What is classed as excessive barking?

callywally

my friend has now spoken to the lady from the council and the people that have complained are saying that the dog keeps their children awake. this is not true as the dogs have barked an average of twice a day and never before 7am or after 10pm.
My friend is waiting to hear if it will go any further but if the children go to bed at 7pm and the dog barks once at this time I dont feel it is reasonable to complain.
the other neighbours have no problem with it. We will wait and see if it goes any further.

gratefulforhelp_2

Jules22 wrote: »

Barking for more than Half an hour at a time is classed as a nuisance..

This sounds around the right ballpark, but would depend on time of day, and how often. Environmental health will judge whether the "average person" would find it unreasonable, its hard to define.

callywally wrote: »

Just a update, in the last three days there have been six barks none before 7 am or after 10pm.
Would this be a problem to anyone living in the real world?
my friend is going to speak to some of he neighbours when she can.

I don't think EH would do a thing about this.

We had this problem with hideous neighbours, they had dreadful problems including a daughter who was drug addict, and another who had comitted suicide. He came round if our dog said woof once after 9pm, shouting, swearing and threatening DH, despite his eternal noisy powertools and banging of doors, as whenever his missus came in, he went out. It wasn't about the dog at all, just him trying to regain some vestige of self esteem over anything he could find. I looked into this stuff and asked our friend who is fairly high up in EH.

Sunnyday

Cally even if the dog barks once its unlikely to be heard indoors, crikey i feel for your friend. When my younger hound was growing up and still learning what should and shouldn`t be i used to take her down the garden at night just before bed and if she heard anything and grumbled or barked at it then i would tell her NO! and it didn`t take her long to learn.

Think our neighbours would`ve laughed if they had seen me though with pjs and dressing gown on with a coat over the top and boots on These days they go down on their own and are quiet as mice.

DH said he couldn`t hear the grumble or the bark even without the telly on because all the windows were closed. I still think that the neighbours are being unreasonable.

Keep us posted.

SD

mrcol1000

There is no such thing as "excessive" barking. Its all relative. Basically if someone complains that a noise is a nusiance and an authorised officer agrees that it is then it is a nusiance and steps have to be taken to deal with the noise.
This is why its always best if you think your going to cause a noise nusiance to speak to your neighbours and explain and discuss it as if they do not complain then it won't be taken as a nusiance. You also only need one person to complain and the time of the noise is irrevelant. A nusiance is a nusiance if it happens at 6am or 2pm. Also duration is irrevelant. Which is worse? Having to turn the TV up because the dog next door is in the garden barking? Or being woken up at 2am every morning without fail by 5 seconds of barking?

Sadly there is very little that can be done about "street" noise. i.e. cars, kids playing etc.. while domestic noise such as a dog barking is something that can be dealt with so is.

If the council approaches you about a noise nusiance if you work with them they will help you. If you refuse to deal with them or get defensive then they won't.

callywally

A update on the barking. My friend had a letter saying that at the moment no further action would be taken, but the lady that complained requested that the dogs are not allowed to bark between 8pm and 7.30 am.

My friend is doing her very best to insure they are quiet between these times, but it is a time span of 11 and a half hours so the lady must have children that sleep very well!

My friend also spoke to a much closer neighbour who says she never hears the dogs.

Raksha

So basically they are just relaying the message from the complainer, they haven't put any kind of order in place saying that she must keep the dogs quiet?

callywally

yes, there is no order or anything. Council just said that the lady that complained would like it if the dogs didnt bark betweem 8pm and 7.30 am no further action will be taken at this stage.