat his dog regularly, imagine if he caught OP trying to steal the dog?!
Please don't do this!
Well what are her options? Leave the dog to get the shit beaten out of it or take it herself? I know which one I would pick. At least she will get police to help if he somehow finds out and starts on her which is more protection than this poor dog is getting. I couldn't live next to that and not do anything.
I don't think anyone's suggesting she does nothing, just that she needs to be smart about it because she does have to continue to live next to him.
Her family's safety being number 1 priority.
The police and RSPCA can't do anything without evidence.
So if she's to steal his dog and take him to the RSPCA, she has 2 options
1. She pretends the dog is stray or lost, the RSPCA will try and attempt to locate his owners, if the dog's microchipped - easy work. Or when this man notices his dog missing, the first logical place to call is the pound/RSPCA.
Chances are the dog will end up back where he started.
2. She has to admit she knows where the dog comes from, how she came to be in possession of the dog and why. The RSPCA will have no choice to involve the police, where she runs the risk of being charged with theft and trespass.
If the dog looks to be in good health, there's no evidence to back up her version of events.
There's 2 outcomes in that scenario -
Dog ends up back where he came from again, OP ends up with a criminal record and she's antagonised her unstable neighbour.
Or
They do look into the mistreatment of the dog, OP still faces charges and she's antagonised her unstable neighbour.
OP - I would keep making anonymous complaints to the RSPCA, the council rangers, police if it's quite severe and regular - every time it happens. I'd have a chat to other surrounding neighbours, if they're witnessing and hearing the abuse to I'd encourage them to do the same. It can only be ignored for so long and if there's reports from more than one person, it starts to build evidence that way.
The police won't help. They will tell her to go get a BS piece of paper which won't help at all. I'd do what I did to cop the crap I did but it has been 5 years and the people still carry on and try hard to get pathetic revenge for making them accountable through law.
Record the sound of it, see if that's enough
I know it's cruel whats happening but be very careful with recording other ppl coz it is a breach of privacy and it could come back to bite u with the law!
There is no law that stops people from recording other people. The law you are thinking of is something like wire tapping where neither party knows they are being recorded (like phone calls). But the FBI can wire tap.
There are MANY people that record without the other person knowing. How do you think a hit man gets caught? One person is secretly recording. Also, with all the security cameras that so many people have, yes, you can record without the other person knowing.
Yes, I don't think OP would find herself in any legal troubles just from making a sound or video recording on her own property.
People are recording and being recorded all the time. You've got security cameras, dashcams, go pro's, ending up in the background of someones selfie....
Be a different story if she was on his property recording him through his window or something.
Yes there are laws and they differ in each state!
https://www.artslaw.com.au/information-sheet/filmmaking-with-a-smartphon...
As hard as it is to do nothing, I would think really carefully about recording anything because that footage can be used to convict him and when its shown in court ( and it will be ) , he will know exactly where it came from and you risk retaliation either way .
Make sure you can handle the backlash from reporting it. The police WONT help if he ends up making your life hell. It's great you want to help but if you think you can't handle retaliation make sure it cannot be traced back to you.
Can you report it to the council? We can report dogs barking to our council so it may be worth looking in to see if you can report animal cruelty.
When it comes down to it though, your safety and your families safety is paramount. I wouldn’t be doing anything to trigger him, as disturbing as it is.
Like someone suggested maybe sound record what you have heard, but other than that I wouldn’t be trying to film him again, especially if he is unstable.
God luck mumma.