Had problems with neighbours barking dog?

[MrWill]

I've a neighbour that lives 2 doors down from me with a dog that is left roaming free around their house and is almost constantly barking all day from 5am until around 4pm, then intemittently up untill about 10pm. This has been going on for about 2 years now.

Other neighbours have been round to their house asking them to sort it out, they politely said sorry, we will. But did not. Completely mugging them off. It's a man and wife who live there. When he is home he will sometimes try to shut it up. But while he is at work she will leave it barking and tell her husband that she has not been doing this.

I've not been round, as it makes me fuming and would do no good. But I have contacted the council. They gave me a diary that I filled out. which ended up filling it 3 fold. They then gave me recording equipment for a week, but get this, they told her that I had it, so she shut it up for a week. And they say that they are required to by law!

The bloke from the council has seemingly become friendly with this woman, she has him wrapped around her finger. She is totally bullshiting him, like she is doing with her husband.

The owner of the hose next door is trying to sell their house because of it, but can't as eveytime someone comes to view it, the dog is barking, so puts the buyers off.

So really I have no clue what to do next.

What can I do within the law?

Oh and they have just got another puppy in the last few days...

 

[Chromatic]

Don't set fire to its kennel!

 

[guitarpete247]

We have the same problem but with us it's next door and next but one. Next door's sets off the two next to them. Throughout the summer we had hoped to sit outside and eat in the garden but couldn't. Our gardens have a path that goes behind to the garages for us and 4 of our neighbours (the two with the dogs included). Everytime someone walks past the ball of fluff next door throws itself at the fence and scares the bejesus out of you. This then sets off the two next to them. this can then last for anything up to an hour re-setting each other off. The granddaughter's are terrified to walk round to the garage. Every Thursday the couple with the two dogs go to the pub and leave their mutts outside. We can hear them now and expect to still hear them off and on till they come back at half eleven. Neighbours have complained, The council will be our last port of call as we live in a small village in a very small cul de sac. We are just hoping the dogs will calm down (not a hope in hell ). At the moment the woman next door is at her mother's house sitting for 2 weeks and has taken the dog with her .

I know this won't stop it, but's good to have a rant.

 

[MrWill]

I feel for you. I'd get your council involved asap, it's not a difficult process but seems to take a while for anything to get done. Can be done annon if you want, I think.

Take up late night instrument learning or something then come to a deal with them heh.

 

[TVC]

Try the RSPCA they can approach it from the welfare of the dog.

 

[Drago]

I had this some years ago. Took 9 months of tape recording and log keeping before environmental health did anything, and that was only because I threatened to take my evidence to court and get an abatement order myself and send them the bill they didn't.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Regularly feed them "treats" that produce copious amounts of diahorea.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I can empathise with the OP. We had this problem for about 2 years,it got out of hand so much that i ended up in court charged with criminal damage. The council were ineffective and like the OP they must've warned the dog owners,as they shut it up for a fortnight! The couple moved out just before Accy junior was born,stating that they didn't like the sound of crying babies.

 

[Crankarm]

Don't bother with the your council as it sounds like they are useless. Sort it out yourself.

 

[slowmotion]

When it comes to noise problems, the local council's Environmental Health Officers are usually completely useless jobsworths. I went through that , painfully, a while ago. It was only when the miscreants had to meet our solicitor in court that they put up their hands. It was a lovely moment when their legal team agreed to pay all our legal fees in the courtroom corridor.

 

[Erudin]

Listen to the vids linked below simultaneously, very relaxing I used to work nights (never again) and the noise of home alone dogs etc used to keep me awake sometimes, so I know how annoying it can be.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REq6dTSCt-E



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUb427kLYS4

 

[nickyboy]

Presumably there are several other neighbours affected by this. Why not have a word with them and see if they feel the same? If they do, maybe a friendly chat with the dog-owner as a group may be more effective. You might be surprised at how many people just put up with this sort of thing, not wanting to rock the boat. All it often takes is one neighbour who is willing to organise people.
Of course if they say that the dog is no problem them you're on your own but that seems unlikely

Completely unrelated we had a situation where a house nearby was going to be bought for a commercial operation that wasn't appropriate for a residential area. I organised the neighbours, had meetings and stuff. When it came down to it. all the neighbours backed me and the company who was going to buy the house pulled out. If I hadn't done this, they would have bought the house. It is possible to get people on your side and organised .

 

[swee'pea99]

"12 hours of barking dogs 2"? For people for whom 12 hours of barking dogs just isn't enough, presumably. Whatever did we do before the internet?

 

[luckyfox]

Firstly i'm sorry you've been through this and had to go to the trouble to find a fix.

Well i have a Jack Russell and yes sometimes he barks. If it really is a problem with your neighbour and there has been no resolve for two years then here's my advice. Take it or leave it... it's a different approach.

I don't know type of dog or people involved but here goes... When my Charlie barks it's for two reasons, he's waiting for me to get my welllies on to take him for a walk or the garden thief scrotes are having a look at what they can pinch through the fence. Whatever type of people they are, if the dog is that persistently barking... he's bored, really really bored. Lets say this dog belonged to your friend, not the neighbours who you are annoyed with, a nice long term friend. How would you approach it? I get that it's an inconsiderate and frustrating situation but stay with me. Give them a knock and if you dont know them that well, introduce yourself and ask if they have a min. Explain a bit about yourself and then be honest. Your life is really affected by their dogs constant barking, you're worried about him too and in fact it's making you unhappy.... BUT you want to help. (You can make all the complaints in the world, do all the mean suggestions etc but all you really want is to resolve this in a compromised way, right?) They're used to it, could have been brought up with nosiey dogs and with the new puppy around, you dont want this behaviour to be learned and become twice the problem! So, take some dog biscuits round and offer to take him for a walk, believe me if they are decent humans they will be so humiliated it will humble them. Shame them. Don't judge, shame.

I was doing 15 hours shifts at one point and my neighbour offered to take Charlie out because he was becoming a nuisance. I had no idea, i felt so bad. I put all my energy into work. I now take him out at silly o'clock before i go to work. They were right, he needed to be taken better care of, i took my eye off the ball for a short time which wasn't fair on them or him. TBH, without this intervention i wouldn't have known how bad it was and if they hadn't of said anything, it would have condoned the situation.

Sincerely i hope you find a solution, best of luck.

 

[MarkF]

What do you want the neighbours to do, have a stern word with it? Some dogs bark a lot, some don't, my mothers dog goes bark mental every time it sees me, nothing can shut it up. I don't ever hear the dog 2 doors away right, but can always hear the yappity little thing 2 doors left.

Couldn't wait to leave home to get away from smelly, barky mutts.