Woman shamed for 'animal cruelty' by anonymous note

The woman received the note in her mailbox.

An anonymous note was left in Fiona Wratten's mailbox accusing her of animal cruelty.

A BANORA Point woman has been shamed for "animal cruelty" by an anonymous letter left in her mailbox.

Fiona Wratten received the letter yesterday morning from a "concerned neighbour" which accused her of locking up her 18-month-old German Shepherd named Duke on her verandah "day and night".

"Animal cruelty locking your pet in the verandah all day and night (your concerned neighbour)," the letter states.

"Happy to take your dog for a walk to the park."

The note left a landline number to call but no name or address.

The anonymous note left in Fiona Wratten's mailbox. Picture: Facebook

Mrs Wratten, who has four children that all love their furry friend, said the note upset her considering Duke has constant access to the family's large backyard and is taken on regular walks to the beach.

"I was quite upset at first to be honest and angry that someone hasn't just come to the front door to raise the concern instead of jumping to conclusions," she said.

"I would have been quite happy for them to come to the door and see for themselves."

Mrs Wratten posted pictures on Facebook of the letter along with photos of Duke sitting in his bed on the verandah with access to a large fenced backyard.

"My dog is never locked on a verandah, what this person cannot see from the street is the gate that is permanently open for my German Shepherd to freely access the backyard," she said.

"If this person is watching me so closely they will also notice that he is taken to the beach most mornings and walked late at night when I finish work."

Duke sitting on the verandah alongside the backyard he has access to.

The Facebook post received a barrage of comments slamming the anonymous letter.

"Neighbours with nothing better to do, some people need to get a life," one person wrote.

"People need to mind their own business," said another.

Mrs Wratten said she called the number on the letter yesterday to try and explain the situation but was "promptly hung up on".

Duke on his way to the beach. Picture: Facebook

"I found out where the note came from and wrote a nice note back and just explained Duke's living conditions, and how from the street it looks like he's locked in the verandah but he just likes to sit there," Mrs Wratten said.

Mrs Wratten said she was still waiting for a response from the neighbour.

Originally published as Woman shamed for 'animal cruelty' by anonymous note