Pensioner filmed putting neighbour's dog in trash can and weighing down the lid

A Houston woman has been filmed throwing her neighbour's dog in a trash can after it escaped onto her property.

The unnamed woman, in her 80s, put the dog, Bentley, in the trash then covered the lid with a nearby recycling bin so that he could not escape.

She left the 7lb pooch trapped inside for between one and two hours in the sun's full glare on a hot Texan afternoon, according to KHOU News.

Police say she let Bentley free after she became aware that another neighbour had filmed the entire incident on closed circuit television.

Bentley's owners, named only as Amanda and Brandon, were grateful that their pet was unharmed but were incredibly distressed by the incident.

"I'm honestly outraged," Amanda told KHOU. "In a trash can, in the middle of the day, a hot, closed, confined space, there's no need for a dog to be put in a place like that."

Brandon said: "To be completely honest, I just think she's a spiteful old lady."

The couple are engaged in a long-standing dispute with the elderly lady over their dogs, which have a tendency to escape onto her property, but Amanda said that was no excuse for her actions.

"The fact that her answer to this was to put a seven pound dog and put him in a trash can, it's either cruel or no thought at all, either way it's ridiculous," she said.

"It's one thing to think she doesn't like my dog, it's another thing to think that my dog was put in a trash can for an hour or two or whatever it was,"

Police said that they will not press charges against the woman. They suspect her of having mental illness . They added that they would help her get support for any problems she might have.