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Oh I was thinking of those ones with a microphone and a speaker that emit a dog-audible sound (that I guess is distressing to the dog) whenever they detect a bark. You hang them on your house to silence your--or your neighbors'--dogs.
Probably wouldn't work through the floor.
Oh I was thinking of those ones with a microphone and a speaker that emit a dog-audible sound (that I guess is distressing to the dog) whenever they detect a bark. You hang them on your house to silence your--or your neighbors'--dogs.
Probably wouldn't work through the floor.
Its worth a shot, maybe some creative placement of the device will work. I would find a store with a good return policy though.
I've not seen a more delusional solution than, "Get ear plugs, headphones..." Having grown up in dense urban areas I wanted to reply to this thread to see if I can shed light on this issue. Austin is rapidly becoming more and more populated. One of the worst, if not the worst, policies an urban environment can do is adopt a draconian, dog-friendly policy as the population explodes. This has been researched ad nauseum.
Let me first address WhiteRabbit's assertion that this person's sensibilities are 'not normal.' Are you saying, that retiree's are 'not normal' because they spend their time at home during the day? What about the disabled or elderly who cannot physically leave their place of residence? What about the entrepreneurs, or small-business owners, are they 'not normal' as well? This presupposition is completely unsupported by rational thought.
I've lived in Austin only a year and you hear it everywhere from everyone. Dogs are destroying the quality of life and it is getting worse. You no longer can sit outside in silence nor can you walk in a park without stepping in dog feces or being accosted by someone's pet. This isn't acceptable to anyone. We do not live on islands, we live in society, intertwined with others. Look at Town Lake or Zilker park. You can't go and fly a kite with your children without being confronted by someone's dog. There are no lease laws -- yet . Now suppose your child suffer from a respiratory illness like asthma [one in six children do]. Animal hair being the leading cause of Asthma attacks. Force the dog owner to breathe through a straw for an hour.
There is a supreme selflessness to all of it. It's as if to say, "I've got my barking, pooping, shedding animal, you deal with it." Well no, actually we do not have to deal with it. Non-dog owners are an order of magnitude greater than dog-owners. As we say in politics, "Don't poke the sleeping Dragon."
Now let's look at the number one reason for calls placed in urban area's to the non-emergency related number -- barking dogs. Google it. So if little Bethany at UT gets the cute puppy because she sees Katy Perry doing it, wait six month's until it's cuteness factor has worn off and she donates it to the shelter. She doesn't have time to deal with it as she goes to Vegas on a girl's weekend. It's become nothing more than an extension of ego. A disposable item, without utility. This point, I want to make clear -- and the prime reason humane societies put down animals. Call the Austin dog shelter [or any dog shelter nationwide], and ask them. The new policy to 'not put down' anymore animals will have it's own unintended consequences, because you never hit a proverbial wall of abandoned pet supply. There will never be enough adoptees because the root of the problem is never addressed.
If you want to save dogs from dying, you should ban the sale of dogs. Adopting rescued pets, while altruistic, does nothing to stem the tide.
I feel for this person in the apartment. Here is a dog owner, who through his own selfishness, has decided it's acceptable for him to own a pet in a densely populated area, who barks and disrupts "every other person's quality of life" for his/her own satisfaction. That's totalitarian. We don't want to live in, or adopt policies, that encourage this kind of behavior. Replace, barking dog, with loud stereo, it's not acceptable to anyone.
To close, you have more rights than you think. People have become intolerant of what they see is diminishing their enjoyment and causing the deaths of innocence animals. The next time you see a cute picture of a puppy on Facebook, don't like it, don't' encourage it, speak out against it. This in tune will save more lives, increase quality of life, and make walking in the park [or any of the limited greeneries] an enjoyable pursuit again. You have many, many more people behind you, including, sadly enough, the Austin PD, who has to respond to these juvenile dog-owning personalities, who when confronted, have grown oblivious and numb to their dog's barking.
AT
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiterabbit2
Austin noise ordinance states quite hours from 10:30 pm to 7 am, your apartment lease might also have something like that. If the dog makes excessive noise during quiet hours and disturbs your sleep, then you can complain. [url=http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/austin.htm]NPC Law Library: Austin, Texas Noise Ordinance[/url]. Do other neighbors complain about this dog barking at night?
Otherwise, your neighbor has the same right to live and do whatever it's not illegal in their unit, as you do (you like to work from home, they like to have a dog or a crying baby). Get ear plugs, headphones, rent an office or move to a house. Your office space doesn't extend to the neighbor's unit to push your own policies there. Moreover, he can sue you for harassment if you push it further, as you're already forbidden to approach him. Your sensibilities are not "normal" in this case, as they relate to the condition of working at home (not sleeping).
You should take the advice about documentation and peaceable enjoyment of your apartment. You DO have rights. They should either let you out of your lease or let you move to a differnet unit. My friend was in a situation where she had a new baby who had respiratory issues and lived next door to chain smokers - the entire front steps which were shared were smoky all the time and smoke was coming in from shared vents. Was it fair to ask the smokers to leave? No, since the apartment was a smoking property. But, was it fair or right for the apartment to do nothing? NO, and they enforced their health, safety and enjoyment rights and the aparmtment complex moved them to a different unit. Everyone was generally happy.
Wow Alvintostig, I get all warm and fuzzy from reading your post. Ok, I am lying. Animal dander is not the leading cause of asthma but can be a trigger as are strong scents (smoke, bleach, cleaners, perfumes, molds, viruses,etc).
This responsible, dog crating owner would like to chime in. First off, crating an animal is responsible. Dogs need training. However, like children, you must learn (or should I say, be aware) of their characteristics. Certain breeds of animals (border collies, heelers) DO NOT do well in apartment settings. When I lived in an apartment with my golden, I employed a dog walker to take my dog out for a walk and to exercise him during my work shift. My dog was taught "no barking" unless you knocked on my door. In that case I wanted him to tear it down and then stop on command. I spoke to my neighbors frequently to make sure my dog wasn't barking throughout my work days. On my days off, wherever I went, my dog went. On leash. With proper training intact and daily exercise.
My suggestions to the OP is to politely suggest to the management that the dog owner hire a dog walker or suggest doggie daycare. It is not expensive. If the dog is well exercised he will behave better, and sleep in his crate. Also, the owner may have the dog in the incorrect type of crate. Some dogs prefer the "airline plastic crates" because they are den like and dark and ALL dogs are den animals. My dog freaked out in the plastic crate, so I used the wire one. This could be an issue. If they leave the TV, it will keep the dog more calm. The management company is failing you, they need to find a solution so that you can work at home and the upstairs dog owner can have his dog. It's the dog owners responsibility to find out why the dog is not becoming accustomed to the crate. Citronella bark collars are awesome and do not injure the dog. But trains them not to bark. This dog owner could be really inexperienced. FYI, living in a house, doesn't keep the neighbors dogs from disturbing you. 3 am in the morning, dog screaming (not barking). My dogs, inside, quiet. Did I call the police, no... you better bet I was getting dressed and getting ready to show up on their doorstep. ; ) The bottom line is respect. Whether you are a parent or a dog owner, or an animal free, child free person. Our actions impact the person beside you. We need to have concern for others, and if you are the "other" have reasonable tolerance for those around you, but still expect respect.
I went through this twice with people in the apartment above. Why people get pets when they know they are not going to be home to care and love is totally beyond me. Call the police, I did and it did wonders. If the police can hear the disturbance while standing outside they someones getting in trouble. He suggested I post a note of the neighbors door, which I did. Telling them that per the police they have violated my constitutional rights. Im entitled to a quiet place to live without having to listen to her poor puppy all morning, day, and nights. I would also press charges against her for animal abuse. I think I got my point across, the dog turned out very well trained after that. Two years later I have the same situation from a new tenant. Call the police, landlords could care less they just want your rent money.
The property manager has talked to him about it, and told me to just be patient, as a new dog needs time to adjust to its environment. So after several more weeks, I told her that the dog is clearly not adjusting, and she said the dog may never adjust, but there's nothing legally she can do about it, since having a barking dog is like a crying child, and even if they took him to court, the case would get thrown out.
Anyway, rather than take her word for it, I decided to look into what the local laws are in regard to barking dogs, and whether I have any legal recourse, but I don't know where to start. The property manager is a dog owner herself, and is clearly sympathetic towards the neighbors, saying that if they let the dog out of the crate, it might chew up their furniture, and we can't have that, can we? She says she can't even advise the neighbor of proper crate training techniques, because that would be like telling them how to raise their children, and 'people get sensitive about that kind of thing'. She points out that none of the other neighbors have complained, but it happens during the day when most people are at work, so they're probably not even home. And even if they did complain, I don't think it would matter.
So basically, I'm being told to just live with it, so I'm done with mediation. I've got about 7 months left on this lease, and feel like I am being made to suffer for my neighbors decision to get a dog.[/quote]
Your landlord is in violation of their own lease. Take them to small claims court. Have the landlord, manager, and property owners subpoened. Chances are no one will show up. But you can tell the judge what you have been dealing with and the responses you have been given by the apartment personel. Take a copy of your lease and any documentation of the disturbances you may have. Legally the judge should rule in your favor by ending the lease. The judge will also force the owners to pay for your court filing fees, and all subpoena fees. One last thought, it would help if you could get a recording of the dog barking and crying from inside and outside your apartment. You could also have neighbors write a notorized statement testifying to the same. You also want to make sure the judge allows you to get your deposit back. And moving expensies reimbursement would be great. Good Luck!!
I once owned a lab, who died a few years back... I loved Max... he was an excellent companion...
You know what really stinks about all this? Your neighbor or your land lord aren't being adults... If I were in a non-single family dwelling, and someone approached me about such a thing, I'd do something about it right away. I'd find a way to make everybody (neighbor) happy, so as to not inconvenience anybody... it's the adult thing to do.
I know you said you have a few months left on your lease - ask the landlord if they will allow you to move into another unit that doesn't have this issue, at no cost to you of course... I know that's a pain, but if you like where you are and want to stay past your 7 months, that's an option. If moving to another unit isn't an option, I'd do as someone else suggested (and with documentation) request to break your lease without penalty. The only way to stay sane it seems, is one of those two options...
Again, sorry you're having to deal with it - it would be nice if everybody were respectful of each others needs/wants...
You owe your neighbor and management no further courtesy, as they have shown you none. The solution is to call code enforcement / police every time the noisy animal ordinance is in violation. Get the police reports for your calls. If that doesn't stop it you may have cause to break the lease and or sue your landlord, you would have to talk to an attorney. Do not hesitate to sue your landlord, remember they would certainly sue / evict you.
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. Now suppose your child suffer from a respiratory illness like asthma [one in six children do]. Animal hair being the leading cause of Asthma attacks. Force the dog owner to breathe through a straw for an hour. 
Call police for pet abuse
