Neighbor Issue

[gingersmom]

Background: I have lived in my house for 11 years. Neighbor across the street moved in 2 years ago. Say hi across the street, thats about all our contact.

 

Houses are average sized lot (neighborhood built in 1920's-1950ish).

 

In all our time here we have had 3 dogs. Currently we have one dog.

 

There are currently 5 dogs on our block and about 15 within a 1-2 block radius.

 

I come out of house with dog earlier and neighbor asks to speak with me. He says my dog is waking him every morning with her barking. I thought he was going to ask me what kind of dog she was and he wanted one. :001_smile:

 

His bedroom faces the street, my dog is two rooms from the front of the house.

 

I said "sorry". Not really sure what else to say. She barks about 5am, I tell her to be quiet, she goes back to sleep till the cat bothers her at 5:30, goes back to sleep, we get up around 6am.

 

He looked shocked like I was going to offer to get rid of the dog. :confused:

I told him mine is not the only dog on the block. Friday during school we had to listen to a dog bark for 1 hour (we never figured out which dog was barking).

 

I mean I could go on and on about my annoying neighbor who blasts his radio outside for 12 hours/day (even when he is not home), or his child who sits in the car and plays with the car horn endlessly.

 

This is why I live in a private house not an apartment, townhouse or an area with an HOA.

 

I mean I wasn't even making noise outside my house. Now I think I'm afraid to do anything loud inside my house.

 

I realize my feathers are ruffled. Be nice.

 

Thoughts?

[LaxMom]

Hmmmm. We live in town, regular "small town" lot sizes. There are dogs. There are cars. People play their radios. We keep our windows open pretty much all summer (at least until the heat and humidity are unbearable) and our bedroom faces the street.

 

It's never occurred to me to be offended by the normal sounds of life. The cranked music, drunken, brawling parties at midnight? Sure. A dog barking outside all night? Yes, but only because I feel bad for the dog. (I don't let my dog go on barking jags outside at any time. A bark here and there is fine, but if she gets really barky, she has to come in.) Hearing someone else's dog bark a couple times from inside their house? Wouldn't even notice.

 

People aren't too swift in identifying barking dogs, IMO. I got multiple letters from the HOA when I lived in a condo, demanding that I silence or re-home my barking dog... I had a cat. I finally sent a letter back saying if my cat's barking was disruptive to the neighbors, I probably had bigger issues to contend with, and never heard from them again.

Edited April 15, 2012 by MyCrazyHouse

[kroe1]

Barking dogs drive me insane. I can't stand it. It is why I will only own a non-barking breed. But I can't imagine why your neighbor can hear your dog while the dog is inside your home. Are your windows open? Are his windows open? Is your dog going outside to potty?

 

Our homes are all made of concrete since we live in south Florida. And sound travels through the concrete very easily. Still I cannot hear someone's indoor barking dog unless I'm right up in their driveway.

 

Suggest your neighbor go outside the next time he hears the dog so he can find out from where the sound is coming.

[TranquilMind]

gingersmom: He says my dog is waking him every morning with her barking.

 

I said "sorry". Not really sure what else to say. She barks about 5am, I tell her to be quiet, she goes back to sleep till the cat bothers her at 5:30, goes back to sleep, we get up around 6am.

 

Is the dog inside the house? I'm a little unclear on this from what you wrote. Then, you really can't solve it, unless it is by closing your windows.

 

Is the dog outside barking at 5 am, waking him up every single day? Then you need to solve that. That is just unreasonable. He clearly knows it is your dog, so it is irrelevant that there are other dogs in the neighborhood. No one just complains initially about something like this. It is ongoing for a long period of time until you just can't stand it anymore before a complaint is made, and the person has usually clearly identified the culprit, for fear of approaching the wrong person.

 

He looked shocked like I was going to offer to get rid of the dog. :confused:

I told him mine is not the only dog on the block. Friday during school we had to listen to a dog bark for 1 hour (we never figured out which dog was barking).

 

I mean I could go on and on about my annoying neighbor who blasts his radio outside for 12 hours/day (even when he is not home), or his child who sits in the car and plays with the car horn endlessly.

 

This is all completely irrelevant.

 

"Other people do annoying things" is not ever a proper response to what you are doing, any more than it is to the police officer..."Officer, why'd you stop ME? Others are driving fast too!"

 

This is why I live in a private house not an apartment, townhouse or an area with an HOA.

 

I mean I wasn't even making noise outside my house. Now I think I'm afraid to do anything loud inside my house.

 

So..the dog was inside your house? That's one loud dog, if it was. Most people can't hear dogs inside their houses across the street. If it was outside, bring it in at night and don't let it out until a reasonable hour. Problem solved.

 

No one should have to endure being awakened by someone's loud barking dog every single morning.

Edited April 15, 2012 by TranquilMind

[gingersmom]

She is an inside dog. She is never outside unless I am at the end of the leash. She barks about 5 times during the day inside my house. And my windows are closed 365 days/year.

 

I never said I tie her up outside till all hours of the night and let her bark her head off.

Edited April 15, 2012 by gingersmom

[Lisbeth]

How can he hear it? Windows open? What is the law about this in your area? A stereo waking someone up ... It wouldn't matter if it originated inside the house. It matters how loud it is outside. Could he start calling the police?

[Catwoman]

She is an inside dog. She is never outside unless I am at the end of the leash. She barks about 5 times during the day inside my house. And my windows are closed 365 days/year.

 

I never said I tie her up outside till all hours of the night and let her bark her head off.

 

I think the guy is hearing a different dog and assuming it is yours.

 

It is unreasonable for the guy to be upset if your dog barks for a minute or two at a time. If the dog was barking for hours, it would be a different story, but I can't even imagine that he could hear your dog barking for a few minutes from inside his house, with both your windows and his windows closed. :confused:

 

I really think he is hearing the dog across the street or something. I'll bet someone is letting their dog out very early in the morning, and the dog takes a few laps around the yard, and barks a little for fun while he's out there.

[GailV]

He clearly knows it is your dog, so it is irrelevant that there are other dogs in the neighborhood. No one just complains initially about something like this. It is ongoing for a long period of time until you just can't stand it anymore before a complaint is made, and the person has usually clearly identified the culprit, for fear of approaching the wrong person.

 

I disagree. It is entirely possible that he simply chose her dog as the culprit because he knows she has a dog. People do stuff like that, complaining to the wrong person, all the time. You can't read this forum very long without reading dozens of examples of this very issue.

 

Example: our neighbor came over to complain that our cat had injured their declawed cat in a fight the night before; I explained that our cat had been cowering the basement closet for the past 2 days, also injured, so the 2 cats had apparently been injured by some 3rd cat.

 

Give me a little time, and I could come up with other examples. Did you read the post about the neighbor with a video camera in the window -- she'd told police she was SURE those neighbors had listening devices that could hear inside her house -- do you think she "clearly knew" there were listening devices before she made her complaint?

[Pink Fairy]

It sounds to me like he has your dog mixed up with someone else's. She's across the street, AND in the back of the house, AND the windows are closed? I'd have said, "Nope, not my dog."

[TranquilMind]

She is an inside dog. She is never outside unless I am at the end of the leash. She barks about 5 times during the day inside my house. And my windows are closed 365 days/year.

 

I never said I tie her up outside till all hours of the night and let her bark her head off.

Wow. Then that is one LOUD dog. Or you are surrounded by concrete or your houses are very close or something. Is she in a front room? Maybe you could move her farther away if she is bothering them?

[Mynyel]

I disagree. It is entirely possible that he simply chose her dog as the culprit because he knows she has a dog. People do stuff like that, complaining to the wrong person, all the time. You can't read this forum very long without reading dozens of examples of this very issue.

 

Example: our neighbor came over to complain that our cat had injured their declawed cat in a fight the night before; I explained that our cat had been cowering the basement closet for the past 2 days, also injured, so the 2 cats had apparently been injured by some 3rd cat.

 

Give me a little time, and I could come up with other examples. Did you read the post about the neighbor with a video camera in the window -- she'd told police she was SURE those neighbors had listening devices that could hear inside her house -- do you think she "clearly knew" there were listening devices before she made her complaint?

 

:iagree:

 

We had a neighbor call animal control on our dog becuase they said he was getting into their garbage.

 

Not true. We *saw* the real culprit. It was a husky that lived down the street. That dog would knock over the big trash cans and go to town. We SAW it happen.

 

So people will (sometimes) blame whoever they see first.

 

I would ask for proof it is your dog as your dog is kept inside and isn't outside in the mornings.

 

Burden is on him to prove guilt. Not on you to prove innocence.

[TranquilMind]

GailV;I disagree. It is entirely possible that he simply chose her dog as the culprit because he knows she has a dog. People do stuff like that, complaining to the wrong person, all the time.

 

Well, possibly. In my experience as a landlord for a decade, I find that people are very careful to make sure of their facts before making such requests, personally. They usually try two or three elimination sort of tests to be really sure.

 

 

Example: our neighbor came over to complain that our cat had injured their declawed cat in a fight the night before; I explained that our cat had been cowering the basement closet for the past 2 days, also injured, so the 2 cats had apparently been injured by some 3rd cat.

 

Ok. Well cats are harder to tell apart, in my opinion. But I'd sure be sure if I thought this. What are cats doing wandering around anyway.

 

[ssavings]

If you're reasonably sure that it's not your dog, I'd tell the neighbor. Nicely. Coming from a not-so-much-an-animal-person perspective, it's difficult sometimes to get the nerve to approach someone about their animal (I've had terrible experiences), and I'm sure neighbor would appreciate some sympathy and help finding whatever animal he's hear (maybe you could nicely drop a hint about the unkown house with the radio on all day, too!)

[Catwoman]

. I got multiple letters from the HOA when I lived in a condo, demanding that I silence or re-home my barking dog... I had a cat. I finally sent a letter back saying if my cat's barking was disruptive to the neighbors, I probably had bigger issues to contend with, and never heard from them again.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I think it's really cool that you have a cat that can bark. :tongue_smilie:

[Another Michelle]

Hmmmm. We live in town, regular "small town" lot sizes. There are dogs. There are cars. People play their radios. We keep our windows open pretty much all summer (at least until the heat and humidity are unbearable) and our bedroom faces the street. It's never occurred to me to be offended by the normal sounds of life. The cranked music, drunken, brawling parties at midnight? Sure. A dog barking outside all night? Yes, but only because I feel bad for the dog. (I don't let my dog go on barking jags outside at any time. A bark here and there is fine, but if she gets really barky, she has to come in.) Hearing someone else's dog bark a couple times from inside their house? Wouldn't even notice. People aren't too swift in identifying barking dogs, IMO. I got multiple letters from the HOA when I lived in a condo, demanding that I silence or re-home my barking dog... I had a cat. I finally sent a letter back saying if my cat's barking was disruptive to the neighbors, I probably had bigger issues to contend with, and never heard from them again.

I think the guy is hearing a different dog and assuming it is yours.

:iagree:

[DesertDweller]

I don't know how the houses are built where you live or how thin the walls are, but our dog will sometimes bark when inside. I can be out front in the yard and hear her. She has a pretty loud bark, but it's not enough that the neighbors would hear. With doors and windows closed, I don't think any of neighbors would be able to hear her if they were inside their homes.

 

How long does your dog bark in the morning? If it's only for a few minutes, this hardly seems worth someone complaining. Now, if it's ongoing and incessant, then that would be annoying. It doesn't sound from your post like that's the case.

 

I would probably try to talk to the neighbor more about it. He may be hearing someone else's dog.

[pdalley]

Is the dog inside the house? I'm a little unclear on this from what you wrote. Then, you really can't solve it, unless it is by closing your windows.

 

Is the dog outside barking at 5 am, waking him up every single day? Then you need to solve that. That is just unreasonable. He clearly knows it is your dog, so it is irrelevant that there are other dogs in the neighborhood. No one just complains initially about something like this. It is ongoing for a long period of time until you just can't stand it anymore before a complaint is made, and the person has usually clearly identified the culprit, for fear of approaching the wrong person.

 

 

 

 

 

I worked animal control and I could not disagree more. Nine times out of ten most people accused the first dog they saw of barking and then complained if the dog barked one time because their kids were sticking their fingers through the dogs fence. I even had a mailman insist he was bitten by a certain dog. Until I took the dog - with the owner - to the postmaster and showed the postmaster the dog could not have bitten him - it had no teeth.

 

Seriously. The guy across the street complained about our dogs - which are never out unless we are with them - in our fenced yard. And Animal Control had to walk him over to the yard next to ours to show him it was the dog in the chain link outdoor kennel he heard - not ours.

 

I really think he's mistaking your dog for someone else's dog. I never heard a dog barking through walls unless I was standing at their door. (When I worked animal control)