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....and it begins anew. 1:10 AM. Are you freaking kidding me?
I've been discussing with my family the best way to go about this. How should we start the discussion?
"Hi, we're your neighbors. How are you? I'm afraid that your dogs have been barking in the middle of the night and woken up my wife, sons & daughter."
What does one say after that?
If they act defensive or negative, I was recommended to say "Okay, thank you for your time." and then move on to administrative/legal avenues.
1. Talk to them
2. If that doesn't work, write a letter to HOA
3. If that doesn't work, call SAPD non-emergency number
Sound good?
Soviet, we've been dealing with the same thing this weekend. I am tempted to go over to their house and knock on their door, be nice but firm. I mean, surely they KNOW? Can't they hear their own dog?? I am starting to wonder if our offenders aren't home.
In any case, it sounds like you have a good game plan. I am interested to hear how it plays out, please keep us updated.
I own two miniature Schnauzers that like to bark at squirrels, birds and other dogs in the back yard. My cocker spaniel does not bark. They have access to the back fenced yard during the day via a doggie door. I am aware of the San Antonio dog ordinance of no barking between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. To comply, I shut the dog door usually by 9:00 p.m. Every night I am out walking my dogs about 11:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 a.m. to keep them quiet. On Sunday morning (9/22/2013), we opened the dog door at 7:00, then I took my DH to the emergency room. We did not know how long we would be gone. On Sunday evening, my neighbor comes over and say my dog barked for over an hour Sunday morning at another dog between 7:00 and 8:00 and it was a problem. They wanted to sleep in. My neighbor made the following requests:
Dog do not bark until 8:30 on the weekends.
Dogs do not bark until 7:30 during the week.
Did I ever consider getting a non-bark device
In 9 months, his wife would be working alternating shifts at the hospital and would be sleeping during the day.
I live in a neighborhood with an HOA. I fullly suspect this neighbor will contact the HOA if he feels the dogs bark too much during the day!
Do I need to arrange my dog schedule to meet their sleeping schedule after 7:00 a.m. in the morning?
After reading this thread, here are what I think my options are:
Return one Schnauzur to original owner. Bo (Schnauzer #2) needed a home in May, so we took her in.
Buy the anti-bark device for my yard as Bo suggested.
Keep the dog door closed when not home (means I have to come home at lunch to let the dogs out)
I own two miniature Schnauzers that like to bark at squirrels, birds and other dogs in the back yard. My cocker spaniel does not bark. They have access to the back fenced yard during the day via a doggie door. I am aware of the San Antonio dog ordinance of no barking between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. To comply, I shut the dog door usually by 9:00 p.m. Every night I am out walking my dogs about 11:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 a.m. to keep them quiet. On Sunday morning (9/22/2013), we opened the dog door at 7:00, then I took my DH to the emergency room. We did not know how long we would be gone. On Sunday evening, my neighbor comes over and say my dog barked for over an hour Sunday morning at another dog between 7:00 and 8:00 and it was a problem. They wanted to sleep in. My neighbor made the following requests:
Dog do not bark until 8:30 on the weekends.
Dogs do not bark until 7:30 during the week.
Did I ever consider getting a non-bark device
In 9 months, his wife would be working alternating shifts at the hospital and would be sleeping during the day.
I live in a neighborhood with an HOA. I fullly suspect this neighbor will contact the HOA if he feels the dogs bark too much during the day!
Do I need to arrange my dog schedule to meet their sleeping schedule after 7:00 a.m. in the morning?
After reading this thread, here are what I think my options are:
Return one Schnauzur to original owner. Bo (Schnauzer #2) needed a home in May, so we took her in.
Buy the anti-bark device for my yard as Bo suggested.
Keep the dog door closed when not home (means I have to come home at lunch to let the dogs out)
Sell my house in the spring.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Most of those seem like reasonable requests by the neighbor...except the sleeping during the day....she can't expect total quiet then.
I highlighted the 1 thing you absolutely should do if the dog is barking and causing issues...if you're not home, that dog should not be outside barking. If you have to come home and let the dog out at lunch...that's part of your responsibility as an owner.
Soviet, we've been dealing with the same thing this weekend. I am tempted to go over to their house and knock on their door, be nice but firm. I mean, surely they KNOW? Can't they hear their own dog?? I am starting to wonder if our offenders aren't home.
In any case, it sounds like you have a good game plan. I am interested to hear how it plays out, please keep us updated.
Just thought to give everyone here an update and ask for feedback, as well. We haven't been able to talk to them just yet: we come home from work too late to be "polite" knocking on the door and they're never outside, just like 90% of SAT.
Just a few minutes ago, I had the light bulb idea of e-mailing them. I hadn't thought about that at all because I thought talking about it in person was the thing to do, but if you never see them (but hear their dogs all the time, hardy, har, har) then what's the point of waiting?
Here's what I'm planning to write, with the proper names substituted in for the obvious:
Dear Mr. I-Completely-Fail-at-Dog-Owning,
My name is Soviet. I'm your next-door neighbor & we've met some months ago when you were still building your home. While I congratulate you on finally completing your home and moving in (I remember what it felt like) I do have to say that your two dogs bark incessantly throughout the night. They bark loudly enough to wake up both myself and other members of my household at such excellent times as 3:30 AM, 5:20 AM....you get the drift.
I am sending this message to let you know what's been happening in regards to your dogs and I hope you could find a proper solution to this problem. Thank you so much and have a wonderful day.
Someone on another forum suggested that I be more specific about the desired outcome. For example, after "proper solution to this problem", I should add "such as the cessation of all barking/noise between the hours of 10 PM & 8 AM".
I am highly tempted to add in several choice words such as "lazy, irresponsible" and some four-letter words, but I'm of the opinion that it would be counterproductive.
What are you supposed to do when there is a canine barking incessantly at TWELVE THIRTY AM on a weekday?! Can you call the cops or animal control? Sounds like disturbing the peace to me! Violating some kind of noise ordinance.
I once had this situation a few years ago. That HOA's rule was that at least two (2) neighbors had to complain. They wouldn't accept a complaint from one household alone. Have you tried giving the dogs some chicken bones? they're awfully tasty.
Geez Soviet....you are being way to nice over this situation. Go knock on the neighbors door and tell them what is going on, start filing complaints with the HOA, call the police non-emergency number when the dog is barking nonstop.
If you are outside city limits, you will have more difficulty getting a response, but within city limits I was able to to stop my neighbor's dog...which at one point was barking about 18 hours straight every single day (mostly at night of course)....pretty quickly.
Just thought to give everyone here an update and ask for feedback, as well. We haven't been able to talk to them just yet: we come home from work too late to be "polite" knocking on the door and they're never outside, just like 90% of SAT.
Just a few minutes ago, I had the light bulb idea of e-mailing them. I hadn't thought about that at all because I thought talking about it in person was the thing to do, but if you never see them (but hear their dogs all the time, hardy, har, har) then what's the point of waiting?
Here's what I'm planning to write, with the proper names substituted in for the obvious:
Dear Mr. I-Completely-Fail-at-Dog-Owning,
My name is Soviet. I'm your next-door neighbor & we've met some months ago when you were still building your home. While I congratulate you on finally completing your home and moving in (I remember what it felt like) I do have to say that your two dogs bark incessantly throughout the night. They bark loudly enough to wake up both myself and other members of my household at such excellent times as 3:30 AM, 5:20 AM....you get the drift.
I am sending this message to let you know what's been happening in regards to your dogs and I hope you could find a proper solution to this problem. Thank you so much and have a wonderful day.
Someone on another forum suggested that I be more specific about the desired outcome. For example, after "proper solution to this problem", I should add "such as the cessation of all barking/noise between the hours of 10 PM & 8 AM".
I am highly tempted to add in several choice words such as "lazy, irresponsible" and some four-letter words, but I'm of the opinion that it would be counterproductive.
What do you guys think?
I would say....no email. Go knock. It shouldn't matter how late it is--it's their freaking dog, KWIM? You can be nice, polite, that of course is better than being nasty. But they need to physically feel, if at all possible, an inconvenience on their part (i.e. lack of sleep, interruption of show, sex, etc...) so they know you mean business and the next time their dogs are out you'll be at the door again.
Thanks for the advice, you guys, however, I had done something better than that. I was too tired/lazy last night to post an update here, so I'll do it now.
Early in the evening, I had called a neighbor who's been an actual family friend of ours for nearly a decade. I wanted to ask if she could hear the noise at night. While she said that she couldn't hear anything at night inside her home, she stated that she definitely hears the dogs in the daytime when outside working in the garden and their house is significantly farther away from the barking dogs than our house is. However, she gave me much juicier information than that: apparently my new neighbors used to live 2 doors down from her. In that property, they had a wrought-iron gate with openings in the base that would enable the two dogs to escape with a little digging. They used to CHASE my friend's daughter when she got off the school bus! And these people didn't do anything about it for SIX MONTHS after repeated complaints! What on earth?!
Shocked at their disgusting behavior, I went to bed at 10 PM and at 10:05 PM I was promptly met by unceasing barking. I just flipped a you-know-what (no doubt stoked by my anger at having heard about their treatment of my friend's daughter) & got dressed and decided to drive down to the security guardhouse, just to seem like I was doing something. My intention was merely to ask what the options are for barking dogs. I wasn't expecting anything more than that.
I asked them what the options were & how often they get that complaint. The gentleman said that in 3 years of working, this was only his 4th complaint. See how well-behaved my neighborhood is?! Anyways, he asked for the name & address of the perpetrators & I gladly gave it to him. Came back home to post something on another forum & no sooner had I clicked "Post Quick Reply" did I hear our doorbell ring.
Turned out the security guard had promptly went out and asked them to shut their dog up, in much kinder words than my own. (Now THAT's service!) The owners' answer? "Well, if their cat wasn't running around out there, the dogs wouldn't be barking".
......
......
Are you freaking kidding me?! First of all, we don't HAVE a cat. Second of all, even if we did, it is THEIR responsibility to control their dogs, no one else's & especially not mine! This guy is just absolutely unbelievable! Letting his dogs chase neighbor's daughters and then letting the dogs bark all night and keep the neighbors up instead of keeping his OWN family up. They want the dogs? Then they should deal with all the positives and negatives that come with them instead of foisting the negatives upon their established neighbors, who put up with several months of construction with nary a complaint.
Disgusting. Pathetic. Anyways, after the security guard intervened, I managed to fall asleep and had no interruption last night. Woke up relatively refreshed & am now goofing off at work a little bit so I could post this quickly.
We'll see what happens. If they keep barking, I guess I'll just have to call security again, because that is just unacceptable. I've been putting up with it since the 12th of September & I'm not putting up with it again. Heck to the no.
What do you guys think of this development?
Last edited by Soviet; 09-26-2013 at 12:19 PM..
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Day Barking
