Demand stronger powers for authorities to be able to actually act on animal cruelty

How can the welfare of an animal like Piper be left solely up to the public to deal with and report such cruel acts. Told to report to organisations who are also under powered and under resourced with long slow process before action may even be considered. A matter so serious in the hands of the RSPCA whose funds rely on donations of the public to function. I share similar views of that of Lawyers For Animals who have been pushing for a new Victorian Police unit to take over animal cruelty as things need to change.
I don’t want anyone else feeling as helpless towards the welfare of this dog or any other animal as I do due to such little support from authorities, due to their lack of power.
You hear about dog stabbings and neglected animals all the time in the media but until you are put in a situation like myself it’s very easy to be unaware of the lack of resources and power possessed by authorities and you begin to see why there is such an increase in trend of such cruel acts.
If this behavior is okay then that leaves the door open to other cruel acts on those being weaker then the attacker. Such as children and women and or men who are helpless and less powerful. If there are additional laws put in place, the attacker may just get the counselling/ help he or she needs.

On the 9th of March 2018 myself and my girlfriend at the time spent the afternoon at the local Mentone dog beach. A place where I would often take the family pet Polar a failed Labrador guide dog. To enjoy a swim and socialise with other dogs. It’s a very peaceful place with a positive atmosphere where dogs and family’s come together
Upon departure coming up the ramp which lead to the car park, we heard multiple thuds as we approached a blind corner. Sounds similar to those of a boot connecting with a football. As we came to the end of the blind corner it wasn’t the kicking of a football that was occurring. It was in fact a visual confirmation of a full grown male making a strong forceful connection with his foot to the abdomen area of his dog resulting in a sickening yelp.
My girlfriend at the time tilting her head to me in disbelief as we both continued towards the car park with my prime focus being to notify 000. On arrival to the car park I phoned 000 to raise the alarm to the police of the incident that had just unfolded in front of our eyes. The operator on the line asked me descriptive questions about the male and the dog. Later to find out more that she was also a Labrador, at the time of the incident 8 months old. Her name was Piper. I was told a unit will be out shortly and agreed to waiting there until police arrived.
From the car park it overlooked the beach at a height where there was a clear view of the male and his black Labrador. In the anxious wait for the police to arrive I/ we endured another heartbreaking scene. Repetitive acts of the male picking up the Labrador walking her out to deep wavy water and throwing her away from his chest into depths of water well over five times her standing head height.
After previously being beaten it seemed the dog Piper was in no shape to stay afloat let alone swim around happily like the other dogs on the beach. Piper seemed to be displaying signs of a panic and distress. Signs so intense I assumed she may just be drowning, before her owner would then drag her out and repeat this action all over again. I felt traumatised in shock praying in my head that police would arrive. This went on for approximately 40-60 minutes
With still no sign of emergency services, it seems that another cruel act was coming to an end. With the man picking up his belonging with the potential of heading home. On the chance the police wouldn’t catch the man I made another 000 call with my intentions to speed up their arrival time. I did this in my best efforts as I was having daunting thoughts of Piper going home with the male to endure another day of cruelty at the feet of her abuser. I was still hopeful at the time that police would come, only later to face the reality they never arrived in time or if they would even attended the scene at all.
As the male and his dog reached the top of the same ramp that he had repeatedly kicked his dog on coming up from the beach, connecting to the car park. I approached the man feeling very distraught but remaining calm with an open mind as I tried to convince myself that no human could possibly act in the manner he did towards a helpless being. Discussing the acts with the man of which I had just witnessed him portray, I received a response which was almost as heartbreaking as the cruel acts themselves. To receive a response along the lines of “I can do whatever the f*ck I want to this dog, it cost me thousands of dollars”. The man’s response really hit me hard, to how could an individual put a price tag on the way he treats a being. I really prayed in the back of my mind that he didn’t have kids as they can get expensive. I replied to the male along the lines of “not in this country you cant”. He smiled and giggled with a cheeky look on his face.
An anonymous equally sided witness with no relationship to myself or the dog abuser later confirmed in a police report, that upon having a private chat with Pipers owner that the male said to the witness “I was brought up in the country and if they step out of line they know about it”
I alerted the man that the police were on their way and he was happy to stick around and asked me my name I replied John. He put his dog in the car and grabbed a ciggarate. Still with no sign of the police after making numerous phone calls the first now being well over an hour ago, the man began to get agitated and stated in conversation with myself that if the police came as far as he’s concerned he didn’t do nothing in such a confident malicious tone right up in my face to where I felt his salvia hit me. A minor altercation broke out between the two of us. We both then headed our separate ways and I saw Piper staring through the glass of his yellow F150 pickup truck yelping coming to the realization that she may just be spending another day in ownership, to the cruel entertainer of her abusive reality.
The next day after the incident occurring I was called into a local police to the Mentone area to report on the event. When I got that phone call I felt a strong sign of relief that the male could potentially be getting charged and Piper wouldn’t have to bare another day in such a hostile environment. On the arrival to the police station it came to my attention that there was no immediate attention to saving the dog and prosecuting her abuser. I was handcuffed given my rights and was notified that the male dog owner was pressing me with charges of without lawful excuse recklessly cause injury. My finger prints were taken and an interview was conducted. I was now looking at a potential criminal conviction.
At the conclusion of the police procedure I asked what would happen to the man and the dog. There was a slight moment of silence, I could sense a great sense of emotion within the officers. To be given the heart breaking news that there wasn’t much they could do. I was given a card with the name of the officer in charge of my case more then helpful and she said recommended calling the local council or RSPCA.
From that day I really lost hope in the Victoria Police Force. Approximately 9 months on upon doing my research it came to my attention due to weak laws that the government refuses to change, makes it very hard for animal abusers to be convicted and charged. That Piper and thousands of other animals are destined to a lifetime of abuse under the feet of their abusers who possess materialistic values that money can determine the way these animals should be treated.
We live in a world where people are quick to judge the Victorian Police for acts of cruelty like this not getting the attention at the time and animal abusers walking free. However I’m sure/ I know they feel deeply saddened by events like this occurring just as much as a regular civilian might if not more. The Police need to be given more power to act. Maybe one day someone in a similar situation who makes that phone call in the way that I did will be taken seriously and may even catch such an offender in the act. Without that power they need, coming out to an incident like the one that I’m writing about is a complete waste of time for them making it easy to simply not rock up at all with no positive outcome either way.



How can the welfare of animal like Piper be left up to the public like myself to report it, in the eyes of the law I am just a potential criminal now criminal. Told to report to organisations who are also under powered and under resourced with long slow process before action may even be considered. A matter so serious in the hands of the RSPCA whose funds rely on donations of the public to function. I share similar views of that of Lawyers For Animals who have been pushing for a new Victorian Police unit to take over animal cruelty as things need to change.
This is not about me getting let of on my charges. I had my chance to walk away from all of this that afternoon and escape my fate of a criminal conviction. To turn a blind eye to such cruel acts but I know there are individuals out there that share the same values and concerns that I do. I don’t want anyone else feeling as helpless towards the welfare of this dog or any other animal as I do due to such little support from authorities due to their lack of power.
You hear about dog stabbings and neglected animals all the time in the media but until you are put in a situation like myself it’s very easy to be unaware of the lack of resources and power possessed by authorities and you begin to see why there is such an increase in trend of such cruel acts.

If this behavior is okay then that leaves the door open to other cruel acts on those being weaker then the attacker. Such as children and women and or men. If there are additional laws put in place, the attacker may just get the counselling/ help he or she needs.

Whilst other animals such as Piper maybe relocated to a safer more loving home they deserve.

So please help - incident Victoria, Australia