Barking Dog

[Inka3095]

I know dogs bark, and I don't mind a bit of barking from anyone's dog.. but mindless, senseless, ongoing, high pitched, irritating barking for no reason, that goes on and on and on is just not ok in suburbia imo...

Our neighbours must have bought a new dog, and from the sounds of it, it's not particularly young (I did the crazy lady peeking over the fence thing, but couldn't see him because he was under some form of shelter) which barks from about 5am till midnight, with only a few short breaks for meals, every single day of the week.

I would feel sorry for him, because I assumed his owners were never home, and he must be bored, but I realised about a week ago, that the owners are very much at home, all the time, but they just don't do anything about the barking.

The most sensible thing to do would be to go over and have a chat with them, but I'm being a wimp, because I actually don't think they're very nice (or normal!) people. They keep stealing our wheely bins from the front of OUR yard (with our house number clearly marked) because it's bigger than theirs I assume... and they park their spare cars on the patch of grass in front of our house, not their own, for no reason I can see, which means my bf's truck has to go around the corner somewhere. And who on earth lets their new dog bark incessently from the day they buy it! Aghhh!

Is there a better way to do this? Should I do the old anonymous letter in their mailbox thing? (we're on a corner, so it wouldn't take a genius to work out who left the note, and I feel it's a bit of a cop out lol). Should I just go straight to whoever deals with this stuff? Council? Cops? Should I start a bark diary!?

If I decide to stop being dumb, what should I say to these odd people? I'm used to the 'hi, your dog is barking all day while you're out' "Oh, he is? I'm so sorrry" conversation.. but they KNOW their dog is barking! I don't get it!

Any advice would be great <3

[harley]

That sounds so frustrating.

I guess you could start with a bark diary, so then you can take it to the council if need be.

Could they be hearing impaired and not notice the constant noise?

When the dog next door was barking continuously I just had to tell my neighbour and the problem was fixed. I guess a little understanding between shift workers goes a long way.

All the best

[Lowenhart]

I think the anonymous letter is great.

I got a few weeks back due to one dog whinging incessantly for 2 and a half hours. I was mortified as I had just "popped out" and the dogs are normally very quiet.

I wish I could have thanked the letter writer. Though I guess not everyone feels the same. I was just so glad that it didn't get as far as being reported to the council and I made sure that it didn't happen again!

Letting the neighbour know that there is a problem is the best step. Sometime people forget that what happens in their yard can be heard beyond the confines of their fences.

[quickbrownfox]

If you're not too keen on talking to them (and I don't blame you since they don't sound like very nice people) writing an anonymous letter would be the way to go.

Maybe while you're writing the letter, you could suggest some solutions to their barking problem?

I found a website regarding your rights as a neighbour against nuisance dogs, which might be somewhat useful.

Source: http://www.vca.org.au/Content.asp?ID=153

THE LAW REGARDING OTHER PEOPLE’S DOGS

Your neighbours have the right to object to:

* barking dogs

* dogs creating a health risk

* dogs being repeatedly on their property without their permission

* dogs wandering outside their owner's premises

* dogs being off-leash in an on-leash area

* dogs rushing at or chasing a person or animal

* dogs attacking or biting a person or animal

You can also object to other people’s dogs exhibiting any of these behaviours.

If you have a problem with your neighbour, either due to your dog or theirs, consider the following.

Talk to your neighbour

Councils have limited resources and most councils will encourage you to try to solve minor problems yourself. It is difficult for them to investigate complaints that aren't well founded or are simply part of a continuing hostility between neighbours. It is important to have reasonable expectations of normal animal behaviour - dogs can be expected to bark sometimes. Don't be too quick to react to isolated incidents, wait and see if there really is a continuing problem.

If you do have a genuine problem with your neighbour's pet, start by discussing your concerns with your neighbour. Talk about it in a friendly and constructive way. Many people don't realise that their animal is being a nuisance. Try to find a mutually acceptable solution. There may not be an immediate solution, so be prepared to be patient. It can take a while for someone to retrain their animal.

Barking Dogs

Your neighbours can complain if your dog is often noisy or disturbs the peace unreasonably. A Council officer will discuss the problem with you and offer advice on what you can do about it. If the problem continues and they don't think you are making a real effort to stop the dog barking, the Council can prosecute and you may be fined.

How can I stop my dog barking?

Many people have success with anti-barking collars (which release a citronella spray when the dog barks). However, even if you can condition your dog not to bark, you will still need to solve the underlying cause of its barking.

If your dog is barking a lot, it may be lonely, bored or not getting enough exercise. Consider what changes you can make to the dog's routine. You might want to consider joining a local [Obedience Club] and participating in their training and activities.

If you can't solve the problem yourself, you can take your dog to a trainer or to an animal behaviourist. There are some organisations which specialise in stopping dogs barking excessively. Ask your Council or local vet what help is available in your area.

Making a complaint to council

If talking to your neighbour doesn't work, you can contact your local council. The council will pursue legitimate complaints, but to pursue the matter properly they will need your help. You should be prepared to:

* give your name and address to the Council

* put your concerns in writing to your neighbour in the case of an unwanted dog on your property

* keep records of the incidents, e.g. when you see a dog wandering on its own

* sign a Statutory Declaration of your complaint if Council asks you to

* be a witness if court prosecution becomes necessary

[Erny]

I must admit I prefer the direct (person to person) approach, but it is a situation that you need to assess for yourself. Pity those days of talking to one's neighbours is becoming extinct. I understand the reasons, but it does seem to be forever spiralling away that I fear it will never return. IMO it does come from living more and more on top of each other than we ever did.

Me? If I'd not met them yet, I'd probably do the 'cake' thing, or take them a bag of lemons from my tree. Introduce myself, then apologise that I need to mention that there's a couple of problems that you're not sure they're aware of, one of them being the parking where they do, which is blocking your OH from parking there and the other being that their dog is causing you some disturbance for barking so much - and that you love dogs and would be happy to help them out in a neighbourly way if they need you to.

I guess I'd not raise the rubbish bin issue. Instead, for the time being, can you put your rubbish bins out of the way where they can't get them, bringing them out only for rubbish bin night? If you keep that up for a while, it might be all that is needed to give them the hint.

Any possibility the people might be deaf and don't realise the dog is barking?

Edited May 16, 2010 by Erny

[Dame Aussie]

How annoying. One of ours loves to bark I worry about how much he barks when we aren't home but if he does when we are, we bring him straight inside and he is always in at night.

I would just go and talk to them, maybe if you tell them you're worried about the dog as it sounds distressed their reaction might not be as bad? It's a hard one...good luck!

[moko81]

I can't stand it wen our dogs bark (which is only wen there hungry or wanna be let out or in) , so the thought of hearing someones elses would shit me more

I guess the anonymous letter thing would be the better option as you don't know what kind of crazies they are, but as far as parking there spare cars on your patch of grass hell no :D would not let that happen at my place. If I was you once they move there car I would goin park yours (if you have a 2nd) in the spot & leave it there till your bf gets home then play musical cars, :p

[Inka3095]

Thanks for your help everyone <3

I think I'll attempt to do the face-to-face thing first, but trying to decide if I should get my bf to come with me, or would that look like I was trying to threaten them? (He's not very scary looking, I just wonder if 2 ppl is overkill!). I'd love to do the letter, but then if it doesn't work, and I have to do the face-to-face thing later, it will be very obvious who wrote the letter....

If they do turn out to be horrible people, I guess I'll go the council route. It's just so frustrating! I wish they hadn't bought the poor dog, he's obviously not happy if he's barking all day long. Although, I went to the fence to talk to him a while ago, and he growled menacingly at me even though I was calling him nice names... maybe he's not very nice either lol!

[Kelly_Louise]

Hmmm, a tough one.

If they are not nice people, and you try to approach them (and it doesn't go well or continues) and then you go to the authorities - they will know it's you. If they are vindictive, you're in a load of trouble - who knows what angry, irresponsible people could do? That's my biggest worry with my dogs... if I had no pets, I wouldn't be worried - but I'm afraid they will harm them if I'm not there.

However - if they are SEMI-normal - I'd recommend face to face. In my situation, it got to the point where I was so angry (that even though I'm a big wuss) I marched on over there to talk to them face to face (but did it calmly and politely to keep them on side but make them aware of the issue). However, Sasha's safety was at stake - which is a different priority to annoying barking. I found that if you are calm and nic about it, most 'normal' people will respond well. They might surprise you!

If you are seriously worried about them, do the letter first - and then contact authorities - anonymously. However, it won't fix your parking and bin issues.

If you think they might be somewhat okay - I like Erny's idea... go armed with treats/bearing gifts and talk to them neighbourly and offer help if they need it.

I like to think most people are reasonable, but not all are - so I think only you can best judge what they may/or may not be capable of.

PS. I don't think they are deaf. To park on someone's front lawn so the owners have no where to park (a pet HATE of mine) and to steal bins makes me think these people simply do not care, and do not have consideration for their neighbours comfort.

[Guest Pandii]

Are you sure you dont share my neighbor, his little yappy dog barks non stop all day and night, I have spoken to them and complained to the council nothing is getting done