Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
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Wednesday, October 05, 2011

WHAT TO DO -- WHAT TO DO --???

Our city friends have a dilemma.  Their neighbor's dog barks all day.  These neighbors bring  the dog in at night which is  a good thing, but they leave the dog out during the day.  The neighbors are at work and are probably not aware that their dog barks all day long.  Barking dogs do not make for good neighbor relations.

My friends have just built a new patio and deck and they especially want to enjoy this lovely weather outside.  You can guess how well that is going with the constant barking of the dog next door.

How would you approach this matter without alienating the neighbor?  Anonymous calls or letters are out of the question.  They already know this will have to be handled face-to--face, but what in the world should they say?  Most of us have been on one side or the other or even both sides of this issue.  It usually never has a good outcome.  


Surely out there among my blog friends there is a perfect approach that will help our friends determine a path to follow.


18 comments:

  1. ugg, this is a toughie.. I've been on both sides , so I know. It took a few months but my neighbor an acre away finally caught me at the back fence and said my poms voices really carried lol.. I apologized and built them a room in the garage, giving up my 3rd parking area for the mower and such which then had to be moved to the back storage building.. I was fortunate to have an area where I could make an adjustment. When next I saw my neighbors out in the yard they thanked me and for Christmas in our card exchange at the community party there was a 20.00 coupon for petsmart.. very kind of them and not necessary but greatly appreciated. I wish everyone's DOG versus Neighbor could turn out as well..
    There wont be any perfect words to use but if they can stay calm and as pleasant as possible while they state their case and feelings about it, thats their best bet. Does this assure a perfect situation, NO, but its worth a try. As you said- its possible the owners are unaware of how annoying their pets are..
    I wish them the very best of luck..

    see ya soon:)
    Sonny

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  2. I'd just tell them. :D Sorry but it's not acceptable. We had this at our old house when my daughter was young and having an afternoon sleep. Every time she was woken up by this dog barking next door. I just knocked on the neighbours door and told them.

    It stopped after that.

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  3. There has to be a confrontation, but it has to be very diplomatic. Peoples pets are as important as their kids. Maybe they should tape an afternoon out on the deck to show them how difficult this could be.

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  4. My neighbor upstairs has a new puppy and she when she left on Sunday, the puppy started barking and howling without ceasing. The neighbor actually called from her cellphone and asked if she was still doing that - it had been about 15 minutes. I said yes and that the puppy must be experiencing some separation anxiety and volunteered the suggestion that maybe she should try crating her. She came back and did that. The puppy kept it up off and on, but at least she was contained in the back and not running from window to window.

    There's no good answer to this - she is tending not to leave the dog when I'm home. She did thank me for being kind about the problem. (Of course.)

    I think they just need to go over in person and say just that - that they would like to enjoy the new patio, but can't because of the barking. The dog could perhaps be sedated or left inside (crated.) That's what I think - they need to say something, but be kind in the way they say it.

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  5. The dog is suffering from separation anxiety! Sometimes getting another animal to keep company helps the behavior.

    My neighbors dog barked at me all the time. I went n met the dog, n that helped. He still barks when his folks are out, so I'll talk to him from here, n he knows he's not alone, n that will quiet him.
    Dogs need to be part of a group.

    When the downstairs dog was constantly barking, I bought him a chew bone to keep him knawing instead of barkng some of the time.

    Good luck to them.

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  6. Maybe they could envite them to lunch one afternoon on their patio:)

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  7. There's a lot of good suggestions given here. Hopefully your friends will find the best solution to their dog problem.

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  8. Really depends on your neighbor's attitude to this. Does it bother them that the dogs are annoying? If so, they will do something to stop it if you bring it to there attention. If they don't care, then you shouldn't either and call the cops.

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  9. Sonny – Thanks for some good advice. I like the idea of giving them a Pet Smart coupon if and when it all works out. Just hope their neighbors are open to some friendly information about their dog.

    LL Cool Joe – Wow, how much easier could something be? Excellent solution that should work that way for everyone.

    Tabor – I could have taped what I had to listen to when I was talking to my friends on the phone the other day. That neighbor dog was a non-stop barker and I was ready to scream just hearing what they hear every day. But I also know my dog Slim is family and if someone wants me to do something about her, I’m going to be on the defensive. Luckily we live on ten acres so she can’t annoy many (if any) people.

    Lynn – I thought they might suggest crating the animal too so now two of us have thought that is a good idea. I sometimes think dogs feel a little more secure in their crate. It was nice that your neighbor had a sense of the dog being a nuisance and checked about it.

    Riot Kitty – You’re right to join ranks with Joey:) How do you keep your cats from barking? LOL

    Snaggle Tooth – That is a great idea for the neighbors to get a second dog. In nine out of ten situations that would probably work. But then there is the risk of them ending up with TWO barking dogs. LOL The chew bone is a great idea and better than the suggestion I made for dropping a wad of raw meat laced with poison over the fence. JUST KIDDING!!

    Changes in the wind – Good idea unless the neighbors turn out to be stalkers and decide to be my friend’s new best friends. They could end up trading a barking dog for annoying neighbors.

    Pat MacKenzie – I agree that everyone has come up good suggestions and I too hope there is a good outcome eventually.

    Nick Thomas – You are so right about it all depending on attitude. That is indeed the frightening part of the whole equation. By the way, thanks for visiting my blog.

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  10. Many years ago, young and first home we owned, we had the same issue with a barking neighbors dog. The barking carried across the street and two homes down so I couldn't even imagine being directly next door. We did what we thought was the right thing and nicely talked to them about it. Fast forward a few weeks, another neighbor told us someone tried to poison the barking dog and the owners were accusing us, not openly but behind our backs. That broke my heart because we did what we thought was the right thing, going to them. We love dogs and would never hurt an animal so it was heartbreaking being accused like that.

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  11. I have this issue on and off with my neighbors
    I have to remind them how loud their dog and they're always apologetic
    I was uncomfortable at first but found that being direct was the best way

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  12. Marla and Steve @ -- Yikes! It never dawned on me that if they approach the neighbors nicely, the would still be the first suspects if anything were to happen to the dog. Now that is an issue to consider.

    Dianne -- Yes, I was thinking direct was the best way also before I read the comment above yours from Marla & Steve. If something were to happen to your neighbor's dog, do you think they would blame you?

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  13. I almost always start confrontations with a question. Like "Has anyone mentioned..." or "Were you aware that... ?" It's a less aggressive verbal tactic than starting with a statement, but still sneakily allows you to be in control of the conversation. (The person asking the questions is the one in control.) You can always get more aggressive later if required.

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  14. Hello Annie
    At last I'm getting round to visiting blogs - its been a while I know. Thank you so much for dropping in to Still Waters and for all the lovely comments you have left over the past few weeks.
    My side neighbours are well aware that their two Jack Russells (horrible little snappy dogs - oops sorry to any owners out there - but these two are just that) make a constant noise all day long. They bark at the door when the owners are at home - they snap at the fence when I work on the fence line - they run the whole of their fencline all the way round yapping and snapping at nayone who walks past. I mentioned it years ago and was told 'well thats what they are there for - to warn us when others are around. Thankfully they are taken indoors when the owners go to work - unfortunatley its shift work so I never know when theres going to be peace and quiet. The local council says to keep a noise diary but that didn't help either.
    Oh, sorry Annie, I didn't mean to carry on like that - I feel for your friends. There are times when I can't enjoy my back garden either.
    Take care
    Cathy
    ps thanks

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  15. Oops...guilty!!! My Brother's dog barked during the day too and the neighbour did lodge a complain so poor Queenie was brought over to my Mom's place.

    Queenis was alone and she didn't like it therefore barked all the time.

    So there....same with Cool Joe...just have to let them know.

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  16. Sparkling Red -- Good idea to open with a question. Just hope they don't come back with a question of their own like "WTF business is it of yours?" LOL

    Cathy -- I prefer a big giant bark of a big giant dog to the small yippy yappy barking of a small dog. Someone on my Facebook page suggested an ultrasonic wave deterrent that you can place on your property pointed toward their property and it will quiet the dogs. It would be worth investigating. I love you blog by the way and envy the lovely scenery and adventures you share.

    Shionge -- Poor Queenie. You know it really never is the dog's fault. It is the fault of the owner when they allow their dog to create a barrier between neighbors.

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  17. Should a dog be left alone all day?

    Sonny said 'my neighbor an acre away finally caught me at the back fence and said my poms voices really carried lol..'
    In Australia we Brits are called 'poms'
    so I thought Sonny was being berated for her voice. Too funny:)

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