LEFT BEHIND FOR FIVE WEEKS…! – A heartbreaking story has emerged after a dog was found stranded inside a boarded-up social housing property in Sydney’s inner west, surviving alone for more than a month.
‘Appalling’: Dog left stranded in boarded-up social housing lot for five weeks in Sydney’s inner west
A friendly dog left stranded behind a boarded-up social housing property in Sydney has sparked outrage and hard questions.
It’s a heartbreaking sight at a run-down social housing block in Sydney’s inner west.
A friendly dog, wagging his tail and grateful for company, after being abandoned in the backyard of a boarded-up property.
Neighbours have been mucking in, feeding and walking him for the past five weeks after he was left behind; according to local accounts, his owner is in jail.
Nathan Stafford, the man behind Nathan’s Lawns and Gardens, discovered the gentle pitbull while helping struggling Aussies in Glebe to clean up their properties.
Mr Stafford was angry at the state housing authority, Homes NSW, which he claimed had boarded up the house five weeks ago while the dog remained behind.
The dog was friendly and eager for company. Picture: Supplied/Nathan Stafford
He had lived at the boarded-up property for five weeks. Picture: Supplied/Nathan Stafford
The dog was still on the property on Tuesday but on Wednesday morning, he was gone. Picture: Harrison Christian
“At the end of the day, this is their property, and the dog is relying on the general public to walk past and feed it and take it for a walk if it’s lucky,” he told news.com.au.
“I think that’s appalling, because it’s an animal and it’s bad enough that we neglect the people out here, but now we’re talking animals as well.”
Mr Stafford himself stopped to give the dog a pat and a walk this week when he realised the owner wasn’t coming back.
“It’s innocent,” he said.
“It didn’t ask for any of this and it’s sitting here on its own, and it’s not fair.”
The dog was still on the property when news.com.au visited on Tuesday.
Mr Stafford discovered the pitbull while helping Glebe residents to clean up their lawns and backyards. Picture: Joel Dawson
The RSPCA was understood to be coming to pick the dog up, but on Wednesday morning he was gone, apparently taken by family members of the owner.
Mr Stafford said the dog’s ordeal was a symptom of a wider problem in Sydney as boarded-up social housing stood empty and littered with rubbish.
Just metres from the lively Glebe Point Road, cafes and bars give way to decrepit, slum-like conditions, the streets littered with shopping trolleys and graffiti.
Across the lane from the property where the dog was abandoned, Mr Stafford pointed to two other empty homes, one with the backyard full of old clothes, suitcases, mattresses and other junk.
Nearby, another boarded-up property was overflowing with rubbish. Picture: Supplied/Nathan Stafford
The property where the blaze broke out had a massive hoard of junk in the backyard. Picture: Harrison Christian
“Someone was living here, but he didn’t stay here often,” Mr Stafford explained.
“He just rented it out to squatters or whoever, and they’ve come in here and they’ve completely trashed the backyard.
“Housing have come and boarded it up and the rubbish has been sitting here forever, and there’s rats.
“But it’s still livable inside. It needs a quick clean and whatnot, but you could stick a family in there – aren’t we in a crisis?”
Just 70 metres from those properties, another pair of brick double-storey apartments are freshly boarded-up and abandoned.
They were occupied until Tuesday night, when a fire broke out and forced the residents of both homes to evacuate.
One of the properties – where the fire started – has a backyard completely choked with rubbish and broken furniture that is spilling out onto the street.
Hours before the fire, Mr Stafford had told news.com.au the property was unsafe because of the extreme hoard of junk in the backyard.
“I’ve told housing about this multiple times – nothing. And then I called the fire brigade who have come out and assessed it as a fire risk.”
“I have texted (NSW Housing Minister) Rose Jackson personally, on her personal number, to come out and sort this out and nothing has happened.”
The fire erupted on Tuesday night. Picture: Supplied
Mr Stafford met with Ms Jackson in 2024 and took her on a tour of the area – impressing on her the need to clean up social housing – but he says that meeting also yielded no results.
“Housing needs to come through this whole area that they’re meant to be looking after,” he said.
“Why are they not doing routine inspection checks? Clearly that’s not happening.”
NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson has sent news.com.au a statement about the Glebe property where the fire broke out on Tuesday.
“People in public housing deserve to live in dignity, particularly when experiencing complex mental health issues,” Ms Jackson said.
“But when their actions threaten the health and safety of themselves and of the community, we have a duty to step in.
“Homes NSW has been actively working with this tenant in Glebe since May 2024.
“We recognise the severity of the situation, which is why the the matter is subject to current orders from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).”
Ms Jackson said recent outreach attempts to the tenant “have been rejected, which makes our job very difficult”.
“I want to assure people, Homes NSW has the funding and the resourcing required to manage situations like this, but the reality is hoarding is one of the most challenging issues to navigate as the state’s largest landlord,” the minister said.
“There is a strong link between mental health issues and housing insecurity. Our approach is always to work with tenants – sometimes for months or even years – to resolve situations like this because the alternative could mean sending a vulnerable person into homelessness.
“I respect Nathan’s passion for these issues and I appreciate when he gets in touch with me.”
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson confirmed the service responded to a fire at the property on Tusday afternoon.
“Firefighters extinguished the blaze and the occupant safely self-evacuated. The cause of the fire is being investigated,” the spokesperson said.
News.com.au also contacted Homes NSW and RSPCA NSW for comment.
