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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would I BU to report this accident to RSPCA or police, or should I just leave it?

33 replies

Contex · 26/04/2022 09:59

My initial instinct was to leave it but speaking to a friend who has dogs she was adamant it should be reported...hence asking for advise.

Neighbours of mine have a dog, they're quite irresponsible dog owners, dog would be left home alone, not walked very often and would often escape from the garden when they were home and run round the street. Whenever the dog escaped, the parents would tell the children - not sure of ages, late primary or early secondary I think - to fetch her in. It's a big crossbreed dog but looks a bit like an XL bully.

We live on a busy road. Sadly, the dog escaped again over the weekend, and while the children were chasing her back it, she was hit by a car and fatally injured. Which is obviously very sad for the poor dog and the driver of the car (who I know by sight as he works for a local business).

I was going to reach out to the driver, as I saw what happened and it definitely wasn't his fault, but should I do anything else in terms of reporting? I don't know what the owners have done, but doubt they will have reported as they didn't even take the dog to the vet 😢

OP posts:
5zeds · 26/04/2022 10:01

Of the dog was dead why would they take it to the vet?

Rewritethestars1 · 26/04/2022 10:07

This reply has been withdrawn

Duplicate post

Rewritethestars1 · 26/04/2022 10:07

The dog is dead so nothing to report. What would reporting it achieve?

Rewritethestars1 · 26/04/2022 10:07

This reply has been withdrawn

Duplicate post

ditavonteesed · 26/04/2022 10:09

What would you do with it other than take it to the vets?
Don't think there is much you can do to be honest, the vets may ask questions.

KrisAkabusi · 26/04/2022 10:09

Do the neighbours know what happened? I would tell them if it was a hit-and-run situation, and possibly go to the police if that happened. But I don't understand why you would report it otherwise.

Howaboutnope · 26/04/2022 10:11

Hate to say it but sounds like the dog is better off, both because its a potentially dangerous breed when not controlled properly and because it was being mistreated. I would just leave it, nothing to be gained by stirring the pot.

Original poster
Contex · 26/04/2022 10:15

As I said, I'm not a dog owner. My friend who is (and was really upset when I mentioned it to her) said it needs reporting, she said it's what she would do.

As for taking it to the vet, again my friends view was that they should have rushed it there immediately even if nothing could be done.

OP posts:
WeOnlyTalkAboutBruno · 26/04/2022 10:18

Just stay out of it. Not everything needs “reporting” what’s the point

MamboMambo · 26/04/2022 10:20

Technically, you are supposed to report hitting a dog and some other animals such as live stock etc to the Police. But tbh, in my opinion as someone who actually works for the police, there is very little point in doing so. Also, I don't see why you would be the one you report this as a third party, it's the responsibility of the driver to report it. If you witnessed it then by all means give your information to the driver or the dogs owner for if they want to report it, but I really wouldn't involve yourself by being the one reporting it.

10HailMarys · 26/04/2022 10:29

Presumably they took the dog into the house when it was hit? For all you know, even if the poor thing was still alive that point, it might have been dead within seconds of them bringing it indoors, in which case clearly there was no point in them taking its body to the vet for anything other than cremation. If they kept a suffering dog in the house for days waiting for it to die without treatment, then yes, that would be an RSPCA matter, but I assume that's not what happened (it would also be difficult to prove, I think).

If you were going to report anything, you should have reported to the local dog warden that there was a large bull breed dog getting out and running loose on a regular basis. But obviously it's too late for that now.

I don't really know what you or your friend would expect the police to do. This isn't really anything to do with you; it's between the driver and the dog owners. Are your neighbours even claiming it was the driver's fault?

girlmom21 · 26/04/2022 10:29

You didn't report the blatant neglect when it was alive. Reporting that it's dead won't make a difference.

caringcarer · 26/04/2022 10:39

If the poor dog was dead, no point taking it to vets. They can't bring it back to life. Nothing to report.

Original poster
Contex · 26/04/2022 10:49

We don't have a dog warden locally. It would get out at least once a day not always for that long, 5-10 mins maybe but none of the adults in the house ever went to retrieve it.

I was told the RSPCA aren't interested in dogs that aren't exercised often/ left home, if they seem well fed and looked after, so it never occurred to me to report anything while it was alive. The only reason I'm asking now is because my dog owning friend said I should.

I've not spoken to the driver, I don't know if they're holding him responsible but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

OP posts:
Urbansprawlmountains · 26/04/2022 10:56

They can't bring it back to life. Nothing to report.

As pp said you’re supposed to report when a dog is hit by a car.

Not sure there’s any point in op getting involved here though, sad as it is.

SmileyClare · 26/04/2022 10:57

Reporting a vehicle killing a dog on a residential street will only cause the driver issues. If nothing else, it'll push his car insurance up.I thought you felt sorry for him?

Let the driver report it if he wishes to.

I understand you feel upset but you're not going to achieve anything by getting police involved.

Original poster
Contex · 26/04/2022 11:15

I absolutely don't want to cause any issues for the chap driving the car, it definitely wasn't his fault. I saw what happened and tbh it was only a matter of time the dog gets out so often and its a busy road.

If it's going to cause a problem for the driver I won't report. I'll try and pop into the place he works at this week and have a quick word/ let him have my details in case the owners are holding him responsible.

OP posts:
5zeds · 26/04/2022 11:20

You seem to have set yourself up as judge and jury.

SmileyClare · 26/04/2022 11:23

That sounds like a reasonable plan Op. By law, any driver is legally obliged to report hitting a dog with their car. He may already have done so?🙂

Perhaps this is why your friend is adamant about it being reported? I wouldn't advise getting over involved in this, although you sound well meaning. 🙂

Floralnomad · 26/04/2022 11:23

Why are you trying to involve yourself in this OP ? The owners can blame who they want , they can’t take it any further because the dog was loose in the road when it got hit so they cant do anything to the driver .

Original poster
Contex · 26/04/2022 11:38

I'm hardly 'trying to involve myself'. I saw what happened, I will pass my details to the driver in case he needs them. I wasn't going to do anything else until a dog owning friend suggested I should. Advice on this thread is that reporting it will not do anything other than possibly cause trouble for the driver, so I won't be doing that now.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 26/04/2022 11:41

Do you know the driver?

SmileyClare · 26/04/2022 11:47

Not sure why you're getting such hostile replies Op.

If you were the dog owner posting, you would have been torn to shreds by now! You're showing some disapproval so you've committed the mumsnet mortal sin of being "judgemental" I suppose!

The dog owners can't take it any further
Not legally but back in the real world, these things result in the family bad mouthing the man or his local business, the children are told its his fault, they just generally make his life difficult.

I agree with the general consensus not to get too involved.
Thank goodness the young children didn't dash out onto the busy road too.

jytdtysrht · 26/04/2022 11:50

I would leave well alone

Lonelydaisy · 26/04/2022 11:53

Get a life, do you not have anything better to do? You're not the driver and you're not the dog owner so there is nothing you need to do apart from minding your business.

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