'Sick to my stomach': neighbour baits family dog with fish hooks

The staffy-cross-rottweiler had just recovered from the first attack in October, 2022, when a week later, another neighbour spotted Geoffrey Bernet John Ostini throwing meatballs over the fence.

This time they were full of squid jigs, a metal hook made of multiple sharp, metal barbs.

"When we found out about the second incident we moved out that afternoon, we were displaced from our first family home and after three years we had to up and leave because we felt unsafe in our house, it was pretty traumatic," she said.

"It was horrible to have to move out of our house, it also makes me think, 'Was this just the two we picked up? Had he done things to the dogs for longer than we knew?'

"It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about what could have been if we didn't get home as early as we did, or our neighbour didn't see who was doing this.

"I didn't want to leave the house, I didn't want to go anywhere and leave the dogs at home because what if someone did this again."

The family put the house up for rent and, despite it having been the perfect home for the two dogs, the family stipulated no pets at the property because they did not want anyone else's animal to become a victim.

Ostini denied the charges against him, two of which were later dismissed.

In October, a magistrate found the offence of committing an act of cruelty upon an animal proven and Ostini will be sentenced at Forster Local Court on Monday.

Ms Munro said the case relied heavily on testimony from the vets, an eyewitness account from the neighbour and X-rays showing the hooks in Theo's intestines after the second incident.

"We'd love to see the book thrown at him, or even for him to get community service, something where he has to give back and be less selfish," she said.

"I don't want him working with dogs, but cleaning out kennels at the pound might help him not put himself first.

"When we spoke to our vet she said she's seen a lot of baiting cases but no magistrate has ever found someone guilty, so it's a really great result for us."

The ordeal has cost the family upwards of $2500 in vet bills, and thankfully Theo was able to survive both attacks without surgery.

A year before the first attack on October 17, 2022, a complaint had been made to the local council about Ms Munro's dog.

Nobody had ever raised an issue about the dog with her, she said. She said the dog did not really bark anyway, and after a visit from the council ranger she thought the situation had settled.

The vet told Ms Munro Theo's case was particularly unique, they'd seen animals poisoned with rat baits but never single and triple barb fish hooks, thumb tacks or squid jigs.

"We were lucky he didn't end up needing surgery and he was able to poo them out with a special mix of cheap dog food and white bread to help the intestine expand without them tearing his intestinal walls," Ms Munro said.

"The first time he still had six hooks in him and the thumb tacks, but that didn't affect him as much as the second lot because his intestines had already had that trauma."

Throughout the whole ordeal, Ms Munro said she felt really supported by the local police and was thankful that even though the victim was an animal, they put in 110 per cent.

"It's been really eye-opening," she said.

"The fact that someone can not address something with you as a neighbour and then do something so drastic, I can't fathom how someone would want to hurt an animal like that.

"Have a conversation, act like a 60-year-old man."

Ostini is due to be sentenced December 11.