To think my friend was not wrong in doing this?

[OneRuleForThem]

There has been a split between friends over this conversation, I am on the side of my friend, everyone else is on the other side, not falling out with each other but each side thinking they are right and the other is wrong.

My friend said there is a small dog in the flat above her that sounds like a chihuahua or small kind of dog or a small puppy because of the way it yelps all the time. And said the people in the (one bedroomed) flat go out all day every day of the working week and come back in the evening, but the dog barks all day because left on its own and then barks in a distressed way when they return.

So my friend said they made a call to the RSPCA (not sure if that’s who it was to I can’t remember, but some “official” group) and said she things the dog is being abused and being hit by its owners (but she didn’t really believe that). People came round when they weren’t home and heard the dog in there and then when they came back they talked to them and they eventually ended up with some sort of warning issued to them (not that that’s affected the barking though according to her).

The other side says she was completely out of order saying the dog was being abused when she didn’t think it was being but she said leaving it alone all day in a one bed flat to bark in distress and then bark in even more distress when they came home sounded abusive, and it was also abusive to her having to listening to it all day, every day (she wfh). She thinks (and I agree) that it is a form of abuse to leave a small dog all day alone and if the RSPCA or whoever had found signs of neglect then it would have helped the dog get away from its imprisonment if they had have taken it from the owners. Which side do you think is the one that is BU?

Your friend was really obviously in the wrong because she lied. If she was confident that her concerns were valid, then she should have just told the truth. Making up shit about them hitting the dog when she didn't actually believe this is the case is utterly wrong.

And yes, it sounds like she is more concerned about the noise from the dog rather than the actual dog itself.

I don’t think they’re right for leaving the dog at home alone all day, that’s awful, and I can see why she’d lie to try to escalate her complaint but she really shouldn’t have lied.

Actual animal abuse is a serious issues, so it was out of order for her to lie. Yes, imo leaving a dog all day is also abuse, but admittedly the RSPCA won't come out generally if the dog is safe, warm and fed.

She'd have been better off reporting a noise issue which would have forced them to address the issue also, but without lying.

@YourVagesty

I have a chihuahua and he shrieks like he's being murdered when I come home. It's just pure excitement.

I think your friend is an arsehole.

but iss your dog quiet when you are out?

@LowlandLucky

Of course all the people on here saying she was being unreasonable would happily put up with a mutt barking all day every day living next door to them

Not at all. But most wouldn't ring the RSPCA and lie that the dog was being hit.

They'd go round and have a conversation with the neighbours like a normal person.

So who told 'your friend' that some sort of warning had been issued? The rspca or the neighbours themselves. Presumably if it was the rspca the neighbours are well aware who phoned.

She doesn’t like confrontation

But she does like being passive aggressive and lying??

She shouldn't have lied . I can see it as a last resort but not the first,
I wouldn't advice talking to the neighbours however because any future report etc they would know came from her. She should have reported to the council, ir maybe recorded and sent an anonymous tape

The call should have been made but they should have been honest about it: the dog was being left alone day in and day out for all hours and barked constantly because of it.

Also, a call to the council. Grossly unfair to neighbours who share walls.

Poor dog.

It is cruel to leave a dog home alone from morning to evening. Some dogs have a temperament that doesn't mind too much, but if it's barking all day it's in distress, and that's abusive.

Let's hope the selfish fuckers fork out for a dog walker or reconsider keeping in a dog in such inadequate circumstances. Your friend wasn't wrong. Not to mention the impact on someone's mental health if they're home to hear a dog barking all day and not be able to do anything to help it.

@WorraLiberty

She doesn’t like confrontation

Cowardly and a liar?

Any redeeming qualities?

WorraLiberty - brutal (but very funny) 😂

I think she might be better off calling noise control regarding the incessant barking.

I happen to think she was right in reporting what she felt was abuse but she didn't need to make any embellishments, that doesn't help anyone.

She lied and said they were abusing the dog because she’s sick of the noise it makes, of course your friend is unreasonable.

It was more of a stretching of the truth than a lie, because it is abusive to leave a dog alone for that long on a regular basis.

She did what she had to do to get the situation some attention. If she’d been able to believe that the very real problem would be addressed without making it sound as bad, then she wouldn’t have needed to stretch it. As it is, the dog is still being neglected, so it didn’t help anyway.

She was wrong to say they hit the dog

God almighty she’s a one isn’t she, your friend? Telling lies like that…very malicious.
She can complain if she really feels the need but embellishing the tale hoping to cause as much trouble for the people concerned as she can, without knowing the full story or approaching them first, marks her out as an arsehole. If you think she was justified in doing that then I’m afraid you’re an arsehole too. It’s so far removed from how I operate that if you were my friends in this scenario, I’d be thinking less of the pair of you.

Your friend's behaviour is appalling. It's slander to accuse people of criminal behaviour when you know they haven't done it.

I don't agree with a dog being left stuck in a flat all alone all day, but I also don't agree with lying.

So instead of the RSPCA agent visiting and rescuing an animal that is being beaten/starved/neglected. They attended a noise complaint.
Would the dog have been better in a shelter living in a cage surrounded by barking dogs spending all day and night alone bar a small amount of attention or walk?

Your friend is an a hole.

She was right to report a distressed dog but wrong to lie about it. Leaving a dog all day is so cruel.

I would have spoken to the neighbours to raise concerns if I were her - she'd know from their reaction whether the owners are aware of the issue and trying to sort it.

If she's in all day, would she ever offer to pop in and help? That's probably a stretch but would help the conversation.

She should have spoken to the dog’s owners first.
Then if the barking continues it is the local council who deal with it as a nouse nuisance.
Lying, saying the dog is being abused wasn’t helpful at all.

The RSPCA are shite and won't take action unless serious physical harm is being caused.

@IntermittentParps I've heard of them causing decent owners trouble just to make themselves feel big. And they kill healthy animals.