NationStates Jolt Archive

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?

Bush would have you kill it.

Call the police, and let them know the issue. If it is really getting out of hand then they can be forced to have the dogs silenced.

buy earplugs (or how do you call those things you put in your ears so you can't hear a thing ?)

1) Reasonable solution. Talk to the dog's owners, get them to keep the dogs indoors during the time that you typically sleep.

2) Mildly agressive solution. Call the police, have the dog owners fined repeatedly for noise violations. File a civil suit against them.

3) Evil solutions. Threaten dog owners, follow through with physical violence if they don't keep their dogs quiet. Buy cellulose sponges. Cut them into one and a half inch by one and a half inch pieces. Coat them with bacon grease. Toss them over the fence.

Please note that the evil solutions may get you locked up and just aren't right.

train a cat ro run very far away from your house,then throw it into the neighbours yard before you go to bed,or whenever the dog annoys you.

I'd say a .38 would do the trick for any dog but are they big dogs or little dogs because if they're little a .22 would work

Discuss it with the neighbours first. Don't be aggressive about it, try to sound reasonable.

Give them a couple of chances. This way you have established yourself as "not the bad one".

Then if they don't do anything about it, well, in the UK Local Councils have an Environmental Health department, which deal with stuff like fly tipping and noise pollution and the like. I'd assume US Local Govt has the same sort of thing? Contact them. You now have a record of trying to deal with it amicably as well, to back you up.

Go around to their house in person on a day and time you know they'll be there and say politely, but firmly, that their dogs are driving you absolutely insane with insomnia and ask them to do something about it. If they agree to try, but the dogs keep it up, go over to them and again politely, but just as firmly, tell them it hasn't worked, and they need to try something else. If they refuse, and the dogs continue to make your life a misery, have an anti-social behavioural order slapped on them.

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?

Just call the police when they do it so they have the complaint on file. I'd then talk to your neighbors and give them a tongue lashing.

1) Reasonable solution. Talk to the dog's owners, get them to keep the dogs indoors during the time that you typically sleep.

2) Mildly agressive solution. Call the police, have the dog owners fined repeatedly for noise violations. File a civil suit against them.

3) Evil solutions. Threaten dog owners, follow through with physical violence if they don't keep their dogs quiet. Buy cellulose sponges. Cut them into one and a half inch by one and a half inch pieces. Coat them with bacon grease. Toss them over the fence.

Please note that the evil solutions may get you locked up and just aren't right.

Unfortunatly the dogs don't just bark during sleeping hours. Sometimes they bark for 30 minutes to an hour during the day or in the evenings. Their fence is 5-6 feet from the office and when I'm trying to work it's bark, bark, bark. Guess I'll have to opt for #2.

Unfortunatly the dogs don't just bark during sleeping hours. Sometimes they bark for 30 minutes to an hour during the day or in the evenings. Their fence is 5-6 feet from the office and when I'm trying to work it's bark, bark, bark. Guess I'll have to opt for #2.

that or the secret 'deploy a nuclear device' option.there is no problem that cant be solved by nukes.

train a cat ro run very far away from your house,then throw it into the neighbours yard before you go to bed,or whenever the dog annoys you.

Cats and other animals increase the barking to an exponential level. Any hope in the dogs chasing the cat are cut off by a 6 foot privacy fence. :D

that or the secret 'deploy a nuclear device' option.there is no problem that cant be solved by nukes.

Hum…Do you have the telephone number of the Iranian Embassy in the US? Oh, that's right, we don't have diplomatic relations with them so I guess the nuclear option is out.:D

Hum…Do you have the telephone number of the Iranian Embassy in the US? Oh, that's right, we don't have diplomatic relations with them so I guess the nuclear option is out.:D
:shiftyeyes:
i know people.meet out back by the dumpster.come alone.

Bush would have you kill it.

You've received an official warning, and a temp forum-ban for trolling. You would think that would give you that hint that what you're doing is trolling. Either you knock it off NOW or you won't be here much longer. Understood?

I heard somewhere that dogs that bark a lot like that are unhappy. I had a barking dog that lived next door for a while, I started tossing pigears or rawhides across the fence before I went to bed, it kept him busy for the night. My neighbors found out that I was doing it and got mad and threatened to sue me. I told them I wouldn't do it anymore, and the next night when the dog started in I called the police. They got a $200 fine, and started buying rawhides for thier dog after that, solved the problem.

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?
Celt, you're probably old enough to remember when neighbors knew each other. Back then, it wasn't all that unusual to just go over to their house and confront the issue directly. In my neighborhood, the issue was usually me or one of the other kids and our poor behavior.

Just go talk to the guy. If he blows you off, there's still plenty of time to call the cops. Wouldn't you rather have him talk to you first, if the situation was reversed?

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?

i say, give them a taste of their own medicine- start barking in your backgarden when they're asleep

i say, give them a taste of their own medicine- start barking in your backgarden when they're asleep
lol, brilliant!

I'll start by mentioning that I have two dogs, who occasionally get into barking moods, and I know they definitely drive me crazy when one or the other of them sees a squirrel or something at 3 AM. Given that, the odds are fairly good both that your neighbors also don't like that their dogs bark a lot, and that they really don't know how to stop them from barking. If that's true, calling the police would completely fail to stop the problem while making your neighbors dislike you - not really a useful solution. If they do have some reasonable way to quiet the dogs and are deliberately refusing to do so, then calling the police and filing a noise complaint would probably be the thing to do - but there's no way to know which of the above is true without talking to your neighbors. Go over there, be polite, and proceed from the assumption that they're probably on your side. You might suggest calling a vet for suggestions, or even call one yourself. Basically, do everything you can to come off as Reasonable Understanding Neighbor rather than Grumpy Animal-Hating Neighbor, since your neighbors are a lot more likely to try to work with the former than the latter.

You also may have to be prepared to make some sacrifices - obviously, they can't prevent their dogs from ever barking or keep them indoors 24/7. If they succeed in getting the dogs to be quiet at night, it would probably be wise on your part to figure out an alternative way to deal with the barking during the day.

Though all this advice is good, what you REALLY need to do is get an Arrogant Worms* CD and rock out to the following classic song at top volume in your backyard:

I once was a happy man
Of sound and stable mind
Then my neighbour got a dog
He put a ribbon on it’s head
To make it cute
But it still looked like
A chihuahua

He had me over
To watch it sit and beg
It bit my knee
And made love to my leg
Now it barks all the night
And all of the day
Whenever it’s not peeing on my lawn

I didn’t get to sleep last night
Till very late
The stupid dog barked
And grred
I woke up late
And ran to catch the bus
But I slipped on a turd

I was certain
It wasn’t one of mine
With that that dog
Had crossed over the line
I wanted to exterminate
It and all it’s kind
From my lovely little suburb

I’m gonna kill the dog next door
Ain’t gonna bark anymore
’cause this is judgment day
The little runt has got to pay
No more turds on my lawn
That stupid mutt will soon be gone
I’m gonna kill kill kill
Kill kill kill kill that dog

I see the little monster
In my garden
So I grab an axe and off I go
And I try my best to get it
All I do is sever my big toe
My neighbour comes
Outside to calm me
He says his dog and me
Should just be friends
He puts his little pet
In my forgiving hands

Then it starts to bite
So I strangle it with all my might
Oh oh oh oh ohhhhh

I’m gonna kill the dog next door
Ain’t gonna bark anymore
’cause this is judgment day
The little runt has got to pay
No more turds on my lawn
That stupid mutt will soon be gone
I’m gonna kill kill kill
Kill kill kill kill that dog

Now the little mutt’s
In doggie heaven
I strangled it to death
And now I’m free
But my trouble ain’t
Quite over
My neighbour called
The cops on me
I end up at
The police station
Where I am told
That I must pay
A three hundred
Dollar fine

(*long pause*)

Wow!!
What a great value!
I think I’ll kill my neighbour too!
Oh oh oh oh ohhhhh!

I’m gonna kill the guy next door
Won’t call the cops anymore
I never liked him anyway
Three hundred isn’t much to pay!
There are turds on my lawn
They must be his, his dog is gone
I’m gonna kill kill kill kill kill kill kill
Kill kill kill kill kill kill
Kill kill kill kill kill that guy
*famous and awesome Canadian comedic band, form Kingston On.

I would try to talk with them first, take a witness and write down the days and times. As others have said, keep calm and businesslike and as friendly as possible. In a situation like this, the first to lose their cool loses the fight. Even if they get real nasty, KEEP YOUR COOL!!! Always better to ty to work things out. If that doesn't work, try animal control. Not as negative as police. Next step police. Then a lawyer. If you do anything yourself like sleeping pills in hamburger, you will be breaking the law and will get yourself in trouble. Whatever you do--expect to have bad relations with the neighbors. Complaining about their pets is the same as complaining about their children. They will be defensive and hateful about anything you do.

no man. the Worms have the answer!

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?

Option A: Get a tape recorder and record the barking for an hour. Then set up some speakers outside and play the tape at max volume at 1:00 in the morning so your neighbors can hear how annoying their dogs sound.

Option B: Sneak over there when the dogs are barking and set them free to roam the neighborhood. They get some fresh air and you get peace and quiet.

Option C: Slip the dogs some chocolate or chicken bones. Claim you had no idea those things were bad for dogs. Keep in mind this option should be visited only as a last resort.

Option C: Slip the dogs some chocolate or chicken bones. Claim you had no idea those things were bad for dogs. Keep in mind this option should be visited only as a last resort.
The chocolate would take alot of unless the dog is very small. And the chicken bone isn't necessarily bad for them unless it shatters when the dog eats it. And before you ask why I know these things it's because I work at a veterinary clinic.

Buy one of those things that emits a high-pitch noise that humans can't hear but drives dogs crazy every time the dog barks. That's what my brother did, and it worked really well for him. I don't know what they're called though...

The people next door have dogs that bark, bark, and bark. All hours of the day and night. My wife has complained a couple of times. The other night one of the dogs barked continuously for 15 minutes, so I called. Last night the wife and I were watching TV and the dogs started in. I didn’t call because I wanted to see how long it would go on. Thirty minutes later, they shut up.

This morning I wanted to sleep until 8 AM but was woken up by barking at 5:15 AM. The barking stopped shortly after and I managed to get back to sleep only to be woken again at 6 AM. I called, but they had left for work and no one was home.

So what should I do?

Get a cheap stereo but with high wattage and remote control or timer. Also get a CD of a dog barking or some other irritating animal sound and stick it in the stereo. Dress up the stereo like a doggy, park it in your back yard aimed at your neighbour's residence. Now when the neighbour's dog barks make a note of how long it occurred then when at a time of your convenience turn on your HiFi synthetic doggy and let it run for an equal length of time.

If they complain without first doing something about their mutt leave it on 24 hours, preferrably while you're off on a weekend trip or something.

Ya know this would be much easier where I used to live. Apparently there it is legal to shoot a barking dog within city limits but I'm not so sure there is any municipality where trespassing and destruction of private property is legal under any circumstance so if these people mess with your 'doggy' phone the police but beforehand phone them and file a noise complaint. :)

I noticed some people voted for the "kill the dog" option. Hhmmm. That's not the way to go unless you want to experience homosexual sex by fellow prisoners in prison. It's funny how you can kill a dog and basicly get away with it while the police knows that that's how many seriel killers got their start.

The police option often leads to having the dog silenced, which is cruel because it's like having your thumbs chopped off. Dogs are programmed to bark. People are programmed to grab things.

The first thing I'd try to do is establish why the dog is barking. Is Spot lonely/wanting the owner's attention? I have a dog that only barks when it's walk time. She barks and whines until the leash is on and we're out the door.

The police option often leads to having the dog silenced, which is cruel because it's like having your thumbs chopped off. Dogs are programmed to bark. People are programmed to grab things.
Dogs are also programmed to screw other dogs, so is fixing it cruel?

Dogs are also programmed to screw other dogs, so is fixing it cruel?
yeah kinda, how would you like to be "fixed"
btw my dog was nuetered when I got him. :( poor doggie

yeah kinda, how would you like to be "fixed"
btw my dog was nuetered when I got him. :( poor doggie
I wouldn't like to be, although having worked at a vet clinic since I was 12, I have seen vast improvment in dogs behaivior who have been fixed. And in females it reduces their risk for cancer, uterine infections, and many others. In males it makes them more sociable to people, they are less likely to get in fights and wander, it also reduces many behavioral issues.

the big difference between people and animals is that we can choose to make decisions and healthy lifestyle choices, they live more by instinct.

I'd just mention it to the owner, courteously the first time and a little more irritated if it needs be repeated. You didn't mention it, but are you on decent neighbourly terms with them?

Dog barking can be hard for owners to control, speaking as a long-term owner of hunting hounds. Some of them are just barkers, but the good news is that there's a fix. For not too much money you can buy electronic barking collars that shock the dog when he barks, and they are very effective. It's a good investment for a dog owner - maybe you could suggest that to the neighbor.

I wouldn't like to be, although having worked at a vet clinic since I was 12, I have seen vast improvment in dogs behaivior who have been fixed. And in females it reduces their risk for cancer, uterine infections, and many others. In males it makes them more sociable to people, they are less likely to get in fights and wander, it also reduces many behavioral issues.

the big difference between people and animals is that we can choose to make decisions and healthy lifestyle choices, they live more by instinct.
well my dog is pretty sociable....
mostly I was just being argumentative.
I made my husband get a vasectomy so I can't really object to nuturing dogs and have much of an argument.

well my dog is pretty sociable....
mostly I was just being argumentative.
I made my husband get a vasectomy so I can't really object to nuturing dogs and have much of an argument.
I know what I'm talking about.

I was jsut using examples from dogs, I could go into more detail with cats, but since this is about dogs I'll refrain, unless asked.

I know what I'm talking about.

I was jsut using examples from dogs, I could go into more detail with cats, but since this is about dogs I'll refrain, unless asked.
I know you know what you are talking about. I wasn't arguing that time. sorry if I didn't make my point clear.

If it bothers you that much, ask the neighboors to buy muzzles for the dogs for when they are outside. Muzzles aren't cruel, so there's no problem there. If you're really bothered, you could even buy them yourself - they aren't all that expensive.

If your neighboors refuse to use muzzles, then go to calling the cops and all that.

If it bothers you that much, ask the neighboors to buy muzzles for the dogs for when they are outside. Muzzles aren't cruel, so there's no problem there. If you're really bothered, you could even buy them yourself - they aren't all that expensive.

If your neighboors refuse to use muzzles, then go to calling the cops and all that.
Muzzles are to keep dogs from biting, not barking. It is also dangerous to leave a muzzle on an unnattended dog.

I know you know what you are talking about. I wasn't arguing that time. sorry if I didn't make my point clear.
I knew, I was jsut saying as a for your information if you care so much

Muzzles are to keep dogs from biting, not barking. It is also dangerous to leave a muzzle on an unnattended dog.

They can be used for both. A muzzled dog can whine, but cannot bark.

Meanwhile, I wasn't suggeting that the neighboors leave the muzzles on constantly. Dogs don't like being muzzled, even if it doesn't actually hurt them. Thus, they can be used as a training tool to keep the dogs from barking.

BTW, what exactly is inherently dangerous about a muzzle?

That is true, but the main purpose is so they dont bite.

Many dogs freak out alot when a muzzle is put on them. The dog could panick and injure itself if it's owner isn't present, or even when they are, although less likely. The muzzle itself isn't dangerous, unless it's put on improperly.

Talk to the owners, if that doesn't work try a dog whistle.

If that doesn't work I suggest making sure they have an 'accident'.