To put a note through their door anonymously?

[studychick81]

We live in quite a built up area and have houses around the side and back of us so I am used to noise and know it's to be expected when you choose to live in a semi detached house. I am not one for making complaints about things.

However, the neighbours at the back of us have obviously just got a puppy during lockdown or Christmas and I am becoming increasingly frustrated with what I consider to be very inconsiderate behaviour. I wondered if others would think this is inconsiderate?

Whenever they let their dog in the garden it barks and barks with no attempt from them to correct it/call the dog inside. This is mildly irritating during the day but not too much of a problem. It's when they let it out about 10pm that I find it very inconsiderate. I ve been really tired recently and try to go to bed early to get extra sleep, I am just drifting off around 10pm only to be woken up by the dog barking. I then find it hard to drift back off and can't for some time so there goes my early night! The same in the morning, I am trying to have a nice lie in and the dog starts barking about 7.15 most mornings. I think 10pm is far too late to let your dog out and allow it to bark for a period of time, fortunately it doesn't wake the dcs but bet it does some other peoples. I just want to be able to have an early night sometimes without listening to that.

I am not good with confrontation so was thinking I would just post a polite letter through their door. I know it's tricky to stop a dog barking but they don't seem to make any effort, I don't think they go out with the dog and make no effort to call it back for try to calm it down.

@Dullardmullard

So have we clarified the pup is barking for a few minutes or hours because I don’t think *@studychick81* has come back to say. Plus how do you know it’s their dog as I’ve asked already.

It’s natural for dogs to bark we curtail it as humans so it doesn’t cause offence to others. Most dog owners do not throw the dogs out to fend for themselves either.

7am and 10pm are normal times for first and last Wee’s for a puppy in fact you might find they are out there at 2 or 4 am as well as young dogs can’t hold it for long and don’t normally go a full night.

So have you done the note then. Did you sign it.

Op said she didn't actually know for sure who it was

The note won't be signed. But the recipient will simply ask around and realise the only person spiteful enough to write it is the OP. I hope she doesn't need anyone's co operation for anything, ever.

Tolerating inconvenience from your neighbours pays massive dividends, and is a two way street. Posting nasty little notes for minimal reasons will ensure that no one ever helps or gives you any leeway. Very short sighted imho.

Hi, I have a new puppy now 16 weeks. We let her out, and go with her into the garden but unfortunately sometimes she barks at us because she wants attention and trainer has told us to ignore her until she toilets. We have only had her 3 weeks and there has been a vast improvement. So just because the dog is barking doesn't mean there isn't an owner stood there desperately trying to shut the dog up but also make it toilet! We also have a 12 year old dog who I don't remember doing this at all.

op stop being acting like a princess , if its bothering you just something politely to them to their face . why do you have have turn it such drama by writing anonymous letters in which it get their backs ups . they have only just got the puppy and by the sounds of it trying to set up routine for it .

its not the puppy fault you stay awake for hours after its barked or not your neighbours fault you sleep so lightly at the times its goes out for pee. YABU.

I think the puppy should be given a bit longer to adjust to 1. being in the world and 2. having a new home. It's far too soon to be complaining.

Someone sent a complaint to the council that my dog barked continuously throughout the day. As a previous poster noted the council would not give the name of the person so I said well as I do a lot of favours for my neighbours (taking in parcels, pet sitting, babysitting, shopping etc) I would have to stop as wouldn't know which one it was. I then had a chat with all of my neighbours & brought up the "complaint" & they all said same, " but you work from home, your dog is regularly walked and rarely in the garden alone, when does it bark?" I spoke to the council and said that non of my neighbours had owned up to sending it or seemed guilty when discussing the issue. She said that she couldn't give a name but that I shouldn't punish my neighbours and that it would go down as a malicious complaint and filed. Found out it was someone I'd had a business run in with who lived quite a way from my home🙄

Sounds as if they are not trying to train it or are inexperienced owners. I don't think they are likely to take much notice of a note.

I'd either knock on the door and explain the issue or pop a note and say who you are. If you can't do either then I think you need to call the environment department at your local council and report them. I think an unsigned note is the worst option. Whichever you do, I agree with others who suggest giving it a month or so to allow some time for the dog to be trained. They are likely just finding their feet with him. Another thought actually; who knows if dog training classes are even going ahead just now?!

YANBU. I would find it extremely annoying. Anonymous notes are not a good idea imo. Keep it nice and polite but do include your babe and address.
The following is not a rhetorical question: what can they actually do about it? I am not a dog person myself but maybe there are dog lovers on this thread who could offer advice or suggestions?
Perhaps MerryChristmasToYou is right and they will get rid of the pup when they realise what a big responsibility it is.

Your ‘name’ and address! 😄

@Celestine70

Sounds as if they are not trying to train it or are inexperienced owners. I don't think they are likely to take much notice of a note.

It's been days!!!

God MN is judgemental.

I think you must live near me op (except we have the pleasure of 2 of them)

I think noise legally has to be minimised between 11pm and 7am. Other than that not sure there's a lot you can do about a dog being a dog. My neighbour lets her dog out at 11.30 every night to yap for half an hour... irritating I agree.

Rather than an anonymous note email local council re noise and they will write to the household and raise it.

Hope you get some peace x

I imagine the local council are wfh and rather busy. A letter about a puppy that barks for 10 minutes at 10pm is likely to get the OP filed under 'batshit complainers'. The whole thing is crazy - it's not for long enough and it's not late enough snd it's not been going on for long enough. Is this really want you want your local councils spending money on? When there's children with special needs and the elderly?

I love that the OP has come on here to ask if they’re being unreasonable and has had a rebuttal for every opinion and piece of advice given. If you didn’t think it was unreasonable, why did you post on here in the first place Clearly you are not, and have never been, a dog owner. They’re not robots, they bark, they poop, they whine etc etc. I get it’s been a long year but you’re being a nob.

I’ve only read through a few responses and am very surprised. We have a dog who goes out at those times and from the beginning we have trained her not to bark. To be clear she might still let put a bark but she is let in and told not to and stops. In the day I only allow her to bark for short periods of time as I believe she is allowed to bark but if it’s continuous she’s told to stop and taken inside. It would be less than a minute.
I do get the impression that this is an irritation you’ve allowed to build and build and perhaps you need to take a step back. Going and confronting them of writing a note will cause you and them extreme stress.

Is the problem
More about the fact it feels like they don’t care about your needs as a neighbour when you consider yourself to be a considerate neighbour to live by? I think you could try ear plugs for a bit. Perhaps try not to take it so personally too, we’re all guilty of that.

7am wouldn’t bother me but 10pm is taking the pee every night. They should be walking it, not locking it outside

Anonymous notes are aggressive and immature, designed to make the recipient feel awful with no consequence to you. What is stopping you from going over and talking to them, or at the very least putting your name on the note?

We lived in a flat when I was pregnant and towards the end I couldn’t sleep at all, so would be pottering about every night until 4 or 5am. We received a really nice note from the downstairs neighbours who we’d never met saying the floor creaked and it was keeping them up. I was mortified, went and apologised and made every effort to be quieter going forward. A note was the right way to contact us but the fact they’d said who it was from meant I could address it, so if you go for a note I can’t see why it would need to be anonymous? Also we had a neighbour who’s dog would bark and we went down the road of being worried for the dog (they’d leave her at home and she’d bark for hours), so we had a chat saying is she ok as she barks loads when you’re not here (and possibly when they were here). Again, they addressed it and things were fine.

@toomanypillows been there

Sorry perfectly reasonable times to let the dog out, they will train it hopefully in the next few weeks and the barking should decrease. Anonymous notes are incredibly passive aggressive and borderline creepy tbh. How would you like one about children kicking ball too much or shouting in afternoon when someone on night shift. It's not nice.

@aveline161 💐 sorry to hear that

well its normal to let your dogs out at these times as i do but its not ok for dogs to be let outside for ages to bark!!! i have a neighbour whose dogs bark & keep barking when your in the garden & its not amusing.

@jentinquarantino20

7am wouldn’t bother me but 10pm is taking the pee every night. They should be walking it, not locking it outside

But they might not be and it’s a puppy so everything’s to be barked at and 10pm is normal for last wees and we don’t know if they’ve walked the pup earlier.

We also don’t know if it’s for a few minutes or for half an hour @studychick81 as been very vague on that and now she doesn’t know what neighbour it is that has the pup.

@jentinquarantino20

7am wouldn’t bother me but 10pm is taking the pee every night. They should be walking it, not locking it outside

Who says they're locking it?