Neighbour's dog - advice please

KiKi

catkins wrote: »

I know my dogs bark if there is someone at the door or sometimes if they see someone through the window or hear a noise but they only bark for a short time and stop. My neighbour says she likes that because then she can look to see what they barked at and if there is any problem.

Yes, they've been doing this today - my plumber came round and they went bananas! I left the house and they got all excited! If people walk past then they do bark, but it lasts seconds. I don't mind that at all - I will tolerate that quite happily.

No howling at all today! SO pleased, I can't tell you! I wonder if it's because they had a long walk first thing. On Sunday she left the house so early, perhaps they didn't get a walk and that made a difference.

If it continues like this I'll be a very happy girl indeed!

bundly

I have a similar problem and so I am interested in how to resolve it.

Dog owner moved into the ground floor flat next door to me four months ago, with two dogs, and the big one, a German Shepherd, howls all day long, every day, pretty much non stop. It also barks like crazy when anyone knocks on their door, or my door, or walks past on the street (our front doors are on the pavement).

The neighbour is at college so she's gone from 8am till 5pm and also goes out a few evenings, and the dog howls all evening as well on those days, till she gets home which now and again is midnight. Saturdays and Sundays she works at a supermarket, the longest hours she can get (she needs to money to see her thru college) and the dog howls pretty much all the time, sometimes up to 12 hours.

I work from home as a book editor and the howling annoys me because I need to concentrate hard, plus I am upset about the dog's distress because I love animals.

I have told her several times, but she just shrugs and says there is nothing she can do: she has to go to college and she has to work.

I would offer to help by taking her dogs out but there are two and it's seven days a week, and I don't want to end up getting lumbered with an unpaid dog-walking job on a permanent basis, and anyway, I'd still have the howling all the time I'm NOT walking them... when I'm back indoors, trying to work!

So if there is an answer, I'd like to hear it!

Bundly.

krlyr

Excessive barking or howling would constitute a nuisance noise and can be reported through your local council/Environmental Health. Keep a log of the noise now, as it may save time if they ask you to do it. They may bring around recording equipment or come to listen to the noise, if they deem it a nuisance they can issue an order to the owner to stop the noise or face rehoming the dog(s).

RSPCA might take action under the five freedoms 'freedom from distress' but their limited ability to take action (they have to abide by the laws) may make the council your best bet.

catkins

bundly wrote: »

I have a similar problem and so I am interested in how to resolve it.

Dog owner moved into the ground floor flat next door to me four months ago, with two dogs, and the big one, a German Shepherd, howls all day long, every day, pretty much non stop. It also barks like crazy when anyone knocks on their door, or my door, or walks past on the street (our front doors are on the pavement).

The neighbour is at college so she's gone from 8am till 5pm and also goes out a few evenings, and the dog howls all evening as well on those days, till she gets home which now and again is midnight. Saturdays and Sundays she works at a supermarket, the longest hours she can get (she needs to money to see her thru college) and the dog howls pretty much all the time, sometimes up to 12 hours.

I work from home as a book editor and the howling annoys me because I need to concentrate hard, plus I am upset about the dog's distress because I love animals.

I have told her several times, but she just shrugs and says there is nothing she can do: she has to go to college and she has to work.

I would offer to help by taking her dogs out but there are two and it's seven days a week, and I don't want to end up getting lumbered with an unpaid dog-walking job on a permanent basis, and anyway, I'd still have the howling all the time I'm NOT walking them... when I'm back indoors, trying to work!

So if there is an answer, I'd like to hear it!

Bundly.

Unfortunately the only answer would probably be if your neighbour actually cared about her dogs and got someone to walk/visit them during the day. To leave them 7 days a week and often for so many hours is wrong and personally I don't think she should have dogs. Obviously the one that howls is unhappy.


Leaving them while she is at college I can just about understand but then to go out several times a week in the evenings is selfish. If you have a dog you have to think about their welfare and happiness.

bundly

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I really do wonder why people get pets if they are not going to look after them properly. As you say, it's totally selfish.

carefullycautious

I have never had a problems with this in all the years of dog ownership because I train from an early age. All I did was keep going in and out of the door extending the time gradually that I came back in. The dogs get to a point where they don't know when you are coming back in. I don't speak to them or make any fuss about going out of the door.


However, I would never leave a dog for more than 4 to 5 hours as I think this is unfair if they cant have a toilet break and would have some one come in to walk them.


I also leave a portable radio on for company.


Moving does unsettle them and I would/have done the above again so that they know you are not going to leave them in an unknown house/area.

bundly

krlyr wrote: »

RSPCA might take action under the five freedoms 'freedom from distress'

Thanks. I will Google and try to find these five freedoms. I intend to ring the RSPCA tomorrow.

Yesterday (a Saturday) the big black German Shepherd next door started howling at 0745 and it was still howling at 2345 when I went up to bed. That is at least 15 hours of being locked in a flat alone.

At time it sounded like a person sobbing. By 8pm I was weeping myself, because it was tugging on my heartstrings. A friend was here from 4pm to 10pm and he, too, was upset hearing it. We had half a mind to smash the back door down and let it out.

The flat comes with a really small garden, and I took a look yesterday and find it is covered in dog turds, piles about a foot apart. The dog is just let out to do its business then locked up again. I've never seen them take it for a walk.

Their tenancy agreement does not allow dogs. I've emailed the landlord with photos of the dog and also video of it barking etc. but he just ignores me.

I want to call the RPSCA but the only problem I have is, that they keep MY involvement out of it. The neighbour is a vicious thug who has already issued threats of violence against me over another matter.


Bundly.

sheramber

You should contact environmental health re the dog mess in the garden.

We had a similar scenario with the dog shut out in the garden for hours on end and the garden never cleaned. The grass and weeds were two feet high and the grden stank.

We reported it to environmental health and mentioned the dog being left shut out without cover- an old cushion to lie on- no access to water and never walked.

They called and obviously advised our neighbours to clean the garden as that weekend some friends arrived and they set too cuttiing down the grass and tidying the garden. They filled 20 black bin bags.

After that the dog was no longer shut out in the garden.

The same neighbours had previously received a visit from the police at 11 pm when their last dog had been shut out in the garden and had barked non stop from 7pm while they sat inside.

They were given a warning by the police.

bundly

sheramber wrote: »

You should contact environmental health re the dog mess in the garden.

We had a similar scenario with the dog shut out in the garden for hours on end and the garden never cleaned. The grass and weeds were two feet high and the grden stank.

We reported it to environmental health and mentioned the dog being left shut out without cover- an old cushion to lie on- no access to water and never walked.

They called and obviously advised our neighbours to clean the garden as that weekend some friends arrived and they set too cuttiing down the grass and tidying the garden. They filled 20 black bin bags.

After that the dog was no longer shut out in the garden.

The same neighbours had previously received a visit from the police at 11 pm when their last dog had been shut out in the garden and had barked non stop from 7pm while they sat inside.

They were given a warning by the police.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

The problem I have with reporting the poo issue is that mine is the only garden that adjoins his, so he'll know straight away that it was me. (The neighbour is a vicious thug who has already issued threats of violence against me.)

I contacted the RSPCA and whilst they can do something about a dog shut out, they cannot intervene with a dog shut in.

:-(

B.