It's not ok to cause animal suffering. You seem not to be able to understand my position. No matter how hard I try. I'm not for suffering. Personally, I would beat the shit out of someone abusing a dog. That doesn't mean that I'm against raising a cow, using its milk, slaughtering, and eating it.
And philosophically speaking (which is what this discussion really is), I wouldn't think raising a dog, slaughtering it, and eating it is immoral, if that was they way our society had evolved. There is no difference between a dog and a cow, besides our own emotions and attitude. It's arbitrary.
Why treat an animal like that which has the same sentience as humans? Would you treat a human child the same as your diet requires calces for example to be treated? They feel the same pain and distress.
Why do you draw the line at pain and distress? If some animal doesn't feel pain, does it make it morally ok to abuse it? I don't wish for animals to be abused. But I live in the real world, which I have little control over. I'd rather people do something productive. Going vegan is not it.
No animal wants to die. They are treated cruelly in animal agriculture and in their last moments. You have control over your choices. You either support that or choose a compassionate life.
So you acknowledge that you support certain species like cows being subjected to cruelty for your taste buds. But it's not OK to abuse a dog. No different to the slavery movement really which was based on racism. You are condoning cruelty to animals based on what you choose to consume.
This is exactly why I'd be worried for his neighbours.