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I work at home and have been constantly distracted by this dog for almost two weeks now, I can hear it through my headphones and speakers, it's the most pathetic sad disturbing whining and howling I've ever heard from a dog. It's a big black and white husky or malamute, its owner is on the 2nd floor apartment and leaves the balcony door open.
I can't tell if this dog has been abused or just left alone and has some sort of separation anxiety, but its demeanor is not like a normal dog, it seems to have been taken out of a more wild or open environment and is sorrowfully wallowing for all of the world to hear every minute.
I've reported the disturbances to the landlord, talked to neighbors about it, one of them also reported it, and it stopped for a few days but now it's back. It's either mistreated or neglected or has not been trained properly to deal with separation anxiety. I'm not sure what to do now.
I'm writing down and video recording this dog constantly doing this, I'm actually two buildings away and it's that loud. If nothing is done I suppose I'll call animal control, but they want like 2 weeks' worth of disturbance recording before anything is done :/ and of course if they show up the dog may not whine or be there. I'll have to talk to more neighbors to tell them not to be afraid to complain if it's bothering them (people seem so afraid these days), but I'm just amazed how often nuisances like this go unchecked and undealt with. I wanna throw it a chew toy or something to calm it down but I don't know if that's a feasible solution.
I work at home and have been constantly distracted by this dog for almost two weeks now, I can hear it through my headphones and speakers, it's the most pathetic sad disturbing whining and howling I've ever heard from a dog. It's a big black and white husky or malamute, its owner is on the 2nd floor apartment and leaves the balcony door open.
I can't tell if this dog has been abused or just left alone and has some sort of separation anxiety, but its demeanor is not like a normal dog, it seems to have been taken out of a more wild or open environment and is sorrowfully wallowing for all of the world to hear every minute.
I've reported the disturbances to the landlord, talked to neighbors about it, one of them also reported it, and it stopped for a few days but now it's back. It's either mistreated or neglected or has not been trained properly to deal with separation anxiety. I'm not sure what to do now.
I'm writing down and video recording this dog constantly doing this, I'm actually two buildings away and it's that loud. If nothing is done I suppose I'll call animal control, but they want like 2 weeks' worth of disturbance recording before anything is done :/ and of course if they show up the dog may not whine or be there. I'll have to talk to more neighbors to tell them not to be afraid to complain if it's bothering them (people seem so afraid these days), but I'm just amazed how often nuisances like this go unchecked and undealt with. I wanna throw it a chew toy or something to calm it down but I don't know if that's a feasible solution.
First things first: the breed. Husky/malamutes are "talkative" dogs. They tend to express loneliness, boredom, frustration, even joy vocally and because they're deep chested and fairly large, they can produce a lot of noise. Historically, these close relatives of wolves kept in touch with their widely scattered packmates and hunting buddies by howling. There may be nothing "wrong" with the dog (abuse, separation anxiety) other than that. As for the type of noise it makes, its normal for those breeds. I'm sure you could find many YouTube videos of husky "conversation". Husky type dogs don't tend to bark much but they do howl, whine, yodel, even chirp. Barking is more of a territorial reactive display and husky/malamutes aren't known to be very territorial. Husky types are also very athletic, intelligent, active dogs. If they don't have enough of a release for their energy they're going to get frustrated and bored...so they howl for something to do. Is the dog neglected? Yes, but even with more exercise every day it might still howl unless an owner was home to discourage it. Choosing a husky/malamute for an apartment lifestyle wasn't a great idea.
Most municipal animal control agencies will want some sort of continuing record of the noise before they'll respond. There's no way they could keep up with every complaint about every dog who makes a noise, so they have to prioritize the worst cases. Local ordinances usually define what "nuisance barking" is in terms of duration and frequency. You'll have to meet that criteria in order to file a formal complaint. Have your neighbors do the same. Make recordings if you want and submit those too. The dog's owner can be cited for creating a public nuisance. Keep your landlord updated. Their leases may have a clause about penalties for nuisance noise, but it may only apply to specific times of day, usually late night/early morning. If the dog doesn't howl during those hours because its owner is home, there might not be much the landlord can or will do.
Last edited by Parnassia; 06-28-2021 at 04:07 PM..
First things first: the breed. Husky/malamutes . . . are also very athletic, intelligent, active dogs. If they don't have enough of a release for their energy they're going to get frustrated and bored... . . . Choosing a husky/malamute for an apartment lifestyle wasn't a great idea.
. . .
That encompasses my thinking - it's most likely the dog is bored to tears. It needs companionship and activity.
I would share a recording with the dog owner. If the dog owner doesn't take any action to correct the situation, I would continue on the Animal Control path. If the owner cares about the dog, they will realize it's not a good match.
I would offer to dog sit during the day and take the dog out for walks between working at home. That way I could find out if the dog is being abused. They might have the poor dog tied up all day. My Mother did that to our dog growing up. It haunts me to this day. Please try to find out if the dog is in pain or being abused. The landlord can't do anything but should. You can also call the local animal shelter in your area and ask if they can do a check on the dog but that might bring more punishment to the dog if they are abusing it. I often wonder why people don't have a friend who is home all day and likes to walk two or three time as day that they make arrangements with to dog sit. Hire a dog walker and get a security camera to check up on them. Really no excuse anymore to leave a dog alone all day. The poor thing probably has to go to the bathroom and can't.
If this is happening all day, every day even after the owner has been spoken to, it sounds like neglect unfortunately. Poor baby needs some help. Maybe call animal control or the non emergency police line.
In the 70's we had a neighbor whose dog barked from the time he pulled out of the driveway until he came home. He never heard a barking dog. Otherwise he was a nice guy.
We moved not long after that to a bigger house.
You should hear my dog when he feels that it's been too many minutes or hours since he was last fed or given treats - starts out a pathetic whine and then escalates to a howl and then alternates with barking. He's not a wild animal or wolfdog; he's a spoiled English Cocker Spaniel. He will also sometimes howl if I go down the hall to take the garbage to the trash chute - he has separation anxiety.
I would be concerned if the dog in the apartment that you can hear is keeping it up all day; and also that he has access to the balcony - how high is the railing and how widely spaced are the bars? He could try to jump over or squeeze through the bars and hurt or kill himself. Most apartment buildings have rules about barking dogs. If you throw the dog a chew toy and, in his excitement, he tears apart the toy and chokes on the squeaker, you could be liable. I'd try to get in touch with the owner; maybe give the landlord a letter from you to forward to the dog's owner - especially if it is interfering with your work. If the dog cannot go to a "doggie day care" facility, the owner should at least hire a dog walker.
In the 70's we had a neighbor whose dog barked from the time he pulled out of the driveway until he came home. He never heard a barking dog. Otherwise he was a nice guy.
We moved not long after that to a bigger house.
LOL - that could have been me! I had exactly that situation. I rescued a young Dobe from an abusive friend of a friend. He needed more companionship and activity than I could provide. When my neighbors alerted me to what was happening, I was totally surprised - I never heard him bark or howl - but he was doing both - constantly. Not long after, I rehomed him with my sister and BIL. BIL could take him to work with him, as he owned his own shop. Dog was happy ever after, and loved.
I'm not sure what you mean by your choice, "The neighbors should deal with it." Like, shooting the dog, or what?
Only the owner can deal with it, but the neighbors have to start the ball rolling. It sounds as if no one has taken what is usually the first step: Knocking on the owner's door or writing a polite note.
I can't imagine why animal control asked for two weeks of recordings, but that's a bad sign. You shouldn't need the recording, although a log would be good. Note the times, so that if you call with a formal complaint, they'll know when to go to hear it. Join forces with your neighbors. Don't tell them not to be "afraid." Don't use the word "afraid." Just say, "I hope you'll complain, too, and here are the telephone numbers to complain." You could also try calling the police and asking their advice. Is there an ASPCA separate from animal control?
And I agree - it's amazing how often people do nothing about nuisances.
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