Dog barking

D

Dinging

Registered User
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Hi All,

Where do I stand. I have an 18-month-old cocker spaniel. Both my wife and I are out all day at work and the dog is in the back garden. The garden itself it quite big in size approx 75ft by 40 ft. The dog has access lots of toys, kennel, fresh food and water. We also have a friend who comes every day to walk the dog for 1 to 2 hours depending on the weather. I also bring the dog out in the evenings for an hour so exercise is not a problem; in fact the vet said the dog was in excellent condition at her 12-month checkup. The problem I have is that some anonymous person has put in note in our letter box say the dog is constantly barking and according to them going insane. This is the second letter I have received from this person as the hand writing matches. The previous letter said they would contact the RSPCA. Can this person actually do anything to me in way of contacting the RSPCA, count council, solicitors etc. As far as I am concerned dogs bark and that is how nature intended it to be. The dog sleeps in the house at night so there is no barking after 6.00pm.


Dinging.
 
If the dog is barking constantly or habitually during the day to the extent that it is causing a nuisance to others then you may be in breach of the relevant noise pollution regulations. ...
 
Dinging said:
As far as I am concerned dogs bark and that is how nature intended it to be.
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The thing is, you signed up for a dog, and the barking nuisance that might entail - your neighbour didn't! If the barking really is continuous I can understand your neighbour's irritation*. Can they contact the RSPCA? - sure, but it won't do them any good. They're more likely to have joy from the DSPCA or the ISPCA :), but that's only if there's animal cruelty involved, and it really doesn't sound like there is.

They could also contact an environmental health officer citing noise nuisance, or attempt to take legal action, though I don't know how much joy they'd get from either route - it would depend on how much, and how loudly, the dog is proven to bark by independent assessment in either case.

* That said, I don't like anonymous letter-writers. If the person has a bona fide complaint, they should have the courtesy to provide their name, and would be better contacting you personally to discuss it rather than making threats (unless you're scary - are you?! ;) ).

Do you know if there's likely to be any truth to the allegation? Are there friendly neighbours you can ask? If you find out that the dog is barking a lot, maybe you could ask your vet for advice, or consider taking it to obedience school.
 
Hi Dreamerb,

Looking at the link Clubman posted there does seem to be a legal route that this person can take however the dog is not incessantly barking, we live beside a lane so when people walk through the lane she barks, or if she hears another dog barking she will bark but it is not incessant by any means. I have asked my neighbours on both side does she bark all of the time and they said no.

I have contacted 5 separate neighbours whom I would know and asked them did they send the letter, or did they have a problem with the dog barking all replied no. In fact the dog is friendly with most of my neighbours and they will even let her into their houses. I want to get on with all my neighbours as much as possible and make a effort to say hello etc. I agree about the anonymous letter, I am not scary by any means and both my sife and I are very sociable with our neighbours. In fact we are having them around for drinks etc tonight.

Dinging.
 
Sounds to me like you've taken all reasonable steps to check out the situation, then - and that (shock horror!) it's just possible the letter writer is a crank. Against the possibility that said crank does try to take a legal route, I'd suggest keeping the letters, and recording the steps you've taken to check it out. Just in case... but you seem to have everything covered.

Enjoy your drinks!
 
Hi Clubman,

Asked neighbours on both sides and our dog walker and they say the dog does not bark all of the time.

Dinging.
 
Maybe look at buying one of those shock collors.....................for the neighbour!!!!
 
There are a few aspects to the whole matter.

The dog is most likely lonely during the day and gets bored despite the long walks.

It is reacting quite normally to noise and people walking in the lane and it is merely protecting its territory.

How to solve the problem is hard. Do you have any in-laws that the dog could stay with during the day or could your friend keep it for longer?

Would have to wonder did the letter come from one of the neighbours who hasn't the gumption to own up? For the craic I'd get a to see who's dropping the letters in or keep it on the dog to see for yourself how had the problem is.
 
Woof! Woof! put a camera outside your door and record when you are away, when you see what neighbour is doing this put a note in his door saying I know who you are and stay away from my door because my dog bites.
 
Dinging said:
Where do I stand. I have an 18-month-old cocker spaniel. Both my wife and I are out all day at work and the dog is in the back garden. The garden itself it quite big in size approx 75ft by 40 ft. The dog has access lots of toys, kennel, fresh food and water. We also have a friend who comes every day to walk the dog for 1 to 2 hours depending on the weather. I also bring the dog out in the evenings for an hour so exercise is not a problem
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So long as your friend walks the dog every day for a couple of hours then you're a good owner......but don't start me on people who lock their dogs up all day like they're cheap burglar alarms. If I ruled the world (and I will some day :cool: ) I'd imprison such creatures (the owners, not the dogs) for life....meaning life, plus a little bit extra. I have a neighbour who does just this and....I don't want to use foul language.

If the dog barks the odd time, here and there, the anonymous neighbour needs to go and fetch a life, but if it's barking all day it's clearly distressed, and I'd be much more worried about the dog than the neighbour.

Can you make sure the dog is being exercised for 2/3 hours a day and ask a less stressed out neighbour to keep an ear out to check if the dog is barking all day. If it is you really should find/hire someone to ensure he gets sufficient exercise. And no, I don't run a dog-walking business :)
 
Dogs are pack animals. They shouldn't be left alone "all day". If the dog is barking he's stressed/bored/lonely etc. I agree with what's in the letter.
 
jake108 said:
Dogs are pack animals. They shouldn't be left alone "all day". If the dog is barking he's stressed/bored/lonely etc. I agree with what's in the letter.
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So you are telling him to keep a pack of dogs instead of just one. I have often heard a pack of dogs barking I wonder were they stressed or bored because they couldn't be lonely.
 
Sorry to be realistic, but why did you get a dog if you can't look after it during the day? Dogs aren't cats - they require attention and care.

What you're doing is cruel and selfish. Dogs aren't toys for you to have in the evening.

FFS.

...

My friend, her neighbour does the same thing. Dog whimpers all day long. It's horrible.

Cop on.
 
Johnny1 said:
So you are telling him to keep a pack of dogs instead of just one. I have often heard a pack of dogs barking I wonder were they stressed or bored because they couldn't be lonely.
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Did I type the words "keep a pack of dogs"? No. I stated the fact that dogs are pack animals. They do not like to be left alone for long periods of time. As Hotdogsfolks said, it's cruel and selfish. What the hell do people get dogs for if they're kept locked in a back garden all day? Are you honestly trying to tell me that that's a happy life for any animal? Get real!
 
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