Austin resident witnesses repeated animal abuse; frustrated no action taken by APD

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin resident said she has witnessed repeated animal abuse and is frustrated that nothing is being done. 

“I bought my place in 2019,” said the resident. “By spring of 2021, I was recording the abuse through the walls and reporting it to APD, to my HOA and reaching out to other neighbors to confirm that they were hearing what I was hearing.” 

The resident, who owns a condo in Southeast Austin, wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation. 

“It sounds like someone’s dropping things upstairs, and then you hear a dog reacting,” she said. “I have two huge dogs, I know what it sounds like when a dogs playing or even when they ‘play bark,’ but this is crying out in pain.”  

She was able to capture video of abuse occurring on her Ring camera this week. In the video shared with FOX 7, a man can be seen kicking his dog.

“It’s awful, why don’t people care about dogs?” she said. “Would you care about a child getting kicked? Why don’t you care about a dog that can’t speak?”

FOX 7 reached out the City of Austin’s Animal Services and a spokesperson told us that because animal abuse is a crime it is handled by the Austin Police Department.

According to the city, if there is enough evidence a criminal case could be launched and a warrant could be obtained to seize pets.

Those witnessing acts of cruelty while in progress should call 911. Those reporting suspected neglect or cruelty should call 311.

This resident said she has done both, and reached out to her HOA, and is frustrated that something hasn’t been done for over a year. 

“Everybody passes the buck,” she said. “It’s non-emergency, so I’m still waiting, but to me this is an emergency – you can see this person kicking their dog, I’ve been recording it for over a year now, why isn’t there a sense of urgency?” 

FOX 7 is working to gather more information from APD and 311 and will update this article when more information is obtained. FOX 7 also reached out to the HOA and is waiting to hear back.