I’ve been having a bit of a problem lately. Nothing huge. In fact, it’s quite minor compared to most problems, but it’s so pesky, so annoying . . . that sometimes I want to scream at the top of my lungs.
We had a very difficult time finding an affordable house when we moved back to Illinois. We had to settle for a few things that we didn’t want, but nothing drastic. I love our home, but two of the things we didn’t like were the small garage and the tight vicinity between houses. No big deal though, we can handle those things, right?
No one lived in the two houses behind us for the two years we’ve lived here, until three months ago. Both of them sold at the same time, and both of them moved in with dogs.
You might ask, so what’s wrong with dogs? You love dogs and have one yourself, Lori.
It’s not the dogs that I have an issue with, it’s their people.
One neighbor lets his dog out at 4:30am every morning, and it barks from that time until evening of the same day.
One day when I’d been awake since 4:30am due to the barking dog, I let Max out. When their dog heard us in our yard, it decided to ram the fence viciously, and Max responded in kind. If one knows anything about dogs, yelling from a distance when they are in mad focus mode does not get their attention. So, I did not call to Max, but instead, rushed over to grab him by the collar. On the way there, I fell. I did not hurt myself, but that was the last straw.
The neighbor came out and started yelling at his dog (as stated above – wrongo). When he saw my head pop up over the fence pulling Max in tow, he waved at me with an oblivious smile on his face.
Warning; this is that one time I lost my temper.
Yeah, in a not-so-nice tone, I told him that his dog barks right by our bedroom window at 4:30 in the morning, wakes us up and then continues barking all day. I said, “the constant barking is rude to do to neighbors, so please do something about it.” I didn’t cuss. I just walked away and slammed my door. I’m not proud of it, but there you have it.
That was about three weeks ago. What happened since? Good news is, they stopped letting the dog out at 4:30am. Bad news is the barking starts at 8:30am and goes until dusk while I’m at home trying to write. Sometimes I want to tear my hair out.
Here’s a link to a video on facebook with the dog barking.
I have some gentler things in the works to try and fix this situation. Wish me luck. In the meantime, it got me thinking about my own dog(s). I’m so very blessed to not have issues with mine. It certainly helps that I know how to train them. I shared about my two good boys, here.
Lori's Lane 
It must be a really wearing situation Lori, I’m not surprised you lost your temper, I hope things get better.
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Perfect word to describe it, Andrea. Wearing. Thank you for understanding.
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Barking dogs: difficult, annoying, unhealthy and headaches all around for the animals, the neighbors and those in law enforcement. I’ve never seen any scenario get resolved outside of the barking dog either being taken away from unfit owners or the barking dog owners moving – or – the affected neighbor(s) moving.
Awful situation to be in, I feel for you and hope it gets resolved somehow, someway.
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Thanks, Laura. Since I posted this blog yesterday, I’ve only heard the dog briefly. I know they don’t read blogs (don’t think they speak English). Maybe someone else complained. I don’t know if it’ll start happening again, but it’s been nice these last 36 hours.
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Glad to hear that – ya take what ya can get, eh?
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Unfortunately I can relate to your own experience all too well. I have a neighbor who lets out his yapping dogs either late at night (like midnight or later) or early in the morning (before 6 a.m.) It’s like they don’t want to hear them, so they throw them outside. So rude and inconsiderate. Then my next-door neighbor (and it’s a townhome which means we share a wall) is a veterinarian and brings home random strays that he leaves in his unit alone and who bark and whine like crazy until he returns. Again, rude and inconsiderate.
At least your neighbor stopped letting the dog out at such an ungodly hour after you confronted him, but I hope a solution can be found so that you don’t have to hear them barking all day long. I love animals, but incessant barking would drive anyone crazy.
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Oh my Lord. I don’t get how they think they can’t hear the barking by putting the dogs outside. I think that’s why my neighbor does it, too. But if I can hear it inside my house, how do they not hear it inside theirs? I get annoyed at my own dog if he barks more than a few times, and I stop it.
I can’t imagine bringing home all sorts of strays to a townhouse. I mean, I’d love to bring home strays, but we need to know our limits.
From reading my comments, it seems like this problem is not uncommon. I don’t understand why people don’t think and/or just don’t care.
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That is so vexatious. I feel sorry for the poor dog who is probably just barking because he wants to be with his people – left outside all day like that, awful. Those people are inconsiderate of their neighbours and their dog.
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Hi Lynette. So true. I don’t understand the irresponsibility of some dog owners. What’s the point in having a dog if they’re not going to pay attention to it? I have noticed that since I got mad at the neighbor, he does take care of the barking when he’s home. But, it seems the dog is left outside when they aren’t home, which appears to be often.
Thanks for reading about that one time I lost my temper. 😉
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It’s the people who have the problem. Don’t you have by-laws about barking dogs? We’ve had to deal with this problem before too, and have had to talk to the dog owners. Somehow, nothing changes. You have my sympathies! We’re lucky that our immediate neighbours are good about their dogs, but others … well, this is why I don’t like living close to people, but I realize that isn’t an option for everyone.
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You’re right about the people having the problem and not the dog. What’s the point in having a dog if they’re not going to pay attention to it? Since I had words with the neighbor, he does seem to take care of the barking when he’s home. But, when he’s not home I think he leaves the dog out all day.
One of the things we’re going to look into are the by-laws on nuisance barking. First I’m going to try a product a friend recommended. It lets out a sonic whistle at the sound of barking. Hopefully the sound will deter the dog from continuing to bark. It’s on order.
Max doesn’t go outside without me watching him the entire time. He knows if I’m nearby, he’ll get corrected for barking. I just don’t understand the irresponsibility of these dog owners. From yours and others’ comments, it’s not uncommon. Go figure.
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I know it’s very common. What does that say about what people think of others? It’s a selfish character trait that probably manifests itself in other ways too that we may not even be aware of. We’ve had both kinds of neighbours – those who are considerate of our feelings and some who think only of themselves.
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I think it is so unfair to put your dog outside all day on its own. If the dog s barking constantly then surely the dog is distressed!
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You are so right about the dog being distressed. I don’t understand irresponsible dog owners. Why have one if they’re not going to pay attention to it? The dog obviously needs exercise and attention. Since I lost my temper with that neighbor, it does seem like he takes care of the dog when he’s home. But, I think he leaves the dog outside when he’s not home. It makes me want to take in the dog and train him myself.
Thanks for reading about that one time I lost my temper. 🙂
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We have the same issue, sort of. Our lucky break is that we have a retention pond between the back yards that’s as big as a football field but noise doesn’t respect borders. It’s less loud but loud nonetheless. Yep, dog goes out early (very early) a.m. and barks to get back in. Most times it takes them 20 minutes to a half hour to let him back in. That happens multiple times during the day but not constantly. Our next door dog barks all the time he is out. Fortunately he is aging and goes out a lot less. I don’t know how to train dogs to not bark but we have other neighborhood dogs that don’t. Breed? Training? Bad neighbors?
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Hi Kate. Boy, I’m getting comments where this has happened to many people. I don’t understand the irresponsibility. As far as breed, training and bad neighbors, I think it’s a little of each. All dogs need exercise just like humans do. If they don’t get it, they will act out in other ways. Just letting a dog stay in the back yard is not exercise. Some breeds take longer to train than others, but they can all be trained. My guy is one of the smarter breeds, and it takes no time at all to train him for things. But, he also gets the exercise he needs and I don’t leave him outside without me. He knows when I’m there I’ll correct him if he barks, so he simply doesn’t do it. I think in the long run, it’s the irresponsibility of the dog owner.
Thanks for sharing your story. I hope it continues to quiet down on both ends.
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Lori, I’m surprised you are getting any work done with such a noise intrusion. It baggers belief how some people don’t either hear the noise of the dog barking, are away for most of the day, or simply don’t worry about disturbing others. I’m not surprised it caused you to lose your temper … you must have been at the end of your tether with sleep deprivation alone. I feel for you and your situation and just hope something can be done to improve it.
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Hi Annika. It seems since I gave the neighbor a piece of my mind, he does correct the dog’s barking when he’s home. However, I think they leave the poor dog outside when they aren’t home, and it doesn’t know what to do with itself all day so it barks. We do have a couple of ideas to work with this situation and get it to stop. Thank you for understanding my loss of temper. 😉
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Oh…I have HUGE issues with people who don’t train their dogs and allow them to bark incessantly, Lori. We had this same problem for years. The dogs was outside from the crack of dawn until late at night. It barked at EVERYTHING and everybody. One day, Derek went up to talk (nicely) with the owner and was met with a response of “My dog can bark if it wants too.” The door was slammed in Derek’s face. After years of barking, the family got an in-ground swimming pool. I guess the dog barking annoyed them as they swam their laps, so they started to keep the dog inside. Good luck!
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Hi Jill. Our situations sound similar. One difference is that I’m not sure my back yard neighbor speaks English. By the look on his face though, I’m pretty sure he understood what I said when I gave him a piece of my mind. Since that incident, it seems like he does come out and take care of the barking when he’s home. However, I think they keep the poor dog out all day when they aren’t home. I don’t get it. I get annoyed by my own dog if he barks more then a few times in a row. Why would I do that to my neighbors if it bugs me?
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m glad it seemed to straighten itself out. Didn’t any of your other neighbors ever complain about that dog?
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People who keep their dogs outside in all weather conditions when they’re home or not home, shouldn’t own a dog. It’s not fair to the dog or the neighbors who have to listen to it.
Oh, everyone complained about that dog. The owner is a jerk. He has no respect for his neighbors.
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