He’s got a real bone to pick!
A Brooklyn man took a neighborhood feud to the ultimate low when he tried to murder an adorable basset hound belonging to the guy next door by feeding it a sharpened treat, the pet’s owner told The Post.
The pooch, named Snoopy, became an innocent victim of a “Hatfield and McCoy”-style dispute between two Gerritsen Beach clans — a fight that’s gotten so heated, the families even fought it out on “The People’s Court.”
“I despise these people, they’ve been making our lives a nightmare for years now,” declared Frank Battaglia, who claims his neighbor, Donald Bardell, targeted his dog for death.
“It’s always something with these people,” he said. “They harass my sons in the street. Now the old man is trying to kill my dog, it just doesn’t stop.”
Battaglia says the fight started three years ago, when he lent $1,000 to Bardell’s adult daughter to pay bills, he told The Post.
He said that she failed to pay him back for about two years, and he finally took her to “The People’s Court” to settle the matter.
Battaglia — who needed the money because of medical bills — says Judge Marilyn Milian ruled in the woman’s favor because he had waited so long to claim the money.
Since then, Battaglia has been at war with Bardell — who refused to comment about the dispute.
Battaglia says the feud culminated last Sept. 25, when his neighbor was caught by a security camera kicking a bite-sized piece of bone — sharpened in a way that made it a choking hazard — under their shared fence.
The dog gobbled it up and started gagging.
“He passed out on me,” Battaglia said. “That’s when I shoved my fingers down his snout to grab the bone.”
It wasn’t until he reviewed security footage that he realized Snoopy was the victim of a twisted assassination attempt.
“He tried to murder my baby,” said the 66-year-old Battaglia, whose dog has recovered from the alleged attack. “The vet took one look at the bone and said, ‘He’s trying to kill your dog.’ ”
Battaglia showed the video to authorities. He said they initially told him the footage was enough to arrest, but later the case was closed.
Police said detectives determined there was not enough probable cause to arrest Bardell.
Battaglia is not happy about the lack of charges.
Battaglia is still furious at his neighbor, and is taking him to small-claims court to recover the more than $500 in vet bills.
“He’s a sick man,” Battaglia said. “I don’t know why he would want to hurt Snoopy. He’s the sweetest, cutest dog in the world.”