How to respond to my neighbours snotty letter?

[Cloudygreydaysahead]

They got a puppy at the start of lockdown. The poor thing is out in the garden alone in all weathers with only a towel and some water until recently when they made a small kennel. It cries all hours of the day from 6-7am onwards. Our main concern is the puppies welfare as it’s clearly distressed. My husband went round the other morning as we wanted to be upfront and just asked to make sure they didn’t leave the dog out for extended periods of time and it is waking us and our children up. They apologised then this morning we received this. They clearly like letters as they also wrote us an anonymous letter about some of our recycling blowing onto the street but we have ring doorbell and saw it was them!
What do I do from here? Leave it? Reply via a letter seen as that’s the way he likes to speak clearly?

You need to report them to the rspca.

I might state the abandonment of animals act 1960 to them!

Dont waste your time. They’ll just send back and even more snotty response. Go straight to the council and RSPCA. Don’t engage with your neighbours about it anymore.

I can read it clearly but from what I could read what I see you have there OP is a testy neighbour who has access to Google and a superiority complex, perhaps he fancies himself as a lawyer or perhaps he has received a number of legal letters himself and thought he would try to copy the style? Either way ignore, ignore, ignore.

Dont enter into an exchange of letters. You will drive yourself mad. You can still record the noise and they cant hide a puppy for long unless its been secured in. They will slip up. Over confident complacent clever clogs people like this always do.

Sorry, that should be *can’t read it clearly

RSPCA won't be bothered unless the animal is being ill treated. If it has shelter and water they won't even come round to look.

Not sure who else you could contact. Most animal welfare charities won't get involved unless there is obvious abuse, which it sounds as though there is but it's mental rather than physical. If a charity worker came round they'd just bring the dog inside and say 'see, it's all fine, dog was just out there while we....(cleaned the floor, painted the wall, had the grandkids round, take your pick).

Also if you write back and keep engaging, they’ll keep hiding the puppy. Whereas if you ignore his letter and let him think you’re letting it drop he may think it’s safe to let puppy back in the garden so you’ll be able to film it.

@smallsteps88 do you think so? I’m just so angry! x

Yes I reckon so. If he thinks his letter has successfully shut you up he’ll relax and go back to his normal lazy “parenting”. I’m sure it must be more effort for him to put the dog round the side otherwise he’d have been doing that from the start. The dog is outside all day because he’s lazy and can’t be bothered raising it. So he’ll fall back into lazy ways soon enough. But only if he thinks you’re not going to bother filming it.

Do the anonymous letters have the "same" irrational use "of quotation marks"?

Not getting at you, Smallsteps88

Oh god. They sound really nasal and pretentious and annoying. What a badly written, whiny letter. I could t be bothered to do anything with that other than line the budgie’s cage.

For such a smart arse he can't spell wandered. Unless you have a wondering dog 😂

Report to the RSPCA! No idea why they got a puppy tbh they sound horrible.

How sad for the poor dog.

Take the dog. Take it to a rescue far away as you can explaining. Fuck those owners.

They're batty. Call the RSPCA and try and avoid the nutters.

RSPCA won’t care if the dog has shelter and water etc.
Noise complaint is your only avenue I think.
Don’t answer the mad letter with a letter. You’ll drive yourself bonkers.
They sound awful OP.

They come across as total dicks.

I wouldn't bother. Get the RSPCA to deal with it and give them the recordings. These neighbours sound like prize A twats. Anyway they'll be expecting a response from their 'legal' letter, so don't give them the satisfaction. It will irritate them more if you don't respond. Actions speak louder than words.

Well he's a wanker.

Why bother getting a dog when you clearly don't give a shit about it

@Cloudygreydaysahead
Please feel free to let me know if you'd like me to outline a response including his statutory responsibilities under the animal welfare act and the DEFEA code of practice for dog welfare. If so then PM me a photo of the dog's living area

Not getting at you, Smallsteps88

That’s “ok”

DEFRA obvs

I'd post it back to them with a note to say, 'We didn't read past the first line, please just pop round if you'd like a chat' - smiley face!

Statutory noise nuisances under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 don’t have a legal ‘time’ Ie 7.30am.
Some councils suggest guideline times but a stat nuisance can occur anytime, including barking during the day.

Ha ha clearly bonkers. Why is he using quotation marks to contain things that are not quotes? He’s like Joey Tribbiani misusing air quotes in Friends!

And as for the pseudo-legal language- let’s just say that no lawyer would ever use the phrase “the laws of the Land”. What a nob.