So I'm at work yesterday and I get a call from my hubby . Since we moved here we've had some occasional problems with our neighbors dogs barking incessantly. Anyway, we decided for now we're just going to deal with it and if it continues we'll talk to the neighbors about it. I know we have beagles, but we do NOT let them bark/howl for hours on end. If they start getting worked up we bring them inside and we don't leave them out unattended. We've tried very hard to be considerate of others in the neighborhood, especially since our backyard makes kind of a square with three other neighbors' backyards. Anyway, Jason calls me at work and says we received a courtesy note from Animal Control stating that someone has called in a complaint about excessive barking. So Jason calls Animal Control to talk to them and they basically say someone has called in complaining about excessive barking late at night and we're not the only ones who got a notice. First of all... our dogs rarely go out later than about 8, because if they do, Daisy won't pee in the morning. And if for some reason they do bark, we immediately bring them in. Anyway, I'm just irritated that we've tried so hard to be considerate and are now getting in trouble for other people not doing the same with their dogs. And besides all that, I have no clue what Animal Control has to do with it?? When I first heard about the note I figured it would be from the neighborhood home owner's association, but it wasn't. Does anyone have any experience with this? The lady at animal control told Jason just to please be aware so the complaints don't continue. I wanted to call and make it very clear that it wasn't our dogs causing the problem (Jason said it to her anyway) but I figured it wouldn't do any good. GRRR!!
Slightly Peeved
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Erin, I can SOOOOO relate. Our little town has a 24/7 noise ordinance. My dogs are confined to the house except for VERY brief periods because I have neighbors who will call the police if any dog in town barks. Yes, my dogs DO bark - but, like you, I bring them in as soon as they start. The ONLY time it takes a few minutes to get them inside is IF one of the neighborhood dogs OR cats is running loose - or, in the case of the cats (next door has a female that breeds every time she comes in heat - and they keep most of the kittens OUTSIDE), one of the cats comes inside my FENCED yard! Then I have trouble getting them inside and it'll take me a couple of minutes. I am so frustrated. I don't let them out EARLY, and they go out for the last time at night about 7:30. There is a BIG dog on another street that is TIED up and barks continuously all day, but no one seems to call on that! We don't have an animal control officer here, so people call the local police. I have to admit when I come home from work (after the dogs have been alone in the house all day), they DO greet me - and when I let them out, they always bark - for about 30 seconds - until they start investigating the yard for intruders. I don't see that barking for 30 seconds in the middle of the day is a BIG PROBLEM - if it was 2:30 am, sure, but not at 2:30 PM. Anyway, I can sympathize! I have never called the police on the neighbors who's little dog runs loose all the time, or who's cats yowl outside MY window at 4 am, or when their kids climb on my garage roof, or yell outside my window at 9 pm when I have to get up at 4:30, need I go on? I try to be considerate, but guess it's a one way street!
I had a similar situation with a neighbor at a former residence. She complained to the village that our shihtzu was pooping on thier lawn. Our shihtzu was blind, therefore was NEVER let off the leash, and if I was outside (doing yard work or whatever) she was tied and her tie couldn't reach to any other yard.
Anyway, this neighbor had a small dog too, and I had actually caught her picking up poop from her yard and throwing it over the fence into our yard!
I managed to catch her on video and showed the village office. I never got another complaint from the village office again, but they had mentioned that she denied that was her on the video and still complained. (Fortunately it was a small town as well so the village office was aware of our blind dog and knew we never let her loose)
If I were you, I'd try to video the dogs when outside with sound, and hopefully you'll hear a dog barking IN THE BACKGROUND. You don't have to be able to prove who's dog is the noisiest, just that yours aren't.
You'd think people would have better things to worry about than someone elses dog.
Anyway, this neighbor had a small dog too, and I had actually caught her picking up poop from her yard and throwing it over the fence into our yard!
I managed to catch her on video and showed the village office. I never got another complaint from the village office again, but they had mentioned that she denied that was her on the video and still complained. (Fortunately it was a small town as well so the village office was aware of our blind dog and knew we never let her loose)
If I were you, I'd try to video the dogs when outside with sound, and hopefully you'll hear a dog barking IN THE BACKGROUND. You don't have to be able to prove who's dog is the noisiest, just that yours aren't.
You'd think people would have better things to worry about than someone elses dog.
I think our noise ordinance says that excessive is more than 15 minutes of barking in a one hour period is too much. I think it has to happen in four one hour periods in 24 hours before it is a nusiance though. I need to look that up again. When my neighbors moved to Thailand and rented their house, the people had three dogs. They were a nice young couple and loved their dogs but the dogs had access to outside through a doggie door. Sometimes they barked for hours. I didn't complain but I think others did, as the people broke their lease and moved to a large piece of property in a more rural area.
When Maggie is outside I never let her bark more than 5 minutes and never early in the morning or late at night. I worry about the neighbor whose bedrooms face my back yard. The husband has MS and the wife has not been well either. They always tell me they love to hear Maggie bark. I guess many years ago they raised bassets. I would feel terrible if Maggie disturbed their sleep though.
I guess I am rambling again. You might want to check your noise ordinance. I know that with ours you are asked to keep a log of the barking...dates, times and duration. You also have a right to know who complained. When we got Maggie, I told each of my neighbors to please feel free to tell me if she was ever barking in a way that disturbed them. I hope if there is a problem, they will call me before complaining.
When Maggie is outside I never let her bark more than 5 minutes and never early in the morning or late at night. I worry about the neighbor whose bedrooms face my back yard. The husband has MS and the wife has not been well either. They always tell me they love to hear Maggie bark. I guess many years ago they raised bassets. I would feel terrible if Maggie disturbed their sleep though.
I guess I am rambling again. You might want to check your noise ordinance. I know that with ours you are asked to keep a log of the barking...dates, times and duration. You also have a right to know who complained. When we got Maggie, I told each of my neighbors to please feel free to tell me if she was ever barking in a way that disturbed them. I hope if there is a problem, they will call me before complaining.
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I was going to suggest the same as Sonja. Tape them somehow (video/audio) and have it as proof. While the barking is taking place, make sure it is heard on the tape, and shows that your dogs are quiet.
That would do it.
That would do it.
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It was funny one time - I saw a police car drive up, and knew it was about the dogs - even tho they hadn't been outside barking. I put them all upstairs so I could open the door when he rang - nobody made a SOUND. They were all quiet as little mice - the young man and I stood outside and chatted for about 15 minutes - and the dogs were quiet the entire time. He was SOOOO impressed. But he happened to be a dog lover and understands that DOGS will bark sometimes. Not all are as understanding. I DO not let them bark incessently - heck I don't like to hear it either, but sometimes I can't get upstairs and outside to bring them in in 30 seconds! I'm 69 years old, have arthritis in my back and can't move as quickly as I did a few years ago, I live in a 3 story house with LOTS of stairs, and as soon as I hear them I go get them as soon as possible. Haven't had one of those visits for quite a while - but then I DO try to be considerate of the neighbors.
Thank you all for your support! I've calmed down since and have told myself that we're doing what's right and should anything else come up it will show. I agree about the minimal barking. If my dogs or my neighbors dogs are out playing and are barking for a short while, it doesn't bother me in the least as long as it's not extremely late or early. And if the neighbors make an attempt to quiet them it bothers me even less. I have a feeling I know who logged the complaint but for some reason we were not told by animal control. I'm definitely going to check the local noise ordinances and see what exactly someone could do. I really wish they would have come and talked to us but I think they probably didn't actually know which dogs were causing the problem. Although, I can't understand how someone could mix up my beagles with the neighbors little white fluffy dogs (maltese?) or the other neighbors daschund... their barks/howls aren't exactly the same! lol
Oh, and I have to apologize for this situation kind of getting posted twice. My hubby didn't tell me he posted about it in two-legger talk and for some reason I didn't see it when I was looking at the recent posts!
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Oh, and I have to apologize for this situation kind of getting posted twice. My hubby didn't tell me he posted about it in two-legger talk and for some reason I didn't see it when I was looking at the recent posts!
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I'd be mad too! Not just because our dog annoyed someone to the point of calling the dog po-po, but because our neighbors didn't have the guts to talk to us first. Fortunately, we talk to our neighbors frequently and if there was a problem I think they would say something. Bodie is pretty good when he's outside. And yes he does occasionally get into a barking/howling mood. But it's usually when we're home and he wants our attention. I think during the day when we're gone at work he's good.
One of our neighbors who lives a block away have a Beagle (Patches) that Bodie plays with frequently. The owner was telling me she had animal control called on her last weekend because her dog was running loose in the cul-de-sac. It's true she does that and is in desperate need of some training. But from what she was telling me you could tell the real issue is her neighbor doesn't like her and was looking for any reason to try and get her into trouble. So staying on good terms with your neighbors is essential.
I'd try talking to your neighbors and see what the problem is. Get them to realize it's not your dog if that's the case. Or maybe they say it only bothers them in the morning, or around dinner time. And you can adjust your schedule to accommodate them. Even as a dog owner myself, if I had a neighbor who's dog barked insistently I'd be mad too. But communicating with your neighbors is the first step in remedying the problem. Good luck.
One of our neighbors who lives a block away have a Beagle (Patches) that Bodie plays with frequently. The owner was telling me she had animal control called on her last weekend because her dog was running loose in the cul-de-sac. It's true she does that and is in desperate need of some training. But from what she was telling me you could tell the real issue is her neighbor doesn't like her and was looking for any reason to try and get her into trouble. So staying on good terms with your neighbors is essential.
I'd try talking to your neighbors and see what the problem is. Get them to realize it's not your dog if that's the case. Or maybe they say it only bothers them in the morning, or around dinner time. And you can adjust your schedule to accommodate them. Even as a dog owner myself, if I had a neighbor who's dog barked insistently I'd be mad too. But communicating with your neighbors is the first step in remedying the problem. Good luck.
Oh yes, it happens all the time. We have some strange people back home. We have a neighbor across the alley who tries to encourage dogs to escape so she can call the police on them. (Wonder why the next door neighbors' excitable and large dog escaped so many times, leading to tickets and having to give him up.) We've put bicycle locks on our gates (they used to mysteriously open, but suddenly they stopped after that) and we've had fence boards knocked out in ways we still can't figure out how our beagles could have managed.
Everything after the third sentence is speculation, but she has been heard encouraging escapes. Something weird is going on.
If the police ever come by, they're going to be seeing our anti-digging methods, locked gates, and after the first time videos of where the barking comes from. We're just wondering when Max and Natalie are the next targets.
Everything after the third sentence is speculation, but she has been heard encouraging escapes. Something weird is going on.
If the police ever come by, they're going to be seeing our anti-digging methods, locked gates, and after the first time videos of where the barking comes from. We're just wondering when Max and Natalie are the next targets.
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Here the law is that a dog may bark for 15mins in an hour but not between 10pm-7am or 12am-2pm. Nearly every house in our road has a dog, so nobody complains about noise. One neighbour has been reported several times for allowing her dog to escape, the dog runs and bites another neighbours dog when it can.
Susi and Snoopy dont bark much in the garden, just out walking.
I agree, that it is cowardly to report someone to the police, without having talked about the problem face to face.
Susi and Snoopy dont bark much in the garden, just out walking.
I agree, that it is cowardly to report someone to the police, without having talked about the problem face to face.
That does suck. We are lucky in that we've never had a complaint (knock on wood). But, the beagles aren't out often and if they are making noise, it's because the little rat-dogs behind us started them up. At night time, I can understand people not wanting to hear dogs bark constantly, but in the day time? Is it really any louder than their kids screaming or their pool parties?
We actually had an issue once with PG&E telling us they were having a hard time accessing our meter and we'd have to move it at our expense if we couldn't control our dog. Hmmm, that's odd, because our dogs were inside all day. I called and explained and apparently, our neighbor's dog kept jumping at them when they tried to read our meter over the fence and they told us it was STILL our problem. So fine, I unlocked the side gate and make them walk all the way around the backyard to the meter. There are no dogs out there, so they have their complete access. LOL I could not believe they were going to punish me for my neighbor's dog!
We actually had an issue once with PG&E telling us they were having a hard time accessing our meter and we'd have to move it at our expense if we couldn't control our dog. Hmmm, that's odd, because our dogs were inside all day. I called and explained and apparently, our neighbor's dog kept jumping at them when they tried to read our meter over the fence and they told us it was STILL our problem. So fine, I unlocked the side gate and make them walk all the way around the backyard to the meter. There are no dogs out there, so they have their complete access. LOL I could not believe they were going to punish me for my neighbor's dog!
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Thank goodness, we live in the country on acreage!
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Our dogs can get very loud, and we'd be in trouble for sure if we lived close to people.
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