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O/T Dog-Parents... New Neighbor Dilemma - How to Stop the Barking?

blayze's picture

Skids were loud, jarring noises, in my home every other weekend. They leave, and now the universe plays tricks on me. Enter new neighbor's barking dog.

They bought the house next door and moved in a few weeks ago. I've been here for 13 years. I like peace and quiet. I ride around in my car in complete silence and I HATE loud, jarring noise. The new neighbor is an older, grandmother-type, raising a kid who's the same age as my kid. He's probably her daughter's son. She works. It's just the two of them. I haven't seen either of them walk the dog. He's been on a leash in the backyard, from 7am to at least 6pm, every day this week.

We have a lot of birds, chipmunks, rabbits, etc. in our backyards. I get that they move around a lot, but this damn dog barks CONSTANTLY...or at least it feels constant to me. Right outside my office window and bedroom window.

What do I do? I looked at dog whistles, but I don't know if that's the right move. Do I train this dog? Would you be pissed if a neighbor stopped your dog from barking? Do dog whistles hurt dogs? I can't stand the noise, and I don't want to confront a neighbor. Yet I'm also ticked that 1) she doesn't walk her dog and 2) she doesn't realize that her dog is a nuisance!

Ideas?

Comments

QueenBeau's picture

I'm watching this because we have a neighbor who lets her dog out every night, usually after 10 & he barks for AT LEAST an hour every night.
I am thinking of getting a dog whistle when the baby gets here. I can't have that dog waking up my kid.

godess-clueless's picture

Recently had the barking dogs problem here, only it was every night until 1am when the neighbor would come home from work. I finally left a note on his door telling him that all his neighbors would like to get some sleep at night and if he did not want to properly take care of his dogs then he should call the humane or rescue group to take them. I sighned my name to make sure he knew it was from me.

blayze's picture

Lol I like this idea... except for leaving the name! haha I've already went over and introduced myself and talked to her son twice. Maybe she wouldn't know it was me if I left a note.

blayze's picture

I was going to take her some fresh baked zucchini bread, then I realized that she's home from 7am-8am when I'm hearing the dog from bed. Sad Two days of her dog awake before my alarm clock goes off has made me a little bitter. She's home when this is happening.

blayze's picture

RIGHT. Me, too. I feel bad for him...when I had dogs they didn't bark like this because they were walked! I am worried that a dog whistle will hurt him, but at this point it's either him or me.

He's at it again right now.

moeilijk's picture

Agreed on animal control. Find out what your local by-laws are, and report her every time. I guess eventually you could file public nuisance charges?

BarkAtTheMoon's picture

I have 5 dogs as well. FIVE. Four large Border Collies and little Sdog. What pisses me off is that this poor dog is "on a leash" in the back yard all day? I agree, he is bored out of his mind. Do they have a fenced yard? I'm thinking not since he is tied up in the yard. This neighbor needs to get a fence so the dog can move around more freely and not be so bored, or she needs to get a dog walker. Either way she needs to make an investment in the dog because #1 the barking is a nuisance and #2 the dog is not being treated fairly. If she just moved in, maybe a fence is in the works?

I have a 1/3 acre yard in a sub-division with my 5 dogs. They have a dog door and can go in and out of the house freely. I know they bark when I'm gone during the day, but they run, and run hard and tire themselves out, and then sleep most of the day from about 9pm to 3:30pm. When the school buses start dropping the kids off in the afternoon, there is more barking (as observed when I have a day off work), but then they come back inside to visit with SD13. On the weekends they will bark at people mowing their lawns, and DH and I will have to bring them in and keep them in to give them a time out. It's just part of being aware of what your dogs are doing, realizing that not everyone has the same tolerance and ultimately doing the right thing for the peace of the neighborhood.

You might have to speak with the neighbor. She doesn't realize you work from home. Not everyone has that luxury, so for the poor few who are in the neighborhoods every day working, you get to hear the joy of incessant barking. If you don't have a dog, that can really grate on your nerves. My "barking" is all of the screaming kids outside. Esp now with the nicer weather, they are screaming and running through their yards. We got new neighbors behind us a few months ago and I can even hear the toddler throwing a tantrum from inside his house because the people behind me have their windows open too.

Invest in some Mack's Ear Plugs. I wear them sometimes in the house when my FM acts up and every little thing is a distraction. I wear them a lot in the summer when SD19 is around, lol.

~ Moon

blayze's picture

Exactly. I have no tolerance... for loud kids either. I was shocked that SO didn't hear his kids screaming outside on the weekends. I cut that out real quick. Not everyone thinks your kid (or dog) is cute!

I'll look into earplugs too. I didn't think of that. Thanks Smile

BarkAtTheMoon's picture

You and I seem the same as far as tolerance levels. Even my own dogs barking can drive me nuts, so I bring them in lol. The teenagers across the street yapping the driveway, the ankle biters in the house behind me, waaaaay far away but still audible? Argh.

Oh oblivion would be bliss, but we are not all the same! Smile