A property management giant and its security companies have come under fire after a guard dog was locked in a small cage at a demolition site.
A shocked resident noticed the “big, skinny bitzer” as she walked past the former Toombul Shopping Center in Brisbane’s north-east with her partner on Monday.
She claimed the dog could not sit upright in the cage and started howling at four guards, who ignored the animals and calls from locals to help him.
Site owner Mirvac hired security for the site after streams of ‘urban explorers’ descended on them to make a final inspection of the soon-to-be demolished centre, which was destroyed by floods in 2022.
A Mirvac spokesperson said guard dogs were only placed in cages for their safety during transport and complied with the company’s animal welfare policy.
An image of a large security dog locked in a small cage at a demolition site (pictured) has landed a construction and security company in hot water
But the resident claimed the dog was so upset he broke the cage door and dragged the cage by the leash as he tried to escape.
She and her partner tried to alert the guards, ignored their concerns and told them to move on.
Neither the dog nor the guards were anywhere to be seen when the couple returned shortly afterwards.
“I just wanted people to see how they treated the dog… It broke my heart,” the woman said Nine.
“If they have to put him in a cage, put him in a cage with a runner, where he can stand up and has a water bowl.”
“When I saw it I was just in tears… It was disgusting, I said to (my husband) ‘this is not happening’.”
Others responded to her post, similarly describing the dog’s treatment as “disgusting” and “inhumane.”
One shared an image of a sign created by the independent security company warning intruders of ‘guard dogs on site’.
A local resident spotted the dog being held at the site of the flood-ravaged Toombul shopping center (pictured)
A spokeswoman for Mirvac said the security of the demolition site was of “utmost importance” and security was needed to ward off anyone trying to break in.
She confirmed that the hired security team used cages to “transport security dogs to and from the site, which is for the safety of the dog and handler.”
“Security dogs are deployed under a strict animal welfare code,” the spokeswoman said Courier mail.
‘The health and safety of working animals is of the utmost importance to our security contractor and ourselves, and our security contractor has assured us that safe handling practices are adhered to at all times.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Mirvac for comment.