About neighbors dogs

[Hmmmbop]

Lived here 2 years. The neighbors (detached house) have 7 dogs. The dogs bark everyone someone walks past. Everyone I leave my house. Whether they are inside or out (they are out 90% of the time). The owners know this, they are usually outside with them and tell at them ineffectively.

When I go to put something in the outside bins, when I get something from the car, when someone knocks on our door, when I go to the garage, when we leave the house for a walk. Every. Single.Time.

Plus when others walk by.

I'm sick of it. In every other way it is our dream house. Is there anything we can do about it? We don't want to have to move.

I don’t see what you can do except move. They won’t and shouldn’t, get rid of their dogs

Environmental Health will have advice on monitoring the noise and how to report it .

Why should you move ?

And no they shouldn't get rid of their dogs but they should ensure they are not a noise nuisance .

My previous neighbours ( older couple , near retirement ) had four large dogs (collie types) and the only time they barked was when the man came home and took them all out to the park. It was more a "Dads Home" short bark , not ongoing .

7 dogs is excessive but how do places with working dogs control the noise ? There are training techniques that will let the dogs know it isn't acceptable (and I don't mean anything cruel or shock-collar type)

You have obviously taken note of this and now it is seriously irritating you. Your option is to move. You could move and you could get student neighbours, you could get nightmare parking, could get people doing anything that is considered irritating. My point is, that if I start getting irritated by something, I try and mentally weigh it up against what else I could get. Can I guarantee I won’t get something worse. If yes, move. If no, agree that it could be worse and hopefully you will be less irritated by it and then you will stop noticing.

7 dogs? Do they even get walked? You have my sympathy. My neighbours have 4, which never get walked, and which when they escape, go absolutely crazy and run around my garden. I'd call Environmental Health because 7 potentially crazed dogs barking in one house is probably worth investigating from a welfare perspective for the dogs alone.

Do they bark if you are just sitting in your garden? If so you should formally complain to the neighbours that you should be able to sit in your garden without them barking. After 2 weeks if it continues try the council. I have a dog, he doesn't bark because I taught him not to

How long do they bark for? If it’s only briefly, and it’s not during the night, I don’t think you’d have much grounds for complaining to environmental health. If they bark incessantly for hours on end, that’s different.

QualCheckBot no they don't get walked.

Other neighbors have dogs (one has 3) and we very rarely hear them.

I get irritated by it because it's every single time we go outside. My son (3) is terrified of them- they jump up at the wall/ fence. He hates going outside and will not walk around there house unless carried. They can't get over the side fence but the larger ones could get over the front fence.

Other neighbors are equally annoyed by it but we are the closest

It's intermittently, but very very frequent.

Is there a maximum amount of dogs allowed in one property ?

Goes off to Google ....

Do you know why they have 7 dogs ? Are they a sucker for a Rescue or a hard luck story ?

Animal hoarders often have the intention of rescueing them and giving them a lovely life but the reality is they are over whelmed by the sheer volume .

If they are not providing the "Five Freedoms"

(From the BlueCross website)

All domestic animals have the legal right to:

live in a suitable environment
eat a suitable diet
exhibit normal behaviour patterns
be housed with, or apart from, other animals
be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
You may hear people referring to these five welfare needs as the ‘five freedoms’.

Dog owners who fail to ensure their pet’s welfare needs are met face prosecution – but importantly, they run the risk of causing suffering to an animal who they have taken into their home and have a responsibility to care for. Failing to meet a pet’s welfare needs could cause them to become sick, hurt, upset or stressed.

Owners can be taken to court if they don’t look after their pets properly and face a prison sentence of up to six months, and a fine of up to £20,000. They may also have their pet taken away from them, or be banned from having pets in the future.

Law: Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 9

Have they microchipped them? (It is a legal requirement unless a Vet can justify otherwise)

Are the owners unthinking or just arses ?

70isaLimitNotaTarget I suspect arses but they are reasonable neighbors in other ways.

I don't know why they have 7. One they acquired fairly recently (as a puppy), one lived on their business premises as a guard dog. The other 5 I'm not sure.

They are loved but little time is put in to their care iyswi. Not walked or toilet trained, which is why they mainly live outside.

You need to get in touch with environmental health every single time they bark. Does your council have the noise app? If so, download it and send a recording whenever you hear them. It’s the only way you’ll solve it.

I doubt they are microchipped but I don't know. Well cared for in some ways (look healthy and well fed, petted lots) but not in others (shouted at, not walked or toilet trained, garden not cleared of poo).

I have a similar number of dogs, for reasons of my own. If your neighbours are reasonable people, they may consider purchasing the 'No Bark Collar' available on eBay and perhaps other sites (link below). It beeps and vibrates, nothing painful but enough to deter barking. I put it on my three nuisance barkers and the nuisance stopped. If the neighbours refuse to cooperate, you could try asking them again in writing (recorded delivery or email) and then approaching the dog warden or environmental health, because you should not have to live with that.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/No-Bark-Anti-Bark-Dog-Collar-Stop-Barking-Small-Medium-Large-Dog-Rechargeable/163499771928?epid=13026960691&hash=item2611588818&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&enc=AQAEAAADIKvsXIZtBqdkfsZsMtzFbFsbX3WcW5fmB%2Fx7ZbaZTyexG6OUQrSN95vkUEDWR8OZAIgIXxQZoUuKS2%2B0PDoISwxrwLEzhiltvJTaqPotv585uJSp1w5t0vGVyISRL6TqatMoufyu4PatIFMZhzWPwFXhNqnBsYbkxYGgSyWpm%2B06CguMba%2Ff988VbGxuvOusmZwlJ2EqU8PKDfA%2FMoKdPOoccpZhH%2FeZ7LtBkxXem0CHL%2FbK%2BNnfpDEKWcuDeXUHH23UV2KSJN2pjXBDFe8KeA11RMAdFYDjQqGPKuhskhOowi8DZNacvwfHJu2POOIEMRFDCGMkQa2ynUJqaXZ%2BGE2ftlEtwIeC4%2F7Bjsvqp714%2BbMSuJHr48GVlc%2B1EVAIqK8XvYS6DQ5rNdF%2BAGxrWZAPcjvIWFbBcgAAwhXj7uI%2Fwzp1x4sSlJA2UzzzFl8A9kA%2FpyuFVrWH06fDc5E7eFntpP1FemKihRdHmQ9tZSFXLxkp27tV1Lob1cb2E90XiE4URtOq%2FTAiES2SWxkESvxIznbi05bv8UmMKJUHz32d3OgJrl5KSMX0%2BAoPp5nxDGfZm0PBoH4AbpjC8r0T8HdhGkZUAshBnY%2Fv%2F8tyI0%2B3xT0nEH0KLCkeRF9yzHjJ24B%2FBrrdYtHMDpJIZaStaCdN40YI%2F3XgnLwUcRIMZ%2BE7Fq4FsAALIX2A3l01zqn3xZ%2FeVCwqnrUiyfq3P%2BDft0tLlM6Z2pY6DJ6DH2I1VUG9jhxVxod4mUxd9CQiNdmgtrpDZWZ1uUwl0t5Qy%2FU1T7EVOzOL%2FG48CDKXNF6h6H0yLlMAgRIQidm06ue6g7%2BVX9Ip8BxYHg8fpGv3Ah2QFd9OxZq3XAFMprqOoYCEWwboknU6nCQJ7nY5vGQqseeKJ8lyrfEc8ASpnN9kl6JudVEcQc65brlMr0aRqEIdlA4TItIQBoEKNUL0Nd%2F%2BBY6%2FRxVK5yRrb9aO%2FpIeMM6yEqaih72te8pukKsC%2Bs5UPtfhRtWIUjxvNtZUbGcbxoDrqDiVEYAEV33NoaD2HPVEth90htQHAK7TQQaoypa2tBze&checksum=163499771928e6f5cbfaae5744a3a57f17c13f64292f

makingmammaries thanks for that.

I'm not saying they shouldn't have that many dogs, that's up to them, I gave the number so that people can see it isn't just one dog barking a few times a day.

DH and I will have a chat about how to broach it.

OP, I understand. Some PPs seemed to be suggesting that if they have that many dogs they probably aren't caring for them properly. That isn't necessarily so. But if they choose to have a lot of dogs then they have an increased responsibility to ensure they don't cause a nuisance. I hope you manage to get the improvements you need.