West Auckland woman's heartbreaking response to neighbour's vile letter about her dogs

A Kumeu woman has been left distraught and asking for compassion after she received a nasty note in her letterbox about her rescue dogs. Photo / Supplied

A Kumeu woman was left distraught and asking for compassion after she received a nasty note in her letterbox.

Last week Tania Dicks-Maurice's son arrived home to find a disturbing letter about their four dogs, two of them rescue dogs.

The note to Tania's household read: "Shut your f***ing mongrels up, they whine, cry, bark all f***ing day.

"We have young children that they upset and charge the gate when we walk past. Also, it's illegal to have more than two dogs".

Little did the writer know the person they were abusing was actually a dog rescue volunteer who saves dogs from horrendous upbringings and cruel conditions.

The nasty note Tania received from an aggressive neighbour. Photo / Supplied

To make matters worse, the nasty note left Tania visibly upset after she had just come home from an attempted dog rescue that had not been successful.

"This note really upset me because my son read it, and on that particular day, I had been on a really horrible rescue that didn't end well," she told the Herald.

"It had been an emotional day. Then to come home to that was pretty nasty."

Tania said her nearest neighbours confirmed her dogs stopped barking after a matter of minutes and were only left at home alone for an hour.

But instead of retaliating at the person who wrote the vile note, Tania posted the letter to the local community page in a bid to remind others to be compassionate.

She revealed two of her rescue dogs needed extensive care and are taking time to adjust to a normal life again.

"I would be understanding if a dog was barking 24/7. However I know for a fact they weren't barking for a long period of time because the nearest neighbours told me they stopped.

"I currently have two rescue dogs and one of them has come from an appalling background.

"One is staying with me while she recuperates from a huge hip operation after being hit by a car. Her previous owners didn't want to pay for her surgery.

"Another dog I rescued is with me until he is ready to go into his forever home. He lived his life on a chain no more than 1m long in mud with minimum food and shelter.

Before he was rescued Mason was covered in sores, had nails so overgrown they curled, he had skin infections, didn't know how to socialise, had never been inside, and was riddled with worms and fleas. Photo / Supplied

"I want people to have a bit of compassion and heart and understand that most of the dogs that come to me have [had] huge amounts of abuse and have really high levels of anxiety.

"One dog was covered in sores, nails so overgrown they curled, he had skin infections, didn't know how to socialise, had never been inside, was riddled with worms and fleas.

"Most of them come from life on a chain, and then to come and live in the real world is a huge adjustment for them. Some take months and that is okay."

In her post on the local community page, she even offered a "sit down over a cup of tea" to the person who wrote the note to discuss the matter further.

"I'd just like people to have a bit of compassion and if you have an issue come and speak to me and learn about my situation rather than leaving an aggressive note."

Mason was rescued after living a life on a chain in mud with very little food and shelter. Photo / Supplied

The incident hasn't knocked Tania's love for rescuing dogs.

She is currently running Paws - Restart, an animal rescue service aimed at rescuing adult dogs from poor situations, looking after them and getting them ready to be rehomed.

Tania specialises in rescuing adult dogs after finding many are euthanised because they are harder to rehome compared to puppies.

"Unfortunately a lot of rescues aren't set up for older dogs because of the problems that they come with.

"Often they're emotional, physical, behavioral issues which requires a lot of time, care and experience.

"I'm not in a position where I can do what other rescues do and take 100s of dogs a year, but I can take the ones I can and rehabilitate them to get them ready to place into forever homes.

"I've got one that's been with me for eight months, and he's probably not ready yet and that's okay. I will not give up on them. They deserve a happy life."

Locals have since rallied behind Tania, showering her with love and support while condemning the person who wrote the letter.

"The person is just a keyboard warrior without wifi. Doesn't even have the balls to put a phone number or name under it," one said.

Another wrote: "Good on you Tania. If only there were more people like you and less like that. The dogs are very lucky to have you and it certainly is not easy fostering. It's commendable."

"Tania is the most kind-hearted lady I've ever met. She'd give you the coat off her back. I honestly don't know how she's doing this work with abused dogs but on she goes. She deserves our help, support and understanding," a third added.

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