Need some help from the Group Mind

[jeffg]

Our neighbors have a dog that barks non-stop whenever they leave their house. We've repeatedly told them about the problem, they always say they'll take care of it, but they haven't. They refuse to either put the damned thing inside or take it with them when they leave.

Our next step is to call our county's Animal Control, but I was hoping to find a solution that doesn't get the government (or us) directly involved. They're nice people otherwise and we get along fine, aside from this issue.

We'd like to find an out-of-the-box solution, e.g. maybe sneak over there when the dog is barking and dump a vial of skunk scent on him, or buy one of those dog control devices that emit a piercing ultrasonic noise when it detects barking. Supposedly it trains the dog to not bark, without causing any permanent damage.

If anyone has first-hand experience with this, or has other ideas we'd greatly appreciate hearing them. Thanks.

 

[spankomatic]

Go down to the SPCA on 7th Ave in Santa Cruz and ask them for a hand out on barking dogs. It has great information about why dogs bark and also the laws on barking dogs. I would get 2 hand outs. One for you to keep and one to give or mail to your neighbor. The dogs feel abandoned when the owners leave and start to bark. It's not good for the dog. Barking dog complaits are HUGE in Santa Cruz County. If the hand out does not work you will at least know the law and what to do next.

Jim

 

[petek]

I agree, there must be a noise bylaw somewhere that deals with it. I don't quite understand people leaving dogs outside all day. I've always kept mine inside to curtail being burgled. Dog isn't much good out in the backyard

 

[animasinsulinpu]

dogs

Hi, That dog might be suffering from seperation anxiety. Prozac works great for this I'm told......Bill in Az.....

 

[peterh770]

They may be nice people, but that is only to your face. They are very inconsiderate and just giving you lip service. They probably cannot trust the dog inside when they are not there because the dog distroys the interior when they leave.

 

[frigilux]

Set a video camera outside and record 3-4 hours' worth of barking. Ask them over for drinks/dinner. Have one of the tapes playing when they arrive. Play it through dinner. When tape #1 is done, play the the next one immediately. It doesn't matter if the tape is playing from another part of the house; just make sure the sound is up loud enough to be somewhat annoying.

Trust me: They'll understand why you're frustrated.

 

[pturo]

My border collie barks at squirrels, non stop, in trees. Cats are OK, birds are OK, other Dogs OK, but she just hates the little sumabitcin squirrels, and the neighbors complain when she does it at 6Am or so.

So,now, she goes out late, like 11:30pm to pee, and then next day about 7:30am when most people are up, and we bring her right back in. Dogs left alone in a backyard are a noise problem, they would rather be inside, if in fact they are trained.

 

[whirlcool]

What breed of dog is this? Some breeds are more prone to barking than others are.

Usually when a dog barks, its because its bored. Do they ever play with this dog? Take it to the park? Is the dog a family member with them, or just a piece of bling bling?

It is very inconsiderate of them to leave the dog outside for long periods of time. Dogs are pack animals, and if they can't pack with their "family" then you may wind up having behavioral problems of which excessive barking is one of them.

 

[polkanut]

A bullet?

 

[bajaespuma]

Had exactly the same problem here in Branford.

The best advice I got for this was from my Sister, a legal professional. DON'T DO ANYTHING TO THE DOG!!!! and don't trespass on their property for any reason. Most states have animal cruelty statutes and you don't want to become the defendant in this case. It's not the dog's fault, it's the stupid owners. Call your local dog warden or dog pound and ask about your local ordinances. Here in CT, if a dog is barking before 7:00 AM or after 10:00 PM, you have the right to ask the town to intervene and they will. Short of that if you (and some of your neighbors, preferably)make more than 3 complaints, they are required to visit the house, check on the welfare of the dog and determine if they need to remove the dog. If your neighbors are so thick-headed that they can't see that their dog is a nuisance, then the town may be able to convince them to get off there lazy asses and train the creature. It's never the dog's fault; it's always bad owners.

 

[revvinkevin]

Try bring civil about the whole thing.... but if that doesn&

Jeff, I am guessing you have talked to your neighbors a few times about this problem.

I agree with both going to the SPCA to pick up a couple of the "Barking dog" pamphlets and giving one to your neighbor, and recording hours of the dog barking on video and playing it back when the neighbors are visiting. But don't play if from the other room, have it on the TV so they can see their dog barking.

My story.
After my neighbors dog died, she brought home another, a black Lab mix I believe and he's outside all the time. The problem is this dog barks at EVERYTHING it sees, cats, other dogs, skunks, squirrels, people walking on the street, hell, even ME in my OWN yard, etc. But once he starts barking, it will take 5 to 10 minutes before he finally STOPS.

Now I don't have a problem with the dog barking during the day, even when I'm home because I can usually just tune it out. The problem I DO have is when this damn dog starts barking, at sometimes... 12:30, 3 or 5 am or any time in between.

What I did.
I know this is an option you want to avoid, but in my case I eventually called the SPCA and complained. They then mailed a post card to her noting the complaint (anonymously) and in my instance, that is all it took. She now takes the dog inside at night and it no longer wakes me up by barking at "something" at some ungodly hour.

 

[jeffg]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Here's a clip we made yesterday. A friend uploaded it to YouTube for us. It's just under 7 minutes, but this barking lasted the entire time our neighbors weren't home -- nearly FIVE HOURS.

You might get the idea he's barking at us. He's not. After a few minutes you can hear another dog (way down the hill) start answering him, and you can also hear another of their dogs start grunting, as if to say "Would you PLEASE SHUT THE FU*K UP?"

 

[rickr]

If I lived next door to THAT, I would kill it if nothing else could be done. I am not kidding either.

 

[whirlcool]

I couldn't tell if that dog was chained or not. That is one very unhappy dog. It appears to be a German Shepard, or a GS mix.
I would contact my local SPCA, tell them where to find your video and they'll take over from there. That dog doesn't appear to be in very good condition anyway. Then call your local German Shepard rescue group and tell them what shelter the dog went to.
That will give this dog the best chance for survival.
Do it for the welfare of the dog, if not for anything else.

 

[goatfarmer]

Don't do anything on your own, get the proper authorities involved.

 

[spankomatic]

Poor dog...

Great video Jeff. As you said... is does "appear" that the dog is barking at YOU in the video. Hopefully you have been down to the SPCA by now and have your hand out in hand. The sooner the dog owner gets the hand out the sooner they will know YOU MEAN BUISNESS! I would get your neighbors involved also. Have them post notes on the door when the dog has been barking. This way it will not "appear" that you are the only one complaining. That poor dog is lonely,feels abandon,needs his "pack",needs someone to play with him.

Jim

 

[jeffg]

Thanks, we found the handout on our county's website. We also found what our options are if we want to pursue this legally. But as I said earlier, we really would prefer another course of action.

We burned our video clip onto a DVD and we're going to show it to our neighbors this evening. We don't know if they are aware of how bad the problem is.

 

[ronhic]

How about this....

My feelings are that they probably know about it over and above what you have told them....

If they doubt you, ask them to do this for you.

- Leave the house as if going out including taking the car
- go around the block and park so they don't need to walk past their house.
- call in at your house and have a coffee and wait for the barking to start....

At least this way it is positive proof to them that this is happening.

They may react badly to the DVD and suggest that YOU have upset the dog...especially if it looks like it is barking at you.....

When they have realised at how bad it is (and I don't thing showing them the DVD is the best way to achieve it), let them know you are willing to be of help if they need it. This way they know you want a solution that isn't anything to do with 'legal this or that'.

Once you mention legalities, you will lose an otherwise good neighbour

 

[alr2903]

Or... if you are willing to move to the other side of the house (bedroom), a barking dog can be a good thing. Its kinda like a free security patrol and you don't have to feed him.