I own a dog. Or a dog owns me. Whatever. Either way, I know that sometimes when I take my dog outside, she might bark. She doesn’t bark often, but when she does I do something about it so that it won’t annoy the neighbors. Really, when she barks, it is to let us know she needs something – she wants to go inside, she wants to play, you know. Things like that.
So it really, really, really pisses me off to no end that my neighbors have gotten a dog and they leave it outside all the damn time.
Any time I go into my backyard, I get barked at by this dog. It can’t see me, as we all have those tall privacy fences. So it just barks.
You know, sometimes I want to be able to go outside and enjoy my backyard, especially right now because it is cool enough to do that. (Well, if the pollen wasn’t so thick, I would. My sinuses would hate me even more than they already do if I spent much time outside today.)
In the morning, they must let it outside when they leave for work. So it barks. My bedroom is close to the fence line, so I get to wake up to a barking dog.
Sometimes, I want to be able to sleep a little later than 7am. And I don’t want to listen to their damn dog barking.
Seriously, it freakin’ drives me nuts.
One of these days, I’m going to end up leaving a carnival freak crazy note on their door, telling them to either train the dog to stay indoors, or find it a new home. It is just cruel to leave your dog outside all the time like that. It is obviously wanting attention. And it doesn’t want attention from me. It doesn’t deserve to have me screaming at it to be quiet, which is what I end up doing when I spend more than 5 minutes outside. So do the neighbors behind me – I’ve heard them before. One day it was like we were tag-teaming the dog, trying desperately to get it to be quiet.
Stupid neighbors. Poor dog. It has now taken up a “howling” tone. I might just pull my hair out. Gah!
12 replies on “Woof, Woof, Woof!”
We’ve been in our house a little over 2 yrs now and our neighbors have this dog that has never left their yard, ever. And he barks nonstop. The most annoying part is I love sleeping with my window open, with my bed right under it. Unfortunately, he barks all night long too. I told my husband this is the year I’m going to call animal control, I can’t stand it any more. And that poor dog out there in the Virginia summer hear, awful!
I am so with you on this one.
Poor you and very poor dog! Some people should really not get dogs. :\ Poor thing.
Hope dog finds a better home (or the neighbors start to actually take care of him/her) and you can enjoy your backyard again!
There’s a street I drive down often where an “always outside” dog lives. He (or she?) doesn’t get any love–he’s chained outside, no one ever plays with him…it makes me sad!
You might want to just tell them. They might not even be aware that the dog is barking. When we were visiting my brother’s house, they said we could leave our dog (who came with us to visit) outside when we went out – since it was so nice out. Well, apparently, the minute we’d leave, the dog would start barking and not stop. It was weird too, because sometimes we’d swing past the house to make sure he was doing okay, and he wouldn’t be barking just then. Their neighbor just told my brother and SIL that the dog was barking. We apologized and then kept him inside. Seriously – if you just tell them nicely, they may change the situation. They may just not realize it.
If they don’t – then look up what the laws are about animal control. I know here that a dog constantly barking is actually against the law and you can call animal control about it.
I would definitely mention it to them. And then, check your deed restrictions. There is reasonable barking and then there is your neighbor’s dog! The person in charge of our deed restrictions came over and listened to it bark so she was on my side and helped me out with the problem. It’s worth a try!
Check your local laws. Leaving an animal outdoors all of the time does constitute animal cruelity in most places. But I would first let them know that the dog barks all of the time before calling animal control on them. I am a cat person but even I know that dogs should be barking all of the time. Good luck with the neighbors and getting animal control out there.
Jenn, I’ll admit it – I’m too chicken to just tell them face to face. I know I would get all emotional and either do the really shaky voice thing or just outright cry. So that was why I said I would start first with a note. (I wouldn’t be mean in the note, just ask them to address the situation.)
They have to be aware of the barking. I realized after I wrote this earlier that – if I remember right – the husband doesn’t work last I heard due to health problems, so he is home during the day. Sometimes, when the barking really gets going because the kids behind us are outside, they will go and get the dog. The barking will suddenly stop. I think they are aware of it – just not aware of how annoying it is to me.
I would definitely talk to them first before I went to animal control or even the subdivision deed restriction board.
Our back deck overlooks the fence which looks out onto the busy sidewalk where everyone walks their dog. The minute our dogs start barking they know that within 3 seconds they will be back in the house. I don’t want anyone complaining about our dogs, and if I can’t stand my own dogs barking… I know they can’t either. What really gets me is the people who won’t clean up after their dogs on walks. We have a ton of people who own 2 to 3 dogs and they just let them do their thing.
first, i would give the neighbors a chance by making them aware of the fact that the dog barks all day. since they’re not home, they may not know.
after that, like mia said, check your local ordinances. i know that here in maryland, if a dog barks unceasingly like that, we can call animal control and they’ll come right out. in maryland, it’s illegal to leave a dog outside unteathered, even if it IS in a backyard. and the teather has to be a specific kind, etc.
so give your local animal control a call – they may be able to solve the problem for you 🙂
Leaving a dog outside with the weather we are about to have it just plain cruel. I know they will probably do it anyway. Please tell me there is some shelter for the poor thing.
My dogs are not “always outside dogs” but they tend to bark a lot when they are outside because there are two of them and they get protective of the yard. And its always at a bad time like when I’m in the shower or getting ready for work and I can’t do anything about it (we let them out in the morning for a few hours when it is nice and cool). It makes me feel bad when I’m in the shower and can’t do anything but I do get them inside when they are barking too much. It is just good manners!!!! So, my next door neighbor sprayed them with a hose last weekend when they were having a barking fest with his dog through the fence. That is perfectly okay with me. You should just spray him with the hose!!! And if you are too emotional to talk to them, then write a nice note.
And the tethering someone mentioned above, that sounds kind of cruel itself…
Now it’s time to add your stupid neighbor’s dog to the barking dog ATLAS!