To think RSPCA Should Have Come Out Sooner? (Neighbour Repeatedly Kicking Dog)

[JoffreyBaratheon]

I've posted here before about my neighbours. They have 'issues' and the council ad police have told us that 'agencies are involved' and keeping an eye on them. They have a 5 year old and a 3 or 4 year old. We involved NSPCC several times after seeing/hearing disturbing things I won't go into here as I'm posting about their poor dog.

Yesterday I was having a lie in - had flu so the rest of the family were watching youngest play football but I was home with older son still asleep in back bedroom, me and dog in front. My bed is next to the window and I have full view of next door's drive because of where the window is.

My own dog woke me up barking. But seeing it was just the neighbours coming home she stopped. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard the woman screaming:
"Get out of the fucking car NOW!"
Thinking a child was about to be thwacked and I'd be spending the rest of the weekend on the phone to various agencies, I looked out of the window. Sadly my phone was downstairs or I could have got evidence for what I saw next.

They have a sedan style car with a boot. They have never walked or even taken the dog out anywhere in two years. So I wasn't expecting to see what I saw.

Woman grabs the dog drags it out of the boot and shoves it to the floor (it's a black lab so no mean feat). All the time the younger child was right next to this whole thing going on. The child saw it all.

Then the man starts kicking it. In the stomach. Proper, hard, full on kicks. I went into witness mode, and counted 4 kicks. Then they went in the house; dog scuttling in with them. I was so shocked and it happened so fast, I didn't notice where the little boy was if there at all, but the little girl stood about a foot from this, watching it impassively, clutching a teddy. Totally nmoved and like it was an everyday occurence. Neither parent spoke again or spoke to the child.

I asked my nice neighbour about ten minutes later, if she'd hear owt. She was in the bath so had heard nothing. So no other witness. I could kick myself I didn't have my phone to hand to video this as we have seen so many things - usually the way they treat their kids - and SS don't seem to care or intervene. The child's reaction was really disturbing.

I rang the RSPCA. They took the details. I warned them to be careful as when next door have run ins with the authorities, they can get verbally abusive ad the man has a string of convictions (police told us that after a previous incident).

They said they might have to come out with the police. And they took my number to phone me back with the outcome "but frankly, with no other witnesses, they will probably get to keep the dog".

I have been on this earth half a century ad ever seen ANYTHING like that. What if my kids had seen it?

That was yesterday morning. Still no-one has come out. This dog could have been slowly dying of internal bleeding for all we knew til about an hour ago when I heard him bark. Although I think having owners like that maybe death would be preferable.

So they continue to behave like this and get to keep the kids and the dog.

But also - I described the fact he proper booted the dog hard. It could have been lying there in agony all night.

Anyone have an experience of something similar and how long did they take to come out? Is this because it happened on a Saturday?

We have set ourselves up for months of retaliation - they will be ringing the RSPCA on us now, etc - but I couldn't do nothing. That said - the authorities do nothing. I am thinking of writing to my MP - but have no idea what to say, just I think someone more powerful needs to get involved to force the authorities into action.

Now my other question is - should I ring the SS tomorrow as well? A child was involved in this incident as a child saw it and the child's non reaction to it was what is going to haunt me for months. What else can I do to ensure action is taken?

I woke up this morning and first thought was that poor dog. Do the RSPCA always take days to come out when an animal could be seriously injured after being attacked in broad daylight, by a human?

If I had filmed what I saw yesterday it would have gone viral, trust me. The sight of a grown man kicking a dog hard 4 times in front of a complicit woman who just threw it to the ground and a silent, utterly unfazed child... But only I saw it. And yet again they will get away with it. Right?

Update: I called RSPCA and all they will tell me is it is being investigated by an inspector and they will call me again when they know 'the outcome'. I have seen no coppers, RSPCA van or anything outside but we have heard the dog barking again so he is still there. No surprise really.

I get what posters upthread say re. RSPCA only doing things if there's £s or publicity in it. I used to live behind a large branch and my husband once took in an injured wild bird (at the time they were doing all that filming with Rolf Harris). It was out of hours and no vet there, I think. As husband left he asked what would happen to the bird. The man looked at him and drew his finger across his throat! You never saw them do that on TV.

I know their bad rep. But they have the resources and liaise with the police so I thought they were my best option. Clearly not.

Could you post about this incident on Twitter? I know you don't have any footage, but if you make a fuss about the RSPCA not having visited your neighbours' house to check up on the dog, and it goes viral on twitter, it might spur them into action.

I will give them a day or so to see if they phone with an 'outcome' but they just went out and my dog was barking at them at the gate and I clearly heard the man say (as I was intended to): "Do you think that dog's alright?" I knew when I picked up the phone there will be months of recriminations, potentially putting us and our kids under extra stress.

They both know full well what they did.

As for Twitter no - my only account is my work one and I can't use that.

They're useless. I would have dialled 999 but only on instinct. Poor dog. I am sure if it was taken to a vet it would have bruising etc that would count as evidence???

RSPCA said to me on the phone even if there were no visible marks, they look at the dog's behaviour and demeanor. I suspect being a lab would play against this poor dog, though, because they are so loyal. The man will probably call dog to him in a friendly voice and it will be so stunned it is actually being treated nicely, it will wag its tail and look like he's the best owner in the world.

I wish I'd dialled 101 at least but I have informed the council (they are known ASB tenants) and they told me they are liaising with police, to see what the police know and what's been done. I doubt they'll get back to me though. But I know the council's ASB team have two coppers in the same office as them, so I'm certain they'll be aware of this by now.

Try ringing the council yo report it to the dog warden too.

I'd probably offer the man £50 and take the dog off him and take him to a vet. I couldn't watch an animal being abused and continue being so helpless. I'd ring every rescue, do everything I could. I feel sick reading this thread

My nice neighbour the other side acquired her dog that way.

I have contacted the RSPCC, the social care team, the council who have in turn, contacted the police. I know now they have heard about it or I wouldn't have just been treated to the comment about wondering if my dog was alright...

I was hoping they'd use it as a chance to offload the dog, but it looks like they're doing the usual thing of denial. I will never go to sleep without my phone charged and on the windowsill upstairs (already take it everywhere with me downstairs), that's for sure. If I'd video'd what I saw the dog would be safe already.

What gets me is why bother asking people to report if they do nothing if it's your word against the abuser's? I'd be happy to go to court and I'm a credible witness.

Sometimes dogs get out. All it takes is a gate left open and they're never seen again.

Ah yes I also had to send an email to the ASB team and have rung the RSPCA back. And now I will probably have months of RSPCA officers knocking at my door. It's cost me hours of my time and is clearly going to cost me months of stress - all because I happened to look out of the window when my dog barked. What kind of a world do we live in, where bystanders end up bearing the brunt of the actions of abusive, violent people and abusive, violent people just constantly get let off scot free?

We live near a backyard breeder. I've heard him screaming at and kicking his dogs, nieighbours have seen him do it and a fortnight ago, he threw a dead dog in another neighbour's wheely bin. We have all reported him to every agency we can think of. We've offered our window for them to set up a camera as it overlooks his garden.

We're still waiting. The RSPCA have been useless.

The RSPCA have no authority.They have no more legal powers than you or me.They can't seize video camera footage, examine the dog or enter the property without bringing a policeman with them and I suspect quite often the police have more pressing things to do than investigate kicked dogs

Joffrey I have just sought advice from Dogs Trust and they have advised that you ring your local council or town hall and they can give you the dog warden's number for your local area they can help...thank you so much for trying to help this poor dog many would have walked/looked away, you did the right thing in observing because usually animal abusers are also violent towards their spouses/children and any 'others' please do ring the dog warden and update us. x

P.S. If you ring your local council and ask for childrens service you can report any safeguarding issues/concerns about their children to them.

Fucking twats hurting a poor defenceless trusting loyal animal. I'd throw the key away and if I ever did decide to let them out. I'd make damn sure they'd never own an animal again. Also I'm sorry but I can't recall if you said whether or not they have dc's if so. Im also fearful that they're being mistreated too.
There should be a law that people are police checked and assessed to see if they have the life style to cope with a dog or any animal for that matter.
If the dog they had was one I had entrusted on to them from ac tiny puppy eg if my dog had had pups, and I found out they were being mistreated. It would break my heart. Well any type of abuse breaks me heart.

If they were able to get the dog checked at a vet they would probably find evidence of an assault. I find the RSPCA to be an almost completely pointless organization - except for when it comes to making money, they're awesome at doing that.

Try and keep your phone handy from now on, or a cheap camera. But they'll probably restrict the abuse to indoors from now on unless they're morons.