Opinions wanted - how to tell neighbours to shut their dogs up

Supersonos · 30 September 2017 at 6:25PM

Our neighbours' dogs bark a lot. Sometimes as late as 2am, this morning we were woken at 5am. But they will bark on and off for much of the day.

We moved here just over a year ago and get on with the rest of the village, but the neighbours in question are known for being a bit odd and don't mix with the rest of us. We exchange pleasantries with them but never much more than that.

We've put up with the dogs for this long because we think it's important to not fall-out with your neighbours, but after a summer of having all our windows constantly shut and regularly being woken in the early hours, we've decided we need to say something.

Any ramblings or opnions on how best to do this gratefully received.

Letter through the door? It's quite impersonal and gutless.
Face-to-face? There's the risk of emotion coming into it.

martinthebandit · 30 September 2017 at 6:27PM

Face to face every time, start by asking if the dogs are OK then go from there.

Supersonos · 30 September 2017 at 6:55PM

martinthebandit wrote: »

Face to face every time, start by asking if the dogs are OK then go from there.

Ok - thanks. I'm worried I'll say something that could be taken badly (like the fact we're often woken between 5 and 6am). And it's still the issue of wording it.

Primrose · 30 September 2017 at 8:21PM

I'd be very honest - perhaps go round with a bottle of wine or some flowers to show you go in an amicable mode but say you've put with the noise from the dog for a year hoping it would reduce but tell them straight that it has now driven you to the end of your tether and you really cannot stand it any longer and you are feeling constantly ill because your sleep is disrupted by the dogs barking.

But there's another issue here. You say you've only lived in the house for a year and that your next door neighbours have a difficult reputation. Did the sellers of your house not tell you about the noise from the dogs or mention they had a issue with it? It must have been going on for a long time. I can,t believe it didn!t annoy them too Why did they move? Perhaps it was the noise of the dogs which drove them out. I would contact your solicitor who did the conveyancing and complain that this was not mentioned as an issue when the house conveyancing was done.

Tell them that you don,t want to go behind their backs but you niw feel that unless there is an immediate and permanent reduction in the noise you will be making a complaint to the Council's Environment Department. I would also start to keep a daily noise diary so you have a record of how bad it is if it gets to the point of having to make a formal complaint to your council's Health & Environment Department.

Batman2017 · 30 September 2017 at 9:02PM

I have recently had a similar experience. We have lived in our house for 6 years. This year a house 3 doors down was sold and is now being rented out. A family moved in with their yorkshire terrier. I've never said more than a hello to them. They didnt strike me as paticulary interested in chit chat or being 'friends'. I'm not anti-social and have quite good relations with a number of residents on my development.

Anyway the family that moved in, there dog would yap at varying times throughout the day going on for hours at some points. I think it might have been when they went out or had visitors leading them to leave the dog in the garden. After 9 or so months I just snapped and phoned the council. They sent them a letter and the noise has lessened although not completely.

Was it gutless for me to go straight to the council? Maybe, but then if i had confronted them and they had taken it badly what would my recourse be then? call the council, at which point when they recieved the letter they would of know it was me. At this point in time it could of been 1 of 9 houses that called it in. This way they could hardly take their grief out on anybody.

Ci_bach · 30 September 2017 at 11:30PM

Face to face every time

Had similar problem with neighbour and dog. Knocked and asked if dog OK as had concerns at continual howling. Owner said no one else had complained and that I should go sleep in back bedroom :mad:

Advised neighbour that I did not have to tell him what I was about to tell him - that I was going to keep a noise diary for 2 weeks. I would note day, date, time, duration of howling and how disturbance made me feel.

After 2 weeks I would make the diary available to the Noise Patrol, the Dog Warden and any other appropriate organisation/person I could think of. Diaries to be continuous if necessary

I further advised him the responsibility for resolution to the matter rested with him.

Result : although a few incidents recorded the diary did not go anywhere as all howling abated before 2 weeks had passed.

I should add that dog appeared well cared for & regularly exercised etc

Diaries - way to go! Up to you if you tell owner you are going to keep them though

CB

Fireflyaway · 1 October 2017 at 8:27AM

I agree face to face is best and to keep it calm so as not to get into an argument. Are the people in when the dogs bark? Do they work shifts or something? Just a though as could it be possible they don't even know about the barking? See what they say before deciding on next action.

Supersonos · 1 October 2017 at 9:47AM

Fireflyaway wrote: »

Are the people in when the dogs bark?

Yes, they're in. They let them out and then ignore them, so the dogs are just barking to get back in (I think). Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I'm assuming they can't really hear the barking in their house and probably assume it's the same for all the neighbours.

Diaries - way to go!

We're noting down the most annoying periods of barking (like the very late/early ones) and I've got a few videos on my phone. My worry about contacting the council is that the actual periods of barking aren't that long (15-20 mins at a time), it's more the volume. They've got 6-8 dogs (I'm not entirely sure) of various sizes, so when they all start barking it's an incredible racket.

At the moment, my wife is favouring a message on Facebook as she really doesn't want us to speak to them face to face as she thinks they'll just be rude. I'm not sure about this (we're not friends with them on FB).

pearl123 · 1 October 2017 at 9:55AM

I'd just send a very polite letter of complaint. I'd also state that they were welcome to pop around for a chat.

ripplyuk · 1 October 2017 at 10:38AM

I'd suspect this is why the previous owners of your house sold up. Any reasonable person knows that half a dozen dogs barking regularly is not acceptable. If this has been going on for over a year, then I have doubts that any neighbourly chat will make any difference.

I think I'd say nothing to the neighbours and go straight to the council, with a detailed noise diary. I can't see them going to any real effort to make it stop unless they are forced to.

Supersonos · 1 October 2017 at 12:28PM

ripplyuk wrote: »

I'd suspect this is why the previous owners of your house sold up. Any reasonable person knows that half a dozen dogs barking regularly is not acceptable. If this has been going on for over a year, then I have doubts that any neighbourly chat will make any difference.

I think I'd say nothing to the neighbours and go straight to the council, with a detailed noise diary. I can't see them going to any real effort to make it stop unless they are forced to.

Very good point, thanks. The fact they don't really mix with anyone does lead us to believe they probably don't care about anyone else.

Opinions wanted - how to tell neighbours to shut their dogs up

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