Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To complain to these neighbours?

45 replies

catofdoom · 04/08/2019 16:11

Another neighbour thread from me, sorry!

Our neighbours a few doors down (but about a 5 minute walk away) moved in recently.

They have FIVE Great Danes.

They leave them outside for extended periods of time where all five of them bark for hours.

I can't leave our poor dog out for more than five minutes when they're barking as she barks back (and unlike some I realise other people find it very annoying!)

It's a beautiful Sunday, dh and I both have a rare Sunday off and want to spend it in our garden and on the beach (which is right below the dogs)

I want to go and ask them to please bring the dogs in when they're barking. Or ask them not to. Or walk them occasionally. Anything to. Stop. The. Incessant. Fucking. Barking.

DH says that as we called the police on our neighbours the other side a couple of weeks ago we absolutely can not complain as we'll be 'those neighbours'.

I'm at home all day most days so it's definitely driven me more crazy than him.

Aibu?

OP posts:
RedSheep73 · 04/08/2019 16:26

Maybe RSPCA rather than police? I don't know. We have a yappy dog nearby and my dd wrote a note asking them to please look after their dog and not leave it to bark. I probably shouldn't have let her put it through their door but I did, and it is better. They still don't walk the poor little thing though.

AutumnalLeaves38 · 04/08/2019 16:40

Last resort: print this off and put through their letterbox?

www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-stop-your-dog-barking

Better to discuss the issue with them directly before it comes to that, but may not be possible [or even safe: if they're already so inconsiderate about their own animals' wellbeing, & constant noise (from unhappiness?/stress?/boredom?) now affecting you & YOUR dog, I doubt they'll be calmly open to anyone else's point of view...]

Good luck. Sounds miserable for all of you.

AutumnalLeaves38 · 04/08/2019 16:41

Maybe also make a long recording for evidence?

MissConductUS · 04/08/2019 16:43

There's something more than a little odd about owning five huge dogs.

No, it would not be unreasonable to talk to them about the noise.

Bethyo · 04/08/2019 16:48

Contact the council and lodge a complaint. They should then investigate further.

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 16:49

Sorry should have said we're in the US.

Someone told me they're breeders but not sure if that's true.

I can't tell you how loud it is. Sad

The neighbour in between us is in very ill health and home all day. He must be going loopy.

He's got form for being quite unhinged and threatening so I can't believe he's being calm about this. He sent a letter to the local airline telling them if planes kept flying low over his house he'd shoot them down.

Also sent dh's Dad a letter telling him he'd kill him if he burned near his house again.

OP posts:
Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 16:50

I'm pretty sure there's some local ordinance about not having a dog bark for more than 30 minutes.

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 04/08/2019 17:07

Oh, Hi catofdoom, I didn't notice the handle. Grin

Are these summer people or year rounders?

DisplayPurposesOnly · 04/08/2019 17:08

What bothers me is that you are focused solely on your annoyance at hearing the dogs bark.

Obviously it is annoying, but what about their welfare? Dogs barking continously are not happy dogs are they.

Outsomnia · 04/08/2019 17:24

I have no solution for you. Sorry.

But I have to add that I just do NOT understand how some dog owners appear to be totally deaf when their dogs bark incessantly. I cannot understand it myself. But maybe they are out when dogs bark.

It is a noise nuisance and is awful for everyone else's quality of life. OP do you have a local town council/county mayor's office who might advise you further?

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 17:37

@DisplayPurposesOnly I didn't really think of that to be honest.

Our dog is a barker. And not at all because she's unhappy. The fucker barks at leaves, wind, her tail, the cat looking at her the wrong way. I honestly think she's just really enjoys barking.

I think some dogs actually do just like barking. Our trainer and doggy daycare (that she got banned from for barking GrinGrinGrin) said some dogs just bark to talk.

From what I've heard from others the dogs seem very happy. They have a ton of space. Probably aren't walked as much as they could be but they have a huge field to run in.

Not sure why you need to be 'bothered' though. Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 17:46

@MissConductUS bloody summer people! Grin

I can't imagine nobody has complained. Who in their right mind would have 5 Great Danes?!

We went to look at a house to buy once and I swear it was like the hound of the Baskervilles. The realtor/ estate agent said, 'oh they must have visitors' but when I got home I googled it and it was a sodding husky kennel!! They had over 20 huskies!!!

OP posts:
LakieLady · 04/08/2019 17:52

Try the council.

We have a neighour whose dogs bark and howl when she goes out (ie daily, for several hours). Other neighbours complained to the council, and Ms Noisy Dogs got a warning. Things improved for a while, then got very bad again, and the neighbours complained again.

This time, she got a final warning, and it made her take the council seriously and sort it out (she bought an ultrasonic device that goes off whenever they bark, and they stop).

Ms Noisy Dogs is jolly pissed off though! She's been trying to get me to tell her who complained!

LakieLady · 04/08/2019 17:54

Sorry, OP, only just realised you're in the US, not the UK. I've no idea what noise laws are like over there.

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 17:59

@LakieLady I think they're different town to town.

I really don't want to call the policeman as I complained to him recently about other neighbours and I don't want him to think I'm a nightmare!

OP posts:
Outsomnia · 04/08/2019 18:00

OP you sound just as bad as your neighbours. You don't care that your dog barks at everything too. Neighbours might be taking revenge here!

You must have great earplugs or a switch off gene!

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 18:12

@Outsomnia did you not read this

I can't leave our poor dog out for more than five minutes when they're barking as she barks back (and unlike some I realise other people find it very annoying!)

In my opening post? It's not like I even put it in a subsequent post. Hmm

I DON'T let her bark outside. As soon as she starts I bring her in.

OP posts:
SeaToSki · 04/08/2019 18:17

I would look up your town ordinances and possibly the State laws too. Noise, dogs, using homes for business purposes (if they are breeders) anything else you can think of. Then you are armed with what lengths you could go to.

Then maybe go over when the dogs are barking and mention your batshit neighbor in between and say that he may well report them for as he has a history of complaining to all and sundry and you dont want them getting into trouble, so you thought you would warn them.....,

MissConductUS · 04/08/2019 18:24

I really don't want to call the policeman as I complained to him recently about other neighbours and I don't want him to think I'm a nightmare!

Call the nice copper! You had very good reason to call him last time. It's your neighbors who are the nightmare. He'll be glad to have something to do. And if the dogs are driving you crazy you can't be the only one.

Give him some homemade cookies when he comes round. Grin

I'm still amazed that your other neighbor threatened to shoot down an aircraft. They take those things very seriously. He made a terroristic threat, which is crime unto itself.

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 18:30

@MissConductUS I know!! Bloody nuts. I'm surprised he didn't do jail time for that. Although, the island rumour mill can be very shaky.

One person tells it differently to another, by the time it's gone through 10 people a story will be SO different!

Recently I've heard that I'm buying the local store and becoming editor of the local paper!! Grin

OP posts:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/08/2019 18:37

What bothers me is that you are focused solely on your annoyance at hearing the dogs bark.

I think it gets like that after a while. Our previous neighbours had a bastard Jack Russell that used to bark and whine every time they went out. Each day I'd start off feeling sorry for it but as it went on I'd be telling it to shut the fuck up and plotting how far I'd have to drive it so it couldn't get home or whether Amazon sold tranquilliser darts.

(Obviously I wouldn't have done anything as it was the owner's fault, not the dog's!)

Outsomnia · 04/08/2019 18:44

OP you also said this..

Our dog is a barker. And not at all because she's unhappy. The fucker barks at leaves, wind, her tail, the cat looking at her the wrong way. I honestly think she's just really enjoys barking.

I think some dogs actually do just like barking. Our trainer and doggy daycare (that she got banned from for barking gringringrin) said some dogs just bark to talk.

MissConductUS · 04/08/2019 19:09

Although, the island rumour mill can be very shaky.

That's true in any small community. Some old cowbag woman at the church we used to attend came up to me out of the blue and congratulated me on my pregnancy. We had been trying for 8 months at the time with no result, so I started to cry. DH, always the cooler head, gave her a look that would make the birds fall from the sky, and hustled me out of there pronto.

Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 19:41

@Outsomnia what's your point?!! She barks and I stop her!! It doesn't bother anyone. Go pick another fight.

OP posts:
Original poster
catofdoom · 04/08/2019 19:43

@MissConductUS oh god I'm sorry.

When we finally conceived ds I told my mother in law. She told her brother the next day and he shouted it across a crowded (6 cars) parking lot and the entire island knew instantly.

I was 6 weeks and NOT happy for it to be known.

OP posts:
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.