About to rent my property, barking dog issue.

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

A few minutes barking several times a week?

I'm sorry but I think you have unrealistic expectations if you think that makes them 'chavs' and antisocial, and I think its far more antisocial of you to be shouting' chav' at them over the fence!

Nobody who lives near other people, or roads, or animals, can 'rely on quiet'. The police helicopter was over here late last night, alarms go off, people talk to each other, kids laugh and cry, dogs bark, cars go past, doors slam, emergency vehicles have their sirens on, people play music, or practice musical instruments, my next door neighbour is currently very very poorly and shouts a lot. If you want to be able to 'rely on quiet' you have to go and live somewhere isolated.

Of course dogs are pets first and foremost, but they are also fantastic at warning you if something is awry in your home, and that's not a trait that should be trained out imo.

So if a neighbor turned the volume of a stereo up at full blast say 8 times per hour in 2 minute bursts would you be ok with that? No. Are you honestly telling me you wouldn't like to have relax in your garden at the end of a working day in summer, without an incredibly loud noise going off every few minutes?

Why would it be bad with a stereo but ok because its a dog? Why do you think there are laws for such things?

Its unwarranted and anti social. A dog owner is allowing his/her dog to make unnecessary noise. Just because its the owners pride and joy doesn't make it an excuse, no more than the stereo. It might be the owners beloved, but to others the noise is obviously a disturbance.

This is an obvious fact which has to be pointed out to irresponsible owners time and time again. By all means love your pet and have a dog, but that shouldn't be at the expense of others.

And barking dogs can ruin peoples lives. They affect work, sleep, they affect children's performances at school.
If you'd ruin another persons life because you want the luxury of a barking dog, if you'd knowingly disturb a kids sleep, your unfit for society as far as I'm concerned. Once again, there are laws against this for a reason. A judge might not see your dog as your beloved and the neighbors can go to hell.


As for the old burglar alarm theory, what if the burglar alarm went of 3 times per hour for no reason? What if it was preventing you from sleeping, and the first thing you heard in the morning? Would that serve as an active deterrent or would a neighbor think, 'its just the dog barking, nothing new.'

And some neighbors might thing, 'well they've made my life hell with their dog, why should I help them?' If you decide to be a bad neighbor, don't go expecting help from someone who could have been a good neighbor, if you'd treated them right.

And allowing a dog to bark incessantly is being a bad neighbor.

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

How is that equivalent to 'a few minutes several times a week' which is what the other poster objected to?

Answer that and then I'll bother reading the rest of your post.

Doesn't matter about the exact timings as you well know.

When is disturbing neighbors unnecessarily ever ok? Why is it so hard to quite simply be respectful to other people? Ask yourself that.

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

Well if you can't see a difference between a deliberate loud noise 8 times every hour hour for 2 minutes at a time, and a noise that is natural and part of living in a populated area for 'a few minutes several times a week' then I don't see any point trying to discuss the issue sensibly.

Tell you what, I'll set up a 'burglar alarm,' to go off incessantly between 8am and 11 pm, 7 days per week. If you politely ask me to turn the 'alarm,' off I'll get all offended and keep the alarm on anyway. Then you'll understand what its like to love next to a barking dog and irresponsible owner.