Inconsiderate (I Think...) Neighbors

Defintiely talk to them. You never know, they might not even know that they bark all day while they are gone or think that it is that bothersome. Give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. My neighbors just got two dogs, and they are yappy, so I can relate.

well yes I do think you have a right to say something if it is that bad. You could just talk to them about it but if they don't do anything to stop it you can call the police I think that might fall under the "city noise ordinance"
I have neighbors that have some pretty loud and annoying dogs. One day I was out in my backyard trying to get stuff done while my daughter was napping and their dog just kept barking and barking at me. I was annoyed and didn't want this dog to wake my daughter. So I walked over and asked them to keep the dog inside while i was working in my yard. They did and after that they were more aware of their dogs and when they start to bark a lot they always bring them in with me having to say anything anymore. So first go talk to them and see what can be done.

Yes, you can absolutely talk to them about their dogs. If they are leaving town for extended periods of time, they might not realize that the dogs bark constantly when left home alone. Tell them they need to board the dogs somewhere or you'll contact authorities next time it happens.

My mom has had this problem wth neighbors. Sometimes she's been able to get them to make changes, sometimes not.

I am an avid dog lover, and rescuer. This is not right, and you have a valid complaint. These little dogs - believe it or not - probably need more exercise (both physical and mental) than larger breeds. This is why they are yapping all the time. If these people are going off and leaving them for days that is animal cruelty and neglect in my opinion.

Let me suggest something - go on to petfinder.com, enter your ZIP code, and contact some all-breed rescues in your area about the situation. (If you know the breed(s) of the dogs contact breed specific rescues for better information). Chances are rescues will be better able to help you with how to handle the situation in your area because they know what the law will and won't do, and they probably know people who know people who know people (if you get my drift). Be patient with them though. They are all ran entirely by volunteers, and many can take a couple three days to respond to you.

The sound ordinance for most towns is 10:00 pm during the week and 11:00 pm on weekends. This includes barking dogs.. '

Also if you feel the dogs are being neglected, you can report them to animal control to check on the health of the dogs or to at least investigate on the weekends they are gone,. Do they have a fenced backyard? Is it possibke they let them go outside in the back yard some of the time.

We had neighbors we loved, but their Beagle drove the entire neighborhood insane with the constant barking and howling. They were reported many times and realized they just needed to keep their dog in the house all night, because they "could not train him".. When they moved, so many people were thrilled.

I had a similar problem with my neighbor. The dog was a big one, and his bark was SO loud. It was constant when he was outside. I am kind of a wuss about confrontations, so I wrote them a nice respectful letter telling them about the problem and asking for their help. A few days later, I got a reply letter and they actually took it very well. I don't think they realized what the dog was doing when they were gone. There was a drastic improvement. I'm sure that not all people would have taken it so well, but I do think you have every right to say something. I'm not sure if you have an HOA, but maybe you could file a complaint with them if you don't get anywhere by telling the neighbor. I am a dog lover, but I am very much opposed to disrupting others with an incessant barking dog. It's about having consideration for others.

Yes, this a VERY valid annoyance! Our old neighbors had a dog thatbarked ALL THE TIME. I worked late nights sometimes and would get home around 2-3 a.m. They hay a doggie door, and this SOB would start barking in the house and run out the doggie door, to the corner of their fence and bark and bark and bark. This happened to be right under my bedroom window. He barked all day, at anything and everyone. i LOVE animals, but I absolutely despised that dog. I couldnt go out in my yard without having to listen to it. soooo badly wanted to call the police, but our kids were friends and I didnt want to ruin that. I was never so happy in my life then when they moved!!!
I would check with your police department and see if you can make an annonymous complaint :)

ish. they may not be truly inconsiderate (ie they may be unaware) but you are certainly within your rights to be frustrated and look for a solution.
most towns have noise ordinances, and some are pretty stringent. in a rural area like mine, it's the after 10 pm rule (unenforced and pretty unenforceable) but in some towns a dog is not allowed to bark loudly for more than 5 minutes at a time.
the fact that they are indoors does present more of a problem, but if that awful high-pitched yapping is actually audible inside your home, i think you have a valid beef.
the best but most difficult solution is to talk to them directly. keep it very pleasant and non-confrontational, the tone being how to brainstorm and problem-solve, not accuse. if they are completely non-receptive, it's time for an official complaint. you are completely NOT out of line for doing so. pet owners have a responsibility to see to it that their enjoyment of their poopsies does not infringe on their neighbors' right to enjoy their own homes.
when i was pregnant we had a neighbor with a beautiful white husky. he lived alone and went to work at 5am, leaving the dog chained to a spacious doghouse outside. that dog started that strange whining husky bark from the moment he left the driveway until about noon, and my pregnancy hormones went haywire. i finally wrote him a nastygram, and it escalated from hurt feelings to outright hostility pretty fast. of course i realize now that i handled it badly. but he did finally find a new home for the dog. i'm just glad my little hound mutt didn't get shot over it.
our current neighbors have 553 tiny mini jacks and chihuahuas. we thought they were charming until they began attacking our old dog and showing up under our bedroom window yapping maniacally at 3 am. having learned my lesson, i approached them courteously but they blew me off. when their little microbial warts attacked and hurt my cat, i was done. i once again approached them courteously but firmly, didn't threaten but told them they must do something right away or i would start sending my hay bills (dogs pissed all over my hay so the horses wouldn't eat it) and vet bills to them. the next day a fence went up. the wee vile beasties still bark at us but at least don't come over any more.
the lovely gal on the big farm across the lane has the bumpus hounds. they stream out bellowing every time i walk or ride into the lane. she calls them endlessly and futilely, but since they're neither trained nor constrained, i guess it's all for show. at least they don't bother us unless they see us.
sorry for being long-winded, but this is a real issue for me too. it seems my fate to be surrounded by irresponsible dog owners, and finding the right balance is a constant effort.
khairete
S.

This is absolutely a valid complaint. You are entitled to a "bark free" environment. I LOVE dogs and have owned them all my life. My yellow lab is sleeping next to me as I write this note! It is the dog owners responsibility to have their dog NOT disturb or infringe on your world. Normal dog barking here and there is fine, it's the incessant barking when owners are not home that is ridiculous and terribly rude on the owners part (assuming they even know).

I would suggest that you speak (very nicely) to the owners. Do be prepared, they are usually very defensive about their barking dogs (that of course never bark when they are home). You could write an anonymous note if you think they will be hostile. Some people react to news that their dogs bark as if you insulted their kid!

Unfortunately, you have to decide whether to then call animal control/sheriff, etc - it is against the law to have a dog barking incessantly - I'm not sure if this is true, but years ago I was told that after 3 calls they remove the dog. (that would be awful - but I think it motivates the owners to do something!)

Good luck!

I would recommend letting the neighbor know...as they might not be aware that the dogs bark non-stop while they are gone. If that doesn't help solve the problem (because as a dog owner, I know there are things I would do if told that - leave dogs in crates,etc.), then I would notify the authorities if the barking is happening in early morning hours or late night - most cities have a noise ordinance that you can see if it is being violated. Usually, if they are descent people, the conversation will do the trick - but might take them a while to figure out what works for their dogs.

If you feel comfortable you might talk to the nicely and tell them the dogs bark constantly when they are gone (it's possible they might not know if it only happens when they are out). It sounds like these pets would be better off boarded when their owners go away. Otherwise check into your local laws about noise and animal care. Maybe the local police have a non emergency number you can call in the daytime. You may have cause to make a complaint.

When you say they "leave town", do you mean to go to work during the day, or for several days on vacation? Because dogs cannot be left alone inside for days on end with nobody to care for them - that's grounds for a complaint to animal control because they may not be taken care of properly. Unless they have a pet sitter coming over several times a day or staying there, they are possibly guilty of neglect.

If that is not the case, and the dogs are not outside barking, and you are not in an apartment complex, and it's during the day, so I don't know really what you could do, unless like others have said, it's after a certain time of night. If they were outside (where the barking would be louder and potentially bothering more neighbors) or you were in apartment, you could file a complaint, but otherwise I'm not sure. If the dogs are left alone that much all day long, they are probably barking because they are bored. Little dogs do need exercise - it may not take as much to wear them out as a bigger dog but they still benefit from it. The owners may not even be aware of the problem. You could mention it to them but in a way that is not confrontational, but more concerned - as in, "Are your dogs okay during the day while you are gone? Because I can hear them barking non-stop in your house while I am in my house." And see what they say. Sounds like dropping them off at a doggy day-care (with the option of overnight boarding) might be the best solution!

I think you have every right to speak up about the pets to the owners. But, realistically, is it going to help? Probably, not. How would someone keep their pet from barking while inside the house? I think I could understand more if they were outside all the time and barking, at least then they could bring them in. But since they are inside and your inside your house, I don't think there is much that can be done.

I understand your frustration as I am not a dog owner and I have yappy dogs next door. The dogs next to me yap whenever we are outside and so are they, so yes that can get annoying. But I just deal with it.

*Wanted to add, my neighbors walk their dogs all the time and they still yap. I think some small dogs are just yappers.

As a pet owner it seems to me that they are doing the best they can by keeping their dogs inside... other than getting rid of the dogs, I'm not sure what else they can do?! I'm sure it would be much worse if they left them locked outside... You could try approaching them and saying, do you know that your dogs are barking all day while you are gone? They may not know.
I have a sensitive neighbor and a dog that barks and honestly the best thing I can do is put my dog in a crate inside my house while I am gone... At least that way she is not in the back yard barking when I am not around to correct her for it.

I have a small dog (8 pounds) and we rarely walk her. We do run around in our back yard but no daily walks. Regarding them leaving town and leaving the dogs home alone...I find this hard to believe because the poop situation would be bad. Regarding the barking...some dogs bark ALOT. We just passed on buying a house because the neighbor had sued (with an attorney and everything) the owner about their barking dog. The seller admitted that he had never known a dog that barked as much as his. The outcome of the lawsuit was that the dog had to wear an electric collar that shocked him when he barked when he was outside. You might start with a note to your neighbor and progress to non-emergency Police. They may refer you to your local animal control. They will send a letter. I'm not sure there's much they can do. But, no, a dog barking all the time is not acceptable. Good-luck.

My mom has a smallish dog who is nervous around strangers (many small dogs are) and will BARK at them until they go away or he is sent upstairs by my mom. She left him home when she came to visit me for a few days - my brother was at the house all day, but worked at night. The neighbor told my mom that the dog barked for HOURS at night, waking her up. My mom apologized and hired a dog sitter who slept with the dog, from then on if she was planning to be away at night. Responsible pet owners and neighbors will remedy the problem, but they'll never know if you don't tell them. If they don't change, it's time to call the police and register a complaint.

Do you have an HOA in your neighborhood? Our HOA has stuff in there about 'noise' issues (loud music, barking dogs, etc...). In addition to filing a complaint with the humane society, city - you might want to look into your HOA. It's SUCH an annoyance! You can always leave a 'note' - anonymous if you want - addressing the issues and see where it goes. If it continues, then I would file a complaint. Good luck!

How long has this gone one?

Have you ever gone over and knocked on their door?

Hello, We live in a mobile home park. It is a 5star park and we have rules. However, the last manager didn't enforce them very well. Don't get me wrong, she was very nice, just not someone the get the job done. Anyway, our neighbors to the left have three nonstop barking little dogs. Then the new neighbors to the right obtained 5 dogs then added three more. We were trapped in a kennel atmosphere. I have one little chihuahua who is only outside to go to the bathroom. We let her stay out and sun occasionally. When she starts to bark, we bring her in. I walk her twice a day. Even little dogs need excercise. I have spoken to the neighbor to the left and she turns it around on me, telling me that I am not telling her dogs to shut up loud enough or that I need to tell her when they have barked. Well, they won't listen to me and what good does it do to tell her afterwards. I reported the other neighbor to the new manager and it seems like they have lowered their number to two. We have a two dog limit. Plus, the area the one with up to eight has the dogs in is a very small area and they are out in all kinds of weather. It is sad. They blocked the area where they have the dogs so now you can't see them.
There is nothing wrong with telling your neighbors about the noise, but don't expect them to change anything. The only other thing you can do is find out if you have an annoying noise ordinance in your area and if so, you could report them. We are in the country, so I don't think I can get anything done.
K. K.

My neighbor has a gorgeous Irish setter who rarely barks, thankfully, since my bedroom is 15 feet from neighbor's door. So, there was this one time when my neighbor got home from the bar at 2 am and let the dog outside, then he passed out on the couch (curtains were open, we could see him!). Dog was stuck outside barking like crazy. Did I mention the blizzard? It was February. Hubby tried pounding on windows to wake up neighbor, finally gave up and carved out a hole of snow under our picnic table for the poor thing to hide in.* Went inside and called the cops. Neighbor got a big ticket.

Most cities have noise ordinances. If talking to the neighbor doesn't help the situation, my next call would be the police station. Also, I saw that someone said the poop situation would be bad... may not be true. My friend has her chihuahua piddle pad trained. She goes out of town all the time and leaves the dog home.

*I'm allergic to dogs. She was not coming in my house.

well you can do what one of my annoymous neighbors does. They just call the Humane society. We have been reported 4 times but each time they have come the report has ended up being bogus and the officier has found nothing wrong (with us). We have a few dogs in the neighborhood that howl all night. I don't know if whomever called thought it was mine. we have a beagle. He howls when he hears a siren outside, but he is inside at night (never barks inside) and some of the day. One time the neighbor called with the complaint that my dog was outside for an hour and it rained. It was between stoms that were back to back to back a couple months back and he had been inside for days. When the storm broke I let him outside for and hour. The yard was wet (mostly cement) but there was a covered, dry 6x6 foot space and his large (for a beagle) dog house. When the rain came back an hour later he came back inside. If we have to be out during inclimit weather he goes inside.

Now the yapping. That drives me bananas. Leaving your dog inside for days at a time might be considered animal cruelty. It is also unsanitary. Do you know if they have someone come over to clean up after the dog or provide them any care. When we go out of town we have my BIL come over 2 times a day to feed and let him in/out of the house. Or he sometimes takes him to his house. You most likely have 2 legit compalaints: the yapping and lack of care (when out of town). We do not take our dog on regular walks but we play with him a lot so he gets lots of exercise. But there might be a complaint there too.

You can talk to them and ask them if they aware that when they leave that their dogs bark incessantly. They need to be aware. Next step is contacting animal control. They have a form to fill out for complaints, they come and cite them with a warning. If it continues, they will get another warning, then if they come back again, they will fine you and could take the dogs into custody. I have a dog and we really try to be aware of his behavior. He is a lab and is indoors while we are gone. A few times we have asked the neighbors if he barks incessantly. They tell us no, they do hear him bark, but usually it's because the UPS guy or FEDEX has dropped off a package on our doorstep, then he stops. We are lucky, but we have also trained him. We do walk him regularly. Dogs are not meant to be kept in all day with no exercise. This can cause excessive barking also.
If you daughter is old enough, maybe ask the neighbors if she can get to know the dogs and take them on walks for them. Every little bit can help.
Good luck.

First of all, your neighbors may not realize what happens when they are away, or that it is disturbing you. Perhaps you could have a nice polite chat letting them know and asking them to resolve.
If they don't resolve, then file a complaint with the city.
I have a neighbor who complained my dogs barked all day and all night. Totally not true. My dogs do not bark when we are home unless someone comes to the door. And we are home most of the time, and all night. However, they apparently were barking at the front fence everytime someone went by. So, we lined up the trash cans across the front of the fence so they couldn't see out. They stopped. :)

I'm a dog owner and lover and we're hyper conscious of not letting our dog bark and bother the neighbors. But our friends in the neighborhood also thought they were good owners until someone told them their dog was barking a lot during the day. So it's POSSIBLE the neighbors don't know. I would tell them and see if anything changes. It sounds like the dogs aren't well cared for and regardless, it's unfair to you. If it doesn't change, I would register a complaint with the police.

You must tell them for your own sanity. If they are not home, they don't know what is going on. After you've told them, then you can begin complaining if they don't rectify the situation. And big or small, all dogs need regular exercise and walks.

I lived in a complex that was part owned and the other part was rented when the economy turned. There was a dog that barked constantly all day in the garage. Our bedroom window faced the garage and so we had to deal with that. Not only was our bedroom window but our living room also. We talked to the apartment complex and complained and the apartment that had the dog was in the owner part. I wrote a letter to the HOA explaining that the dog was left in the garage all day long and that I didn't think that it was very humane treatment in the first place and that the barking was annoying all day long. It was so tiresome to be woken up at 6 in the morning till 11 at night. I explained that if they didn't do something I was going to call the humane society or animal controll and complain to them. It took a few week of back and forth as I threatened to break my lease due to the noise pollution and then it was taken care of. See what the laws are in your area with the noise pollution complaint. I mentioned that I thought the dog was being mistreated and probably malnourished by the way it was kept in the garage all day long with the door cracked slightly. I never saw them take the dog out and that the dog seemed really unhappy. This got their attention and mght get the HOA or animal control's attention as well if you mention that you are worried about the safety and or well being of the dogs. All dogs need to be walked and outiside for a few hours a day. Good Luck and I hope everything works out.