It seems that we are surrounded by houses that have dogs. The one to the rear, it seems, leaves their dog out quite a lot, and it just barks. This can be any time of the day or night. It has woken me up at midnight or so before. It's a big dog, with 3 loud barks in a row, then a pause, and repeat.
What's the best way to approach these neighbors about the problem? I do not know them, their property is directly behind us separated by an 8 foot wall.
I have another problem with next door neighbors who don't seem to care that their dogs come over to our property to s**! often. They have been told many times. They don't speak English, but my husband and our gardener speaks Spanish and has told them a few times, I have told them in Spanglish and gestures countless times. It's dangerous having these dogs come on our property, one of them has snarled and lunged towards my daughter and I when we were on our driveway, also the disgusting fact that I have to watch where my daughter treads and plays in our front yard. Our front yard is not enclosed.
What about Yard Guard, has anybody tried it?
Neighbor number one: if it's the middle of the night call police and complain about the noise.
Neighbor number two: get a lovely fence for your front yard. Yep, it's at your expense, BUT it will be safer for your child and put an end to the YUCK. I am a huge fan of fences, they make for better neighbors....
Good luck
You can report both of them...I am sure there are leash laws in your community and I am sure that there is a Spanish speaking police officer on the force that can get the message across!!! There are also nuisance laws in every community and a barking dog at midnight is definitely a violation. Maybe being awoken themselves in the middle of the night will convince them!!
As to the "gifts" that the dog is leaving for you in your yard...one way I handled it with one of our neighbors, who allowed his loveable golden retriever to treat the entire neighborhood as her restroom....one day when I was cleaning up Maggies' messes out of our front yard, I put them all in a plastic bag...stuck a pretty bow on the bag and left it on their front porch with a note that said "Maggie left this the last time she came to play, I was sure you would want it back"....the problem solved itself shortly!!! lol
Are there no leash laws in your area? The snarling and lunging you describe is totally unacceptable! You should report anything like that. you can also report the barking---it is a nuisance and disturbing the peace. If you can afford a fence, I would get one for safety, and to keep the yard clean.
honestly you could just call in the barking: they wont know it is you and they should just get a warning....I did it to mine bc they left their dog out 24/7 barking and in the snow....poor baby.
I would just tell them you love their dog (lie lol), but your DD is scarred or your DH is allergic and they have to keep it out of your yard. or just be honest and tell them that you dont want to clean up the poop and he needs to poop in his own yard.....that is why you dont have a dog of your own
you might have to get a fence or something....I know you shoudl not have too but even if you talk to them they might not do anything about it
Option A: It will be an expense but for your child's safety and your peace of mind, get a fence for your front yard. It will pay for itself many times over and like another person said already, fences make good neighbours!
Option B: Get the number of your local Animal Control and put it on the speed dial of your cell phone and your house phone (if possible). If a dog comes on to your property, snarls and lunges at you again, call your local Animal Control. Hopefully you are 100% sure you know where the dog lives and Animal Control can take it from there.
Good luck!
I haven't tried yard guard. You should approach the neighbors that live behind you first. Then if that doesn't stop you register a written complaint with Animal Control and they will get a notice. 2 or 3 complaints and the dog will be detained at Animal Control until they take care of the issue. We had neighbors complaining about our dog, we had to buy a bark collar when she was outside because she would bark at the squirrels all day. This was the advice we were given from the Animal Control officer who came to our home. We didn't realize that she barked while we were gone till we noticed it on the weekends and the squirrels drove her crazy, but at night, that dog just wants his owners attention, especially if it's every night. As for the dogs in the front yard. I would contact animal control and explain the situation. They will come to speak with the owners next door and tell them most likely that if the dogs are posing a threat they must keep them leashed in the front yard when they are out. I hope this was helpful!
Of course this answer is over a year late, but here is the link to SM Municipal Code. Search the word "dog" and all answers to dog questions will list out. "animal" expands the search. No barking over 5 minute stretches. You'll love poop laws. Not only are owners responsible for picking it up immediately, but when walking a dog they MUST have bags in plain view at all times. $50 fine. Leaving poop ANYWHERE (private yards too) is $100 & addressed in all laws with the word "Nuisance" http://qcode.us/codes/santamonica/search.php
For the dog that barks, that's what they do. I have a shepherd mixed with lab, and she is the greatest watch dog, she will let us know if she hears or sees anyone around ours or the neighbors property. As far as the one that comes in your yard, there are leash laws, you can call animal control, but it's not the dogs fault if it is not being taught to stay in it's own yard, I would only call animal control if you obsolutley believe it can be a danger to your child, in the mean time i would have her play in the back yard which is safer in many ways. We have to live in peace with those around us, like I said dogs bark that's what they do. J.
Get a fence! For your child safety mostly.
I would investigate if there is a leash law in your area. Of course there is one in my area but people do not always follow. If there is a leash law than you need to report the owner. No matter what you need to report the dog launching at your daughter. What was the situation, was the dog in your yard, what limited the dog to just launching (though bad enough) did the owner come out? I would report the incident.....this could be a very dangerous animal through no fault of its own.
We have dogs of our own and I do not appreciate picking up other dog's waste. I would prefer to have a fence in my yard to keep my child safe.
Just my thoughts.
Hello, I hear you loud and clear. I hate it when people are not responsible pet owners. We live in a mobile home park and the people above us have 3 dogs. The ones below us have 5 or 6 dogs. We have a two dog limit. We have one dog. I have talked to the manager several times about this. On the fourth of July 4 of the dogs below us got out. They ran around for hours. We are having inspections of each of our lots and eventually, the general manager will make his way to our neighbors. I feel sad for the dogs below us as they are penned in a small area. They have put up things around the area so that you can't see in there. Last year I complained that the dogs had knocked over the water and it was 90 plus degrees out. That was when the manager went to see them and they built the walls.
If the dogs are getting into your yard, that is dangerous to your child. You can call animal control and they might come out. The noise can be reported to the noise control people. Or you can call the police department.
Good luck.
K. K.
Hi, I am a volunteer at my animal control. As far as the barking dog- there are limits as to what is an "acceptable" amount of barking. The neighbor cannot keep their dog from barking entirely, but they do need to be considerate of others. I would talk to the neighbor in a non confrontational way at first and explain that their dog is waking you up at night. If they do not seem to be making an effort like bringing the dog inside when it begins to bark, then I would call your animal control and file a complaint. If your neighbors seem to be working on their behavior try to be patient. Working on getting a dog to bark less can take some time. It is possible that they don't realize that their dog is being a nuisance and once they do, things may change.
The pooping dogs, I would report to Animal Control since they seem unwilling to listen to you. They may able to ticket the offenders and after a few fines they may get the idea to pick up after their pets.
Unless the dogs are soiling a very specific area, I have not found scent deterrents very effective in keeping dogs out of a lawn. I have also heard about an outdoor device that emits a high pitched noise that humans cannot hear every time a dog barks. It is a bit expensive but if you are interested: http://www.hammacher.com/Product/75520refsku=76825&xs...
Good luck!
The easy way is to call animal control for both issues. It is very easy for dogs to learn boundaries. I don't know what yard guard is. I would get some of those little flags and place them on your side of the property so the dog can see the property line. Get your hose ready. When he crosses the flags, yell "NO" in a very stern voice and squirt the dog. After about 1 week he will learn not to cross the property. After a week or two, you will be able to take the flags down and just yell No, if you see them.
