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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Gah! Next door neighbour's dog!

23 replies

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 19:53

Ok, so our neighbours, who were lovely, have moved out and sold their house to a single school teacher. Thing is, she has a dog, who I can only assume she leaves in the house alone ALL DAY, and all it bloody does is bark and howl CONTINUOUSLY!

We live in a row of victorian terraces, and for whatever reason the noise is worse in our bedroom, it sounds like the dog is with you in the room. It woke me up at 7.30 am this morning, when I was trying to get a bit of a lie-in as my 4.5 mo dd had and unsettled night and we were both knackered.

It was barking til gone 10pm last night, so she was obviously out all night as well, and prevented my dp, who starts work at 5am and hance gets up at 4am from getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. Luckily it had stopped by the time I went to bed.

We are now in the living room listening to it barking through the baby monitor and dd has already woken up twice since we put her down at 7. Admittedly she is not the best sleeper in the world, but she always goes down easily at 7 and sleeps til at least the early hours... So she is obviously out again tonight after having being out all day.

WWYD? I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with this neighbour. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought that you should only have a dog if you didn't have to leave it alone in the house for extended periods? Isn't this cruel? Let alone bloody annoying for half the street. What can I do about this?

Sorry, I know there are far worse things going on in the world but this is getting my goat. AIBU?

OP posts:

clam · 19/05/2011 20:06

Weeeellll, I guess you're going to have to mention it to her. Work on the assumption that she won't want to fall out with you either. Be nice about it but ask if she's aware that the dog sounds distressed while she's out. Chances are she doesn't know - as she's not there to hear it!
And if she's arsey about your polite chat, then you'll have to up the ante and be a bit more forceful about it.

BitOfFun · 19/05/2011 20:07

Approach her first, but then I would go to the council.

Original poster

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 20:14

Yes clam, I agree, but the thing is I haven't actually seen her yet, only my dp has, I just assumed it was my old neighbour's dog, which I thought was weird as he was a house-husband and home all day. It was dp who said that they must have already moved as he'd seen her once. It seems she is out all the time. I feel sorry for the poor thing tbh. I'm hoping that it's just getting used to the new house...

I was thinking that she probably doesn't realise just how much it barks because she's not here, but isn't it cruel regardless? Would calling the RSPCA as a last resort be a bit extreme? She is never actually in!

OP posts:

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 19/05/2011 20:27

Imo it is cruel to leave a dog that distressed alone for that long. My neighbour works most days, and leaves her dog at home alone, but a dogwalker comes in every day and takes the dog out for a good long run, and if for some reason she's not available, I take the dog for a while. The dog seems perfectly happy to be left, doesn't bark or howl, or destroy things.

My neighbour does leave the radio on for the dog all day - I wonder if that might help your neighbour, InAState.

bruffin · 19/05/2011 20:30

We had the same problem with my neighbours. They are really lovely but got a rescue dog about a year ago. The other saturday morning the dog barked continously for nearly 3 hours. There was not even a 10 second break between each bark. DH wasn't feeling well and it all got very stressful.
I then got a knock on my door and it was a man whose house backed onto our houses. His garden is 300ft long but the dog had been annoying them as well and he had a go at me about it
Thankfully the nan came home and I spoke to her and she took the dog back to her house that afternoon. Finally spoke to my neighbour and he said he would sort it out.
I honestly don't think they realised how much the dog barked when they were out as he barks at a lot of things when he is in the garden, it is not that relentless yapping he does when they were out.

She hasn't done it since when I have been home, so I assume they must have managed to sort the dog out somehow.

WorzselMaamage · 19/05/2011 20:34

Go round a say "Hi, sort your fucking dog out or i'll report you to the environmental health and the RSPCA".

There is almost nothing worse that listening to other peoples dogs barking all day. I bet your teacher neighbour does know it barks, she just doesn't give a fuck. Dogs which are left to cause a nuisance are always owned by arseholes.

I feel for you!

Original poster

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 20:35

OMG! I've just seen her get back! What should I do?

OP posts:

WorzselMaamage · 19/05/2011 20:36

Go and have a word, NOW!

Vallhala · 19/05/2011 20:36

The RSPCA won't do a thing, it isn't their remit. This is a noise nuisance problem.

SPEAK TO HER! She may not realise he's howling. Tell her that there are various guides on how to prevent it and see if you could recommend a decent dogwalker/dog sitter.

If that fails call your local council's Environmental Health dept. Speak to the noise nuisance team and report the problem and then to the Dog Warden (IF they have a full time, pro-active one. Many don't these days but just send in the pest controller to collect when a stray is reported, offering no support service).

If you have a half decent dog warden though, ask him/her to pay a visit to the neighbour to advise of what she can do to resolve the noise nuisance and of the consequences if she won't.

If you don't, write and complain to the leader of the council, cc-ing to your MP, because the decline in dedicated FT dog wardens is causing us ALL real problems.

squeakytoy · 19/05/2011 20:36

Go and let her know. Chances are she has no idea and would appreciate someone telling her.

Dawnybabe · 19/05/2011 20:36

Our friends (old neighbours) had this problem when we sold our house and a couple moved in with two noisy dogs that barked all day. Apparently the whole road of residents complained and in the end the RSPCA came and took the dogs away because they were stressed.

Original poster

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 20:38

X post Worzel! Guess your stance is clear! I feel like too much of a wimp to go round right this minute, I might just wait til we bump into eachother, do all the introductiry niceties and then politely point out that he does seem a bit, well, unsettled in the day and see how she reacts. If she is in total denial or dismissive I may take it further...

OP posts:

WorzselMaamage · 19/05/2011 20:39

If you leave it she will think it's not bothering you!

WorzselMaamage · 19/05/2011 20:40

And yes, my stance is clear! Why should you have to listen to someone elses pet being a pain in the arse ?

Original poster

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 20:41

I agree. TBH I'm just glad that hopefully we'll get to sleep tonight, but if it happens again tomorrow I'll pluck up the courage to speak to her, god I'm a wimp!

OP posts:

bruffin · 19/05/2011 20:44

"Dogs which are left to cause a nuisance are always owned by arseholes."

Lovely

If the dog only does it when the owners out, how is the owner supposed to know that the dog is barking.
The reason I knew someone was home, the other weekend was because the dog stopped barking!

spiderlight · 19/05/2011 20:44

She might genuinely not know. Our dogs had always been fine when left, but when we moved house they were unsettled and started howling when we went out. The first we knew of it was when we came home from an antenatal appointment one evening about a month after we'd moved in to find the woman across the road ranting and raving on our doorstep. A polite word or even a note would have been much appreciated, as it would have allowed us to do something about it straight away.

Original poster

InAStateOfReflux · 19/05/2011 20:44

It just baffles me tbh. I would like a dog, but I remember we always had cats as my mum and dad worked full time, and my mum always said it's cruel to have a dog if you're out of the house all day. That's stuck with me, and tbh, if you're not prepared for the responsibilty that goes with a pet then you shouldn't have one IMO. You wouldn't choose to have a dc and then leave it in the house all day crying and go to work and out all evening would you? Don't see why any other living creature is different.

OP posts:

WorzselMaamage · 19/05/2011 20:47

Do you disagree Bruffin ?

Are people who leave their dogs to bark in the garden all day or roaming the streets or shitting all over the place really lovely, kindly, neighbourly people ?

Are they bollocks, they are arseholes.

Vallhala · 19/05/2011 21:00

As Spiderlight explains there can be genuine reason for a dog to suddenly develope seperation anxiety and for them to be unaware of it until a neighbour complains and a house move is a pretty regular trigger.

That sort of thing aside, I agree with you Worzsel.

bruffin · 19/05/2011 21:06

I disagree that with your sweeping statement, as I said above they may no know their dog is causing a nuisance. My neighbours are really lovely. They have been my neighbours for many years long before the dog. They have had the dog for about a year now, it is a rescue dog, but some reason it has now decided to start barking when they are out. When someone is home she is quiet, bit since the incident the other week, the dog has not seemed to have a barking session, so they have obviously listened and tried to do something about it.

squeakytoy · 19/05/2011 21:09

If I were the neighbour I would want to know as soon as possible as I would hate to think my dog was miserable at being left. If it howls after she has left, there is no way she is going to know unless someone tells her about it.

sleepingsowell · 19/05/2011 21:12

definitely tell your neighbour. It is incredibly annoying and intrusive to have a dog barking all the time. I would be telling her and asking her to sort it out!

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