Neighbour complained about dog barking, am I being sensitive?!

[AddictedtoAIBU]

My NDN knocked the door Yesterday to complain about our dog barking. He is a yappy little thing but I wasn't aware he barks when we are out - now that I am we will be very careful to ensure he doesn't cause issues. There's usually someone home as we work different shifts but she mentioned rare occasions when we have been shopping/over a friends - all valid and I am sorry our dog has disturbed her.
However.... she started the conversation by saying 'I didn't want to go to your landlord/letting agency' I was very polite (I'm not a rude person anyway) but after we finished speaking and I thought about it I felt really uncomfortable. We rent but that has made me feel as though every little thing will be reported and we aren't valued enough to jus discuss things in a neighbourly way as renters. I just don't feel at home here suddenly. AIBU to think she could have just chatted to me about the issue not mentioning contacting the person we rent from or our letting agent or am I being sensitive?!

I don't think she needed to bring up the fact you rent especially because it's a completely new issue - if this was after a few requests and she felt you'd done nothing then maybe. We had problems with ndn dog - they used to bark all the time when they were out and my husband worked from home so was even more annoying for him. They started to keep their curtains drawn in the front of the house (which was where they were) when they were out and it worked. They used to bark because they could see people passing on the street.

We have never met her but knowing that, when the NDN mentioned speaking directly to her it did make me wonder how we would fare. I presume they are friendly as were neighbours

I think that’s a bit different to how you phrased it in your OP tbh. If they’re friends, it’s obvious that they’d talk about the tenants in passing, not quite the threat to take it to the landlord you implied in your OP.

She mentioned our landlord and the letting agent, that's exactly what I thought i said in my first post. I'm making the assumption they were friends, her words were as per my original post.

Fair enough, I forgot about the letting agent bit. Did she say how long the dog barks for?

The fact that the LL knows about the dog takes away that threat from her so that is good.

No, she said the other night (I work evenings so this was a rare eve that my daughter was at a friends and my husband went out - usually he's at home when I'm in work and vice Vera's as daughter home) he barked "on and off until we got home and she couldn't sleep so went in the spare room as it was really bad" there was no one home all evening until 9.30 so he probably barked the whole time :( But, it could be that we haven't noticed the odd hour or so we have popped out as it doesn't feel like often but she may have if our dogs been barking so it's all added up kind of thing?
I've just popped a note through all other neighbours doors (didn't want to disturb them at dinner time to apologise for dog disturbing them!) to say we have been made aware there's been occasions of barking (he's a terrier so it's an annoying yappy noise) and will be doing all we can to prevent in future.
Hopefully, presuming the barking doesn't continue, it will all blow over.
I still feel upset and uneasy about the way it was said but in fairness she has probably been annoyed on a few occasions and didn't know how I'd react so had a speech prepared.
Besides, I'm having a large glass of wine now 🍷

Love the comments about 'you should be bending over backwards to make amends' and 'it will be impossible for you to rent again if this goes on your references'. This is exactly the attitude the OP is upset about.

We rent too. Through choice (we have to move frequently because of DH's job). I've never felt that home owners look down on us because we rent.
You do have to be more careful when you rent, because of the references. It's just part of renting, not a discrimination.
I've complained about a neighbor's yappy dog to their landlord (we were renting a flat in the same building and it was maddening!)

Fair enough OP, I don’t think she can ask more than that tbh. The barkers beside us are 3 bigger dogs, noisy fuckers and the NDN just brushes it off and it makes me rage!

I think you are being a bit sensitive, I understand why, but there is nothing to be ashamed of. Rent is expensive! Plus tres exotic, where are you from, where are you going, aren't you interesting.

The neighbour who said "Maybe we shouldn't say anything yet because they are renting", couldn't that just be "Oh well they might be passing through for a year, it's not the next thirty years, so no need to make a fuss or upset anyone"?

For the person who said they didn't want to contact your landlord, well maybe that was just a "Can we sort this out without causing you any problems". If you owned (i.e. the bank owns the house and your soul, I own and it's not that fancy!), maybe the opener would be "I don't want to call the police/animal control/a therapist as your dog is driving me out of my mind". It's just who they call.

Relax and be friendly, your neighbours will appreciate you for you. Maybe send a card to the person who brought up the problem saying thank you for letting you know, terribly sorry again and hope all is better now. Classy reaction from you and no matter what their starting point I'm sure they will appreciate you being warm.

The woman who lives next to us rents off of a landlord - the landlord also used to live in the house before renting it out. When she left she gave us her number and said if there were any problems come straight to her and she'll sort it.

If your LL is so nervous about renting her house and previously lived there she may have said the same thing to your neighbours, therefore your neighbours think they are doing you a favour rather than contacting her as she asked them to.

@womaningreen our dogs had free access to our garden (cat flap type arrangement) and were annoying people by running around barking. We stopped them from going in the garden while we weren't there to check on their behaviour and arranged for someone to let them out at regular supervised intervals instead. Our complaints were from that, not from anyone who could hear them barking inside from an adjoining house.

She is being very clear that your ‘yappy little thing’ isn’t acceptable. Get it sorted or she will go to your landlord. Fair enough.

I think you are being over sensitive and taking the comments personally. If you were a home owner she might well still have threatened to report you to the local authority for noise disturbance!

Her comments were a bit harsh, but not because you rent. Personally I would just speak to neighbour first, give them the chance to remedy, before threatening to report to anyone.

How are you going to stop dog barking in future? It’s quite difficult!

I don't think you're over sensitive,
I think she did mean what was inferred - sort it or I'll go to the landlord. Fair enough, barking dogs are horrendous. It's great that you've been positive and happy to sort it out it's nice to hear of a neighbour who isn't an inconsiderate arse.

I had the same situation a few years back, we owned and the property next door was rented. New couple moved in, with a very old dog who went wild the moment they left the house. Mentioned it nicely a couple of times, they apologised but never did anything. Came to a head one night when I got in from work at 5:30 and the poor thing was barking when I got home and continued to do so until they returned at 11:30pm. I'm afraid I did go round there very cross and told them that if it happened again I'd report them. It happened again so I (and others) reported them. Turns out they weren't allowed a dog! It had to go and live with her parents until they moved.

Being bluntly honest, home owners do have more rights than renters. There's nothing wrong with renting, certainly nothing to be ashamed of or snobby about, most people do it at some point or another. But the fact remains that (as long as process is followed), if you behave in a way that causes issues and you can be evicted or just simply served notice and replaced. Home owners can't be, unless they're prosecuted and even then they can't be made to leave their own property they'd get an ASBO or similar.

‘If you had taken the dog out with you’ you can’t possibly take a dog out with you everywhere you go?! 🙄

The issue about renters for some people is that they are not as invested in the area, not permanent residents, and as such don't necessarily care as much about the living environment of the area long term. I know in some student areas you see various national flags dangling from windows, wine bottles lined up at front doors and hear livelier activities into the night. Not the ideal street scene likely to enhance your property value. Often external paintwork, fences and gardens aren't maintained by the tenant because the landlord is supposed to attend to it, and this may or may not happen. Some properties let and re-let every 6 months and homeowners never really get to know their neighbours, more like having a succcession of strangers moving in next door. It's not a snobby thing, but it is so much better to have a house with a permanent fully invested neighbour next door ~ unless you get an untidy, lazy, noisy, unruly, flag waving permanent house owner next door, with yapping dog.