Fearing attacks from the defendant’s German shepherds, a couple from Lower Austria bought a body camera and filmed every walk they took with their small dogs for months. They eventually took the 61-year-old owner of the aggressive guard dogs, with whom they have been at odds for 30 years, to court.
The situation seems frightening. A man who cycles on unpaved roads and lets his two German Shepherd dogs walk ahead of him without a leash and, according to witnesses, sometimes without a muzzle. “The dogs run straight at you when you meet them,” describes a 20-year-old who was injured in such an “encounter”. As was his Jack Russell Terrier.
“Mr. G.’s dog had my dog’s head in his mouth. That’s when I intervened,” he recalls.
5am dog walk as a point of contention
The incident is only a minor aspect of the trial that will take place on Wednesday in the regional court of Wiener Neustadt. It is primarily about a neighborhood conflict that has been simmering for thirty years. The focus is also on the dogs. The neighboring couple has to walk their three small dogs through the suspect’s property. “For years we were insulted when we passed by. The German shepherd throws itself against the fence and is extremely aggressive,” says the IT freelancer. At 5 a.m. the couple drives the first round.
The defendant wakes up from “the enormous noise” caused by his own German shepherds. This irritates the Lower Austrian who keeps the dogs in the kennel. That is why he ran outside in April and shouted: ‘Keep your sleep. Next time I will clean your face,’ he shouted at his neighbor. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this is a case of coercion.
Bodycam records walks
Just a few minutes later, it emerged during the trial that the suspect himself regularly walked his dogs before 6:00. Or rather, drove. He accompanies the loose dogs on his bike, which, according to him, ‘always wear a muzzle’.
Now the story becomes explosive. The neighbors bought a body camera out of fear of Mr. G. and his German shepherds and have been filming all their dog walks since last year: “Because we wanted to protect ourselves because of the incidents,” the neighbor witness explains. An attack actually follows, which is – at least partially – recorded on camera.
In the video, you see the encounter between the small dogs and the German shepherds, you hear loud barking and a neighbor calls for help. Then, an emergency call from the couple is recorded: ‘He insulted us and followed us with his German shepherds,’ the excited neighbor shouts into her cell phone, ‘The dogs attacked us. ‘My husband fell because the dog attacked him,’ it was said before the rescue arrived. ‘Everything was foreseen. ‘You are falsifying false facts,’ said the 61-year-old suspect, who pleaded not guilty.
Three months conditional
There is also a fight in the trial: “Why don’t you leave at six? Why do you leave at five? “I don’t want to,” the suspect shouts at the witness. “Why should I change my life? An hour a day is taken away from us. My dogs don’t make a sound when we walk around, yours do,” the neighbor replies.
After the glitch, the judge sentenced the shepherd owner to three months suspended prison sentence. “There were an incredible number of incidents with her dogs,” says Mrs. Rat in the reasoning of the verdict. Not legally binding.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
