My au pair manhandled my dog.... is it gross misconduct?

[MissionImplausible]

We have a camera in the house to keep an eye on the dog whilst we are at work. It's been off for a week or so but I put it back on today and it caught my au pair kicking our dog to get her out of her bed for a wee and then, when the dog didn't move, grabbing her by the collar to lift her clean off her feet and throwing her outside!!!

The au pair has been with us for over a year and knows about the camera but not that it was working again.

I am disgusted and want her out of my house straight away for what I see as gross misconduct - how can I trust her with my child (who is 10yrs old?) BUT a colleague who is playing devils advocate is suggesting a final warning is more appropriate as she has been with us for so long and we've not experienced this before (although perhaps it happens away from the doggy cam?)

Any opinions?

Get her out of your house. Vile behaviour, no excuses for that.

I don't think that you having a dog that she has had to assume responsibility for is fair on her and being a great nanny doesn't mean that you'd be a great dogs woman!
Oh stop minimising & excusing @SoloMummy.
You don't need to be a "great dogs woman" to manage not to kick & abuse one.

Given she's not employed to be a dog sitter, I think you need to be 110%sure that your contract will allow for this as reason for dismissal
It doesn't make an iota of difference what she was employed to do.
She mistreated OP's dog - deliberately & maliciously.
She hasn't got a leg to stand on.

as she would be well within her rights to pursue this through small claims court....
No she wouldn't.

Unless the camera can without doubt prove this was unreasonable force used.....
Do enlighten me - what is a "reasonable" kick?
What is a "reasonable" way to throw a dog?

Plenty of dog owners do as you have described op....
& plenty of men beat their wives.
Does that excuse a man who decides do so?
Or should he be prosecuted to the full extent of the law?

Amy argument from her tell wjr you a reporting her for animal cruelty and she will have a criminal record. Do not give her a reference either.

Please get rid of her ASAP your poor dog 😔 sack her, report her to the rspca, the police, and her agency if she has one. What an evil person she is vile 😡 I hope your dog is ok ❤️

Good luck reporting to the RSPCA! They are useless ime and wouldn't give this the time of day even if you did get a reply from them.

My house and my dog she'd be gone so fast her feet wouldn't touch the ground. The problem with giving a warning is that as like as not it will be acted on as a warning not to get caught rather than a warning not to abuse.

So out she would go and if the worst happened and I had to begrudgingly pay her compensation for unfair dismissal, I would accept it as a price that has to be paid to keep safe those who rely on me to do so.

I'd definitely sack her without a moments thought for this. Evil person.

I can't believe some (thankfully very few) posters seem to think what this horrible person did is acceptable.

I am not a violent person at all but I honestly think I would feel like hitting her. I certainly would give her a piece of my mind and she would be out instantly.

You don't have to be a dog or even animal lover to know abuse of any kind is totally wrong

I would ask her to leave immediately.

I’d be lifting her off her feet and throwing her out if she’d done that to any animal of mine. Nasty cow.

I’d report to the RSPCA.

What action would you expect them to take?

She should have been packing her bags five minutes after you saw the video, OP. I would want her out immediately - your colleague is an idiot.

Sacked. No ifs, no buts.

What a disgusting human.

Delighted that you are going to get rid of this abusive woman, I hope you can get her out ASAP. Please before you do so send copies of the abuse to the police, to the rspca and to the au pair agencies. If she argues you can let her know that you've already alerted the authorities and her agency. That should make it clear that you are serious and not willing to listen to her excuses or to let her stay. She should not be allowed to take any role caring for others and potential employers should be warned.

I have two dogs that I love to bits but I think without actually seeing the footage we can't completely judge.
Was it a nudge with her foot or a violent kick? Presumably the dog must be small if she can lift up. did she throw it out violently or pick it up and put it outside, perhaps with the dog wiggling and jumping out of her arms? I say that because sometimes I've put my cats out if they've caught something or about to be sick, even used the term quick throw the cat out! I definitely dont hurl the cat out like a rugby ball , but with cat wiggling it might look like I've dropped it out the door rather than placed it gently on the ground!

why was aupair putting dog out in first place, does the dog have a history of having accidents in the house and has she been told to make sure it goes out? Of course you are within rights to terminate her contract , perhaps a safer route would be to get a dog sitter and a nanny or child minder .

A man caught on cctv punching his ddog was prosecuted and banned for 10 years from owning a ddog.Worth reporting imo.
As seen on Dog Rescuers recently..

"Plenty of dog owners do as you have described op...."

What sort of people do you mix with, SoloMummy? Normal people do not treat their dogs or any other pet as the OP has described.

MissionImplausible, you're perfectly right, legally and morally, to dismiss the woman with immediate effect. She should consider herself lucky that she's not my au pair for if she was she would be leaving in the same way in which she caused my dog to go out of the door. You would be wise to contact the police, the agency through which she came if there was one, and to ensure that she is never employed in a position of trust with animals or children again.

If she's been in your employment for a year I would suspect that this is not the first time she's treated your dog like this.

@SoloMummy I don't know what planet your on but I have 2 dogs and I have never and would never kick them out of bed to go for a toilet, I wouldn't even tap them dogs know when they need to go for a toilet and if they were showing signs of needing out then I'd encourage them to go I'd never attempt to kick them out of bed though and even (I'm really, REALLY trying to see your point here) if I did tap, TAP not kick my dog to get out of bed if my dogs were disinterested I wouldn't then grab them by the collar to try and force them out. I don't know what people you know but it's wrong to do that regardless. As for looking after the dog, it probably will be in her contract or will have been discussed otherwise there would have been no reason for her to be attempting to get the dog outside for the loo, which she could have done without using any force at all. You look for the body language that the dogs are doing, they'll let you know when they want out, they won't be sitting in their bed minding their own business and then getting harassed to go outside by getting kicked and then lifted by the collar. Disgusting @SoloMummy shame on you

OP, I'd have been round home when I seen that video and flung her out on her arse, fire her immediately and go to the police.

Get rid, she’s at home with your poor dog.

She would leave my house immediately- and I would be hard pushed not to land her one. I have never hit anyone in my life but I know how angry I would be.

Dismissal and reporting to the RSPCA here as well.

Sack the bitch. Fuck knows how many other times shes done similar.