Owners of Constantly Barking Dogs: You're a Bunghole and Your Neighbours Hate You

[Yeah_Baby]

Why don't we eliminate all dogs?

[doozwimp]

At least the bears have quieted down.

[Pizza]

You could call up the city on the noise and they'll issue a warning/fine on the house hold.

years ago, I had neighbours complain to the city about another neighbour who let their dog bark thoughout the night

[ResAlien]

There's no dog problem a 12 gauge and some rock salt won't fix.

[KelVarnsen]

Insert Hawaiian Islands joke here.

[Vulcan]

I remember having some city ordinance guy come around and give me a warning for my dog barking at night. The problem was that my dog was always inside at night and rarely barked. It was the neighbours dog that was keeping everyone awake but I couldn't convince this jerk. Glad I don't live in the city anymore.

[LGA]

I've got a few neighbours that just leave their dogs out all day and those things are yappy. It infuriates me as a dog owner that stupid people like that basically ruin it for the rest of us, the second my dog starts barking or howling he's coming into the house.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Why don't we eliminate all dogs?

You couldn't stay quiet about that for long, could you DESS?

[Jedi Ninja]

Originally Posted by Reaper

A guy I used to work with tried to use shock collars on his dogs.

He ended up having to stop using them because one of the dogs had thick fur that insulated her from the collar. Since it barely felt anything it just kept barking which would set off the other dog's collar who had already stopped barking days before.

So basically the dog who was feeling the shocks was holed up in the corner of the room while the other dog continued to shock him unkowingly.

If the owner could be fitted with the collar, I have a feeling the barking problem would stop much sooner.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Pizza

You could call up the city on the noise and they'll issue a warning/fine on the house hold.

years ago, I had neighbours complain to the city about another neighbour who let their dog bark thoughout the night

The city is willing to send a warning, but in order for it to escalate to actual punitive measures I have to keep a log of the barking over a period of time - which I don't mind doing - but I'd also have to be willing to go to court for the prosecution. I'm not willing to do that because I don't particularly want to essentially sue my neighbors.

It bothers me the city is putting the onus on me to do their work. Should I set up a radar and catch the speeders in my back alley, too? A bylaw officer would have to drive out anytime of any day to see this is a real problem.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Sliver

The city is willing to send a warning, but in order for it to escalate to actual punitive measures I have to keep a log of the barking over a period of time - which I don't mind doing - but I'd also have to be willing to go to court for the prosecution. I'm not willing to do that because I don't particularly want to essentially sue my neighbors.

It bothers me the city is putting the onus on me to do their work. Should I set up a radar and catch the speeders in my back alley, too? A bylaw officer would have to drive out anytime of any day to see this is a real problem.

I think they should send a bylaw officer to live at your house for a couple weeks to make sure he properly records the time of the loud barking. You could give him a cot in your basement and provide 3 squares a day.

Probably easier than just writing down stuff in a log.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I think they should send a bylaw officer to live at your house for a couple weeks to make sure he properly records the time of the loud barking. You could give him a cot in your basement and provide 3 squares a day.

Probably easier than just writing down stuff in a log.

I don't think you understand my objection. I don't mind writing stuff down in a log. I do mind not being able to maintain my anonymity when/if it winds up in front of the courts. Suing your neighbour for breaking a bylaw can't possibly lead to good relations in the neighbourhood and that's something I value.

What other bylaws do you want me going around enforcing? My understanding is we have bylaw officers to investigate when people break bylaws. If I have a noise complaint at 11 p.m. I can call the police. But if that noise is a dog I have to keep a log for a number of weeks then go to court? That's ridiculous.

[Icon]

I had a neighbor give me dirty looks the other day because my dog was playing in the yard in his usual way (running as fast as he can in big laps around the yard), and when he does he makes little grunt/barking sounds... this was at 4:00 in the afternoon...

If that kind of noise really bugs him that much, he should consider muzzling his screaming children too...

I agree constantly barking dogs are annoying, but this isn't the case here... People & animals make noise, if you want quiet, live on a farm in the country, not in a suburb.

/rant

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah I wouldn't. The dog is the problem (there are crappy dogs), but the owners moreso.

There is no such thing as a crappy dog, its all about the owner and the lack of training. Sounds like the owner is ignoring the situation.

Have you spoken to your neighbour about this concern? I bet you could chat with the other Neighbour and they would have the same issue.

[Misterpants]

I like when peoples' responses are "Just talk to your neighbour." as if everyone has a reasonable down to earth person living next to them. Sometimes you end up living next to martians. Doesn't matter which neighbourhood or which city, sometimes the people you live next to are either effed up in the head or just genuine jerkwads.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by flambers

There is no such thing as a crappy dog, its all about the owner and the lack of training. Sounds like the owner is ignoring the situation.

Have you spoken to your neighbour about this concern? I bet you could chat with the other Neighbour and they would have the same issue.

No I haven't discussed it with him because it removes any chance for plausible deniability if I can find a way to anonymously have bylaw enforce their bylaw. Talking to reasonable people can work. I have enough years on me now to know not all people are reasonable. If you don't have a problem with your multiple dogs barking 24/7, it's unlikely you're going to care if I show up on your door and politely ask you to have your dogs cut it out. You've already shown yourself to be unreasonable and to not care about your neighbours.

Another problem when approaching dog people about a complaint with their dog is everybody thinks they're the world's greatest dog owner. It's a battle you cannot win so I'm not going to even try.

And yes, there are crappy dogs. Dogs aren't some angelic being...they're just like people or any other animal. There are good ones and bad ones. I understand proper training can dramatically improve the behaviour of a bad dog, but frankly that doesn't help me with respect to the problem I'm having. I just want the dogs to stop constantly barking per the bylaw:

The Owner of an Animal shall ensure that such Animal shall not bark, howl, or otherwise makes or causes a noise or noises which disturbs any person.

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by Sliver

And yes, there are crappy dogs. Dogs aren't some angelic being...they're just like people or any other animal. There are good ones and bad ones. I understand proper training can dramatically improve the behaviour of a bad dog, but frankly that doesn't help me with respect to the problem I'm having. I just want the dogs to stop constantly barking per the bylaw:

And some are inbred, which makes them a few bricks short of a full load.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

I like when peoples' responses are "Just talk to your neighbour." as if everyone has a reasonable down to earth person living next to them. Sometimes you end up living next to martians. Doesn't matter which neighbourhood or which city, sometimes the people you live next to are either effed up in the head or just genuine jerkwads.

This. We've had partying neighbours that were like jekyll & hyde if they'd been drinking or not when it came to music/noise.

If it was early in the night and they'd just had 1 beer it was all "yeah if the music gets too loud just let us know, not a problem"

But if it was later in the night and they'd had more than a few it was "oh but we're just having a party, our friends are here from out of town! They've never seen our stereo before!"

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I don't think you understand my objection. I don't mind writing stuff down in a log. I do mind not being able to maintain my anonymity when/if it winds up in front of the courts. Suing your neighbour for breaking a bylaw can't possibly lead to good relations in the neighbourhood and that's something I value.

What other bylaws do you want me going around enforcing? My understanding is we have bylaw officers to investigate when people break bylaws. If I have a noise complaint at 11 p.m. I can call the police. But if that noise is a dog I have to keep a log for a number of weeks then go to court? That's ridiculous.

I did misunderstand.

However, I do think a noise complaint for a dog is different than someone running a chainsaw at 11pm though. One is clearly an offense right when it happens, but a dog that barks excessively one time clearly shouldn't be.

I wouldn't want to go to court over it either.

What's that old saying? Shoot, Shovel and Shutup?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I did misunderstand.

However, I do think a noise complaint for a dog is different than someone running a chainsaw at 11pm though. One is clearly an offense right when it happens, but a dog that barks excessively one time clearly shouldn't be.

I wouldn't want to go to court over it either.

What's that old saying? Shoot, Shovel and Shutup?

Fair enough.

I agree that a dog barking excessively one time isn't a big deal. There is a cumulative effect with something like this. The same incessant barking over weeks and months is extremely annoying. Not sure why I can't just record the barking over a few days or weeks, hand that over to bylaw and let them take it from there. Why do I then have to go to court or be willing to go to court for them to prosecute?