'AITA for reporting my neighbor to the police?' 'He POISONED my dog...'

"AITA for reporting my neighbor to the police after finding out he poisoned my dog?"

So, this just happened a few days ago, and I’m still kind of shaken up by it. I’m wondering if I did the right thing, or if I overreacted. I came home from work, just like any other day. I was looking forward to seeing my dog and just chilling for the evening.

But when I walked into the backyard, I saw him lying there. At first, I thought he was just resting, but when I got closer, my heart sank. He wasn’t moving, his eyes were barely open, and he could hardly lift his head. I freaked out. I immediately scooped him up and rushed him to the vet.

At the clinic, they told me my dog had been poisoned. My whole world kind of spun for a minute. It was touch and go for a while, but luckily, he survived. I’m so grateful he made it through, but it was a really close call.

After he started getting better, I just couldn’t wrap my head around how this happened. My dog’s not the type to eat something random off the ground, so I was trying to figure out who could’ve done this.

Then I remembered I’d recently installed security cameras in the backyard mostly because of some random people trespassing a few months ago. So, I thought, “Why not check the footage? Maybe I’ll see something.”

I was honestly expecting nothing. But when I watched the footage, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was my neighbor, who lives right next door. He walked up to the fence and tossed something over. Not even five minutes later, my dog sniffed it, ate it, and collapsed. I was just...stunned. I knew, without a doubt, that he was the one who did this.

I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t just let this go, not after everything. So, I called the cops and reported him for poisoning my dog. They came, took a statement, and said they’d look into it. I was shaking the whole time. I couldn’t believe my neighbor someone I’ve known for years would do something like this.

Now, I’m second-guessing myself. Was calling the police too much? I mean, this is serious, but at the same time, it could seriously mess up his life. Part of me feels like I had no choice, but another part of me wonders if I should’ve tried talking to him first, or maybe just handled it differently. So, AITA for reporting my neighbor to the police after he poisoned my dog?

Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:

Candid_Process1831 said:

NTA! Did you see your dog eating anything else watching the security cameras? If not then it was your neighbor! Calling the cops was the right decision.

Silent_Morning692 said:

Call the cops and sue for veterinary costs! NTA.

annelisesungeun said:

NTA. I'm a certifiably crazy person but, if someone tried to kill my dog, a police report would be the least of their worries. Like, you're being astoundingly calm about this.

NYCStoryteller said:

NTA. He should be charged with animal abuse and you should be able to take him to small claims court to get the veterinary bills covered.

Winter-eyed said:

NTA. If someone will harm a innocent animal they will harm a child or the elderly or any vulnerable person. This is not the kind of person who should be walking around the neighborhood without any scrutiny and calling the police may save other animals or people.

kelly1mm said:

NTA. Frankly I would probably be in jail if I found out my neighbor poisoned my dog because there would be severe consequences...