Yes, My Dogs Do Bark On Occasion OR How To Use Technology To Deal With An Annoying Neighbor

By Dan F Gray

I have lived in the same place for over 20 years. I have always had dogs. All my neighbors have dogs. We all got along. Then, about a 1 ½ years ago, we got a new next door neighbor. They seemed okay at first, but shortly after they moved in it started.

First, the lady came over, knocked on the door and was very upset. She is an 'actress', at least according to her. The problem is, when the dogs bark, she can't practice her lines and if she doesn't know her lines, she will disappoint her fans. She even shed a few crocodile tears. Then she went on to suggest that we give our dogs to someone who lives out in the country. After all, that is what she made her son do with his dog.

Next, she started calling the cops. When they would come by, our dogs weren't even outside and they weren't barking. So, they would just turn around and drive away. You see, we never leave our dogs out when we are not home and if we hear them barking, we bring them in. In reality they only bark in response to someone coming up to the house or one of the other neighborhood dogs barking. Eventually, the police told her to stop calling.

One day, I find a notice in my mailbox. It's from Animal Control. It was a warning stating that my dogs are disturbing one of my neighbors. I decided I would give them a call. I tell them about my situation and how I never leave my dogs outside when I'm not home. If I hear them bark, I bring them in. They asked me, "Did you see the date on the notice?" I said, "Yes, it's from a month ago. They said, "That shows you how seriously we take this issue, we have more important problems to deal with. Yes, dogs do bark on occasion, after all that is what dogs do."

So, time passes and we get a couple of more notices. Then one day, we get a letter from animal control. It indicates that they have received several complaints and if we get another complaint within 2 weeks we may have to pay a $2500 fine and have our dogs impounded. To say the least, this was a little upsetting. I immediately call animal control. They tell me exactly how it works. My neighbor must keep a log for two weeks, indicating the time of barking and the duration. After that, they must get three neighbors in close proximity that agree that our dogs are creating a nuisance. If they do all that, then they have to go to court and we each present our sides and the judge makes a decision.

At this point, I decide to take preemptive action. First, I compose a letter giving all the details. Then, I personally take it around and hand deliver to all my neighbors, except the one making the complaints. All of my neighbors were very supportive and several said they will go to court with me, if it ever comes to that. They said my dogs are not and never have been a nuisance. In fact, some didn't even know I had any dogs.

Lastly, I took one additional measure. One that gave me peace of mind. I setup a surveillance system for my backyard with cameras and a microphone. It records all activity, 24/7. It holds up to six weeks of data and after that, I can copy it to a USB hard drive. This allows me to maintain a complete record of all the activity in my backyard for the past 12 weeks.

Now I don't have to worry about false accusations. Now, my dogs can once again go out and enjoy being a dog. By the way, this annoying neighbor also has a dog, and her dog also barks on occasion. But, as she puts it, her little Westy's bark doesn't bother her.

by Dan F. Gray - Computer Expert & Professional K9 Trainer

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Thanks for reading my article.

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