And can we focus on OP here?
Some parents hit their kids. Some parents don't. In some countries it is allowed. In some countries it isn't. Just because you don't think it's right to spank or hit your children, doesn't mean it doesn't work. I was spanked as a child, and I am fine. I would also be thrown out - not hit or abused, so calm down - if I was to call the police on my mother (dad is dead) for an animal. Sometimes it is instinct to protect a child from what harms them and yes this can come in the form of "animal abuse"! The main thing here is to make sure OP is okay, and that the dog can be protected if need be. This can be done without calling the police and causing an array of family problems. (I mean, there is also money for the fine that comes with calling police for animal abuse, and we don't know the financial situation of OP.)
JUST HAD TO SAY IT.