Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours dog woke me up - got told it's my fault for having my windows open??

133 replies

Sophiehoney · 02/07/2025 09:13

My neighbours are a retired couple with a very barky dog.
They walk it around our street several times a day, the last walk is around midnight, presumably before they go to bed.
It's very barky and barks all the time on walks, at what? God knows. But I hear it most nights.

Last night it took me ages to fall asleep due to the heat. At 12:15am, just as I was managing to drift off, right in that comfortable place between sleep and awake, it starts right outside my house - BARK BARK BARK BARK. So fucking loud!

I was hot, tired and really pissed off at being jerked awake and I got out of bed, stormed across the room and slammed the windows shut.

I was so annoyed and so hot that it took me until 2am to fall asleep again, and it was a terible sleep in this heat. I get up at 6am and have a full day of work ahead of me.

At 8:15 this morning, as I was leaving with the kids, neighbour comes out of his house with barky-arse dog, barking as usual and I asked him, as politely as I could if he could please do something about the noise at night because it's disturbing us.

He gave a little chuckle and said "well, keep your windows shut, then you won't have to slam them closed" and started to walk away.

I was gobsmacked for a second but then called after him "I shouldn't have to - it was 31° last night, you need to train your dog!" And he just waved a dismissive hand and walked off.

Did I have a right to complain?!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
JuliaLilian · 04/07/2025 18:13

He’s selfish, rude and inconsiderate. Probably not much you can do about that unless you can think of some subtle ways to annoy him back.

Snugs10 · 03/07/2025 23:06

I always walked my dog at midnight but she did not bark when out walking

Itallcomesdowntothis · 03/07/2025 22:30

Curly66 · 03/07/2025 20:41

Really???

Show quote history

Yup really.

Curly66 · 03/07/2025 20:41

Itallcomesdowntothis · 02/07/2025 14:36

Slamming a window shut at midnight (presumable making noise when that was the porblem in the first place) instead of having an adult conversation is acting like a child. So yes she did.

Show quote history

Really???

republicofjam · 03/07/2025 13:43

Dangermoo · 03/07/2025 13:00

Know me personally, do you?

Show quote history

Not at all, I'm just taking you at your word.

Dangermoo · 03/07/2025 13:00

republicofjam · 03/07/2025 12:38

Bless, of course you do.😬

Show quote history

Know me personally, do you?

republicofjam · 03/07/2025 12:38

Dangermoo · 02/07/2025 19:04

No, my dogs are told to quiten down, when they bark. I just have a personality and sense of humour, unlike some.

Show quote history

Bless, of course you do.😬

Curly66 · 03/07/2025 12:19

Fratolish · 02/07/2025 09:43

What was sharp witted about it? It wasn't some clever retort, he just told her to keep her windows shut 🥴

Show quote history

Glad it wasn’t just me missing what was ‘sharp witted’ about this comment. Bet they’re a great laugh to go down the Red Lion with. I imagine your sides would ache with all the gaffawing!

mydogisthebest · 03/07/2025 08:51

Kazzybingbong · 03/07/2025 08:29

But does your dog bark the entire walk? Because that’s fine, walk your dog whatever time you want!

Show quote history

No of course he doesn't. I was replying to a poster who insisted it was cool enough to walk at 9pm when it most certainly was not

Kazzybingbong · 03/07/2025 08:29

mydogisthebest · 02/07/2025 20:13

It certainly has not been cool enough by 9pm this week to walk our dog (too warm for me let alone the dog). One evening we walked him at 10pm and it was still too warm and muggy so that it why we then walked him close to midnight.

Show quote history

But does your dog bark the entire walk? Because that’s fine, walk your dog whatever time you want!

Kazzybingbong · 03/07/2025 08:28

You can complain to the council. I did about a dog that lived in a neighbour’s garden that would bark all day long. And he had a stupid rooster too on a bloody small estate!

It was summer, I had a baby and it was driving me and my other neighbour mental so we contacted the council. He got rid of them very soon after.

Original poster
Sophiehoney · 02/07/2025 22:16

I know people are probably just being lighthearted when they say make loads of noise back but like, my other neighbours have done nothing to me 😄
And according to the council lady, are also sick of barky dog people.
I'm not lowering myself to their level

OP posts:
Original poster
Sophiehoney · 02/07/2025 21:29

Trainarmrestfairy · 02/07/2025 16:31

They told me I am not the only one and several other neighbours have also complained

Sure they did.

I was surprised too, but that's what she said!

OP posts:
ssd · 02/07/2025 20:56

There's nothing wrong with walking your dog at midnight as long as it doesn't bark all the time.

mydogisthebest · 02/07/2025 20:13

Trovindia · 02/07/2025 10:53

Midnight is too late if it barks a lot. It's cool enough by 9pm at least.

Show quote history

It certainly has not been cool enough by 9pm this week to walk our dog (too warm for me let alone the dog). One evening we walked him at 10pm and it was still too warm and muggy so that it why we then walked him close to midnight.

Dangermoo · 02/07/2025 19:04

Emmz1510 · 02/07/2025 16:16

Another entitled dog owner are you…?

Show quote history

No, my dogs are told to quiten down, when they bark. I just have a personality and sense of humour, unlike some.

PlayingDevilsAdvocateisinteresting · 02/07/2025 18:44

Trovindia · 02/07/2025 10:53

Midnight is too late if it barks a lot. It's cool enough by 9pm at least.

Show quote history

Ah Trovinda, I see that you have decided quite arbitrarily that wherever the OP lives, the air is cool enough by 9.00pm in the evening, for a dog to be safely walked?

I doubt very much that you have taken into consideration what breed of dog the OP's neighbours have, and therefore whether it has long thick hair, or maybe short tightly curled hair, or even whether the neighbour's dog might be something like a pug, with a muzzle that is far too short to make breathing easy, even during the best of weather conditions?

Presumably you somehow know that there is plenty of cool grass in the OP's neighbourhood for any poor dog to walk on, in order to protect it's paws from being burned? Tarmac and stone, etcetera, can, and often does, absorb an incredible amount of heat during the day, which will have almost certainly not cooled down enough by 9.00pm to safely walk a dog on it. Therefore, cool grass, or some similarly cool surface, will be essential for any dogs to walk on at that time in the evening. Otherwise her neighbours are just following pet safety guidelines during this heatwave. In cooler weather the OP can hopefully keep her windows shut...

JohnTheRevelator · 02/07/2025 17:41

WTAF? They seriously expect people to keep all their windows closed in this heat? They're mad.

Boomer55 · 02/07/2025 16:47

Sophiehoney · 02/07/2025 09:13

My neighbours are a retired couple with a very barky dog.
They walk it around our street several times a day, the last walk is around midnight, presumably before they go to bed.
It's very barky and barks all the time on walks, at what? God knows. But I hear it most nights.

Last night it took me ages to fall asleep due to the heat. At 12:15am, just as I was managing to drift off, right in that comfortable place between sleep and awake, it starts right outside my house - BARK BARK BARK BARK. So fucking loud!

I was hot, tired and really pissed off at being jerked awake and I got out of bed, stormed across the room and slammed the windows shut.

I was so annoyed and so hot that it took me until 2am to fall asleep again, and it was a terible sleep in this heat. I get up at 6am and have a full day of work ahead of me.

At 8:15 this morning, as I was leaving with the kids, neighbour comes out of his house with barky-arse dog, barking as usual and I asked him, as politely as I could if he could please do something about the noise at night because it's disturbing us.

He gave a little chuckle and said "well, keep your windows shut, then you won't have to slam them closed" and started to walk away.

I was gobsmacked for a second but then called after him "I shouldn't have to - it was 31° last night, you need to train your dog!" And he just waved a dismissive hand and walked off.

Did I have a right to complain?!

Dog owners are a breed apart. Just report.

Digdongdoo · 02/07/2025 16:41

Itallcomesdowntothis · 02/07/2025 16:28

No I didn’t say that at all so not really no.

Show quote history

So what, we shouldn't close our own windows lest noisy people be forced to acknowledge that they are noisy?

Trainarmrestfairy · 02/07/2025 16:31

They told me I am not the only one and several other neighbours have also complained

Sure they did.

Itallcomesdowntothis · 02/07/2025 16:28

Digdongdoo · 02/07/2025 14:41

So you think OP should have gone outside in the middle of the night, and chased this old man down the road to ask him to shut his dog up? Really?

Show quote history

No I didn’t say that at all so not really no.

thebigyearahead · 02/07/2025 16:26

No-one should have to tolerate that amount of sleep disruption for a dog issue. You have my sympathy.
It sounds like you’re not the only one in your neighbourhood struggling with it
Midnight is an antisocial hour.
Good luck with your complaint to the Council - I hope it gets sorted

Iwillclasptheeagain · 02/07/2025 16:24

WeCouldDoBetter · 02/07/2025 15:52

My neighbours dog did this but at 6am or earlier. I was so glad when she moved.

If they can't keep him quiet then they need to walk him at more sociable hour. It has been very hot so most doggies are going out early and late at the moment but after midnight is ridiculous.

I think your kids need to start playing v loudly in the garden at 7am. That might make him rethink.

And make life even worse for all the other neighbours, as well as teaching your kids to be inconsiderate little shits? This is not the way ...

Emmz1510 · 02/07/2025 16:16

Dangermoo · 02/07/2025 09:16

I liked his reply!

Another entitled dog owner are you…?