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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have phoned the police?

43 replies

Elliebellbell · 22/07/2019 13:24

On Saturday night/Sunday morning our neighbours dog started barking at 2am. It barked non stop until 4.30, stopped and started again at 6am for another hour. It was obvious there was no one home.

Last night it started again at 12.30am. I rang 101 and 2 officers banged on their door at 2.30am, still no one in. I saw them leave a note.

Police returned at 8.30am and spoke to householders brother, the family have actually gone on holiday and left their 3 dogs home alone with the brother "popping in" to feed and walk them.

I felt a bit shit about reporting them but 2 nights of sleep deprivation have made me quite testy.

I'm not sure how long they're away for but even 2 nights for 3 dogs on their own seems unreasonable to me.

OP posts:

Thump · 22/07/2019 13:25

I'd be fit to be tied.

Sunburntnoseandears · 22/07/2019 13:27

That's disgusting. What if there was a fire?

QueeniesPotOfRouge · 22/07/2019 13:29

Sounds fair enough to me. Who else were you meant to phone?

I’m one of those people who can sleep through anything but if it bothers you, then it sounds like torture. The dog is obviously distressed. Some dogs can be left alone for a short while but obviously not these ones!

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 22/07/2019 13:30

Definitely not over-reacting. Those poor dogs!

Really neglectful behaviour from the owners. They should have booked them into kennels where they'll be looked after properly. I'd be phoning the RSPCA too. You don't just fuck off on holiday and leave pets behind!

The dogs are obviously not happy being left on their own for such long periods, hence the barking.

I'd be fuming on their behalf.

Dexterslockedintheshedagain · 22/07/2019 13:31

I think you need to contact the RSPCA , or equivalent. Every two days he pops in? Just cruel.

Original poster

Elliebellbell · 22/07/2019 13:32

It kept all 4 of my household awake all night and we all had early starts Sunday and Monday. I was like a zombie this morning. There's something really nerve shredding about a barking dog☹️

OP posts:

Dexterslockedintheshedagain · 22/07/2019 13:32

Sorry I thought it was every two days he popped in. Even so, it's just not on.

Original poster

Elliebellbell · 22/07/2019 13:34

Thanks everyone, I hate fuss with the neighbours but glad I wasn't over reacting.

OP posts:

newmomof1 · 22/07/2019 13:35

How often is he popping in?
Are they big dogs?

Original poster

Elliebellbell · 22/07/2019 13:38

I don't know how often he's popping in, this morning was only time I've seen him.

It's a whippet, a staffie cross and a poodle, none are very big.

OP posts:

LampGirl · 22/07/2019 13:42

RSPCA won't do anything - the law requires that a dog is visited once in every 24 hour period.

ohhelloitsyou · 22/07/2019 13:47

Yanbu. You didn’t know they were on holiday and to be honest how were you meant to know the dog wasn’t trying to say something was seriously wrong?
Now there’s an explanation and the police can do what they will with that info. They need to see if someone can stay with the dogs if it’s anxiety before they end up with a noise complaint to the council or whoever deals with that. Keeping everyone awake for that long is not on.

sailorcherries · 22/07/2019 13:49

Not unreasonable no and very unreasonable of the home owners.

If you cannot afford to have someone look after your pets properly - cattery/kennel, boarding, pet sitter - then don't have them.

We have two house cats who aren't overly fond of strangers. If we have gone away overnight locally, say a 2pm check in and 10am check out we have still had someone come to down check on the cats around 7/8pm, refresh the water and spend time with them. Anything longer and they go to a cattery. One cat hates it but I'd rather he was there and grumpy than home alone.

shieldmaidenofrohan · 22/07/2019 14:22

It's one thing to leave cats while you go away, dogs is another kettle of fish. YWNBU calling police and I would have dispatched at least a PCSO if there was concern for dogs being left alone in similar circs. I might not have had anyone to send but I would have tried, poor dogs

Lovemusic33 · 22/07/2019 14:24

I used to leave my dog at home when we went away, she would get far too stressed in kennels and hated travelling. I would have someone pop in during the day (3 times) and she was fine. Maybe the owners didn’t realise their dogs would bark all night. RSPCA won’t do anything as they haven’t broken the law. Hopefully now the brother will stay overnight so the dogs don’t bark.

Yabbers · 22/07/2019 14:28

RSPCA won't do anything - the law requires that a dog is visited once in every 24 hour period.
There is no law that says this.

CoolCarrie · 22/07/2019 14:29

Some people shouldn’t have pets, as pp said what if there was a fire, poor dogs.

Plipplopbop · 22/07/2019 14:30

My old neighbor did this with his 5 dogs. They would howl a lot of the night and obviously used to mess in the house as the visitor would then be cleaning the floors. She left them from 6pm to about 9am the following morning. It's awful, but not illegal.

ContactLight · 22/07/2019 14:34

Our neighbours have done the same - for two weeks, and there has been a so-called dog sitter coming in to see to them. They have been howling like banshees for an entire fortnight.

They came back from their holiday this morning. Unfortunately for them DH happened to be out in the front garden as they arrived. They asked how the dogs had been. He told them. In no uncertain terms.

Rachelover40 · 22/07/2019 14:38

You did the right thing to phone the police, for all you knew the people could have been lying in the house, dead.

Original poster

Elliebellbell · 22/07/2019 14:39

My ds was convinced something awful had happened to someone in the house and the dog was trying to tell everyone!

OP posts:

MatildaTheCat · 22/07/2019 15:00

This happened to us, the dogs were outside with a kennel. We had a dog warden who left a note on the door for the person popping in.

The dogs were removed very quickly. Unfortunately the dogs confused to bark a lot for the next couple of years until the family moved. They simply didn’t se the issue as the dogs only barked when they weren’t at home. Like all bloody day.

Ilovemypantry · 22/07/2019 15:06

You absolutely did the right thing.

Those poor dogs...I feel for you having to put up with the constant barking but I feel for them too, they must be so distressed. Some people should just not have pets.

Moragen · 22/07/2019 15:14

The dogs would have been more upset in a boarding kennels and would have barked there as well all night. But people wouldn't hear them so I guess that's okay. Right?

Out of sight out of mind.

crazycurry · 22/07/2019 15:20

The dogs would have been more upset in a boarding kennels and would have barked there as well all night. But people wouldn't hear them so I guess that's okay. Right?

Yes - that's OK. If they would be distressed then the onus is on the owners to either not go on holiday or go on holiday somewhere in the same country where they can take the dogs with them. It's the owners who chose to the have the dogs and not the OP.

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