The Neighbor's Dog

Once again, I am confronted by the neighbor's incessant barking dog.
After a several year "war" about this situation, they got rid of the dogs - big ones with loud voices.
I had quite a long reprieve of not having to listen to these people's dogs barking all day and all night long.
Recently, they got a much smaller dog.  I haven't seen it, but I can tell because it has a yip yip voice and it barks, incessantly, ALL night long.  At a time of year when I can have the windows opened and have cool (though not necessarily fresh) air coming in, I have to have them closed to keep the noise out.

The logical answer to this problem is simple: Get rid of the dog.  They do not ever let it in the house.  They don't give it hardly any attention at all.  It is chained up, outside.  It is lonely, it wants attention and it will get that attention however it can.  This is how these people treat their dogs and though there is nothing illegal about it, the dog barking all night long is a legal issue.

So, my window open tonight and hearing this incessant barking, I call the police.  They simply won't do anything about it and refer me to the city prosecutor's office.  This city does have a barking dog ordinance, but to get anything done about it? Please.  3 months to get a court date.  Have to proffer all kinds of evidence, namely: recordings of the dog barking at various hours of the night. Jump through hoops to get anything done about it.

I went through 4 people at the police department before finally getting to a sergeant.
When we got through the idea that the dog can bark all night long and the police can't do anything about it, I asked her a simple question:  How is it just and fair that an owner of a dog can have that dog barking out there, all night long, yet, to get the owner to do anything about it (after doing all kinds of things in civil fashion that I just don't want to go into again here) I set up a stereo out there and blast music towards their house and then the police can come out and fine me and threaten to throw me in jail if I don't turn the music off, how is that fair? THAT is UNJUST.

She not only didn't try to explain it away, she absolutely agreed with me.  That was a surprise.

I am not going to wait for 3 months to get a court date and I am not going to play music.  My stereo I used to have out there is history, it bit the dust.  I am going to find another cheap one on Craigslist and then I am going to order a dog barking CD from Ebay and then blast a dog barking back at them, right at their windows, until we get a resolution about this BS.

If I put my Great Danes out there and left them out there all night long - a thing I never do excepting when they are having diarrhea problem which is, thankfully, rare and few between - they will not stand out there barking all night long.  Not even back at that dog.  Instead, they will lay down on the mattress I  have for them out there and go to sleep.  Now, if they WERE to bark all night long, they would keep more than my neighbor's house awake, that is guaranteed.  But I love my dogs and they want to sleep on their beds that I have for them in my bedroom and they show me much love - their version of it which is very cool - and that's that.  What is the point of owning dogs that are left outside, on a chain, 24 hours a day?  It isn't for protection or hunting or any such thing.

It's the only legal thing I can do: have a dog barking back at them.  The ordinance doesn't say that it has to be a "real" dog.  I don't know that they thought about the possibility of someone attempting to get the dog's owner to deal with the situation by giving them a taste of their own medicine: a barking dog CD on a very loud stereo system, set on full volume and left out there.  The police will NOT come, they will not send them out, period.

Whatever.  I could have my bedroom window opened right now letting in nice, cool air.  Instead, it is shut.  I can't open my bathroom window, another 25 feet away from where my bedroom window is and facing another direction, because? The dog's voice carries right through it and into my ears.

Good night.

ben