Neighbours excessive barking dogs

[blueroses8]

Neighbour a few doors down has 2 dogs. They literally do not stop baking. It's relentless. In and out the garden all day long and each time they bark non stop until they're eventually brought back in. I'm working from home and I can hear it as if it's in my own garden. I can now feel myself on edge and waiting for it to happen/listening out for it. I can't concentrate on my work properly. Barking for the sake of it it seems, I think they're just yappy dogs in general. I feel like I can't relax in my own home and I am dreading summer so much. Owners don't seem interested, they're very ignorant at the best of times, in their hot tub every night for the past 2/3 weeks despite the weather. It started with really loud music but after the 4th night I had to ask them to turn it down as it was unbearable and I realised it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, which they did but it hasn't stopped the shouting which can be heard very clearly each night.

I'm pregnant and my fuse is short at the minute anyway but I just feel seriously fed up and miserable in my own home and I'm worried about the impact it's going to have when I'm already sleep deprived and have a baby and whether the excessive barking will affect sleep then whilst having to nap in the day (already woke me up at 7am this morning, and again first thing I wake to this morning).

Has anyone had any similar issues/have any advice?

Do it anonymously. If they might have a ring doorbell / cctv you can mail it. I'd tell them the barking stops or you'll report to council.

@StoneofDestiny

Sick of my neighbours 3 whining sausage dogs*

Once had experience of this - absolutely anti social yapping that would drive anybody demented.

Next door to my parents have yappy sausage dogs. Irritating as fuck!!

One single bark from my dogs and they’re brought inside. Nothing worse than a dog barking continuously. Thankfully I have greyhounds and they’re not barky by nature.

Contact environmental health

Just drafted this up, does it sound too arsey? Happy for any suggestions on how to tweak it. I would like to be polite but cover the frustrations of the issue:

Dear neighbour

I would be very grateful if you could please be considerate towards your neighbours and not allow your dogs to continuously bark in the garden multiple times throughout the day. This is incredibly loud to hear with all windows and doors shut and is extremely frustrating not be able to relax in your own home as well as work in your home (the noise has been commented on by colleagues on video calls) which is essential due to the current circumstances. I would be grateful if you could take responsibility for your dogs as this is currently causing a noise nuisance in the neighbourhood. We wish to direct this to you first and hopefully you can understand the issues this is causing and it can be rectified without needing to take any further steps.

Kind regards

Very polite! Much more than I'd be!

Yes it sounds fine to me

I think that's a really good letter.
We have the same problem - dog next door left barking out in the garden and house across the road from us has two dogs. We've tried speaking to them and they just shrug and say 'what can we do?'. One time my neighbour even said it's the dog's job to bark! What drives me even crazier is when I've gone to speak to them I can't be heard over the dogs barking - they don't even have the civility to quieten the dog while I am trying to speak.
I stick headphones on when it gets too much. It really gets me and my partner down and, like you, it distracts me from my work when working from home.
It's even worse in summer as the dogs are basically just abandoned in the garden dawn till dusk. It's depressing, as you can't sit in the garden and enjoy some peace without listening to their din.
I'm going to try that high pitched noise thing people have mentioned.
I feel for you, as it must be so much worse being pregnant and thinking about the future. I agree with others that a letter first is a good move then report to council if it doesn't work as you don't want to be facing all that with a new baby

If my dog barks more than once he’s back in, the house (it’s mostly at a cat that sits on our shed to terrorise him🤣) I don’t let him out in the garden all day everyday either, he goes on a big walk and then sleeps all day

Look forward to your note op lol.

On a serious note, I hate it when my dogs start barking. I try and bring them in a soon as they start.

Really had enough this morning I've gone round and politely asked if they can control the level of barking and it went down like a lead balloon. They were both at the door aggressively telling me that they are dogs that what they do and that I must be the problem and denied that they are left out to bark in the garden. They asked me if I would like to come in and train them and I said no that's that's not my responsibility and she slammed the door in my face. I'm incredibly shaken up by this. They are the most ignorant family I have came across. She was going off it telling me I am the problem because I asked the son to keep the blasting music down in the garden at night a few weeks ago. It was like a scene from eastenders.

I'm so sorry you have to put up with lying skanks like these. Pity the dogs don't attack them which would solve both problems.

I can only suggest council involvement. I really sympathise.

I regret going round now as they were awful and I was going to wait until I could type up the note and print it but it honestly just got too much, I feel utterly miserable in my own home. The fact she said it must be me that's the problem because I also asked her son if he would mind turning his music down in the garden late at night (this wasn't a one off it had been ongoing for about 4 nights in a row at this point) shows their lack of understanding rather than thinking maybe they need to be considerate of others. I don't think there's any reasoning with these types of people. Reporting to the council will spite me also as it will go down on my record and affect when we sell so I feel a bit trapped as to what to do next.

It escalated like this in the case I mentioned above. The housing association got involved after abuse was hurled (Not to me, another neighbour complained too). It was taken pretty seriously. Any chance they might be renting? I went to the Housing association direct. Sorry you have to deal with this.

And police were involved in my case too. Due to threatening nature of the outbursts

so sorry OP. I know how horrible these exchanges make you feel - I was the same after I spoke to my neighbours.
You could still send that letter - maybe when they have calmed down and feel a bit less defensive they will see where you are coming from more? You could maybe put in a line about wanting to stay good neighbours (even though they sound dreadful) - it might just make them think and be less 'on the attack'.
I wear noise cancelling headphones a lot. I know it's not a solution, and is 'giving in' to them in a way but it saves my sanity sometimes.
Hope you do something nice for yourself tonight and feel a bit better

@happygolurkey thank you so much for being so kind and to everyone else aswell. It's made me feel a bit better to be able to rant here and have people who have been in similar situations understand. I did mention when I went round that I didn't wish to cause any problems but it didn't make any difference.

I'm pretty sure they own their house aswell @notavegan

Just came on to sympathise with you. We've had various issues with neighbours over the years. Closest one had 2 dogs when we moved in that barked all the time. They got rid of them both a while after and we thought "great, we'll get some peace now". About a month later they got another one. From day one it barked and barked. One day while out in the garden the dog was barking and I could hear knocking on their kitchen window every time it stopped. They were winding it up deliberately. I was so pissed off I stood on a garden chair and looked over their wall. I saw the woman sat their knocking on the window. She didn't see me at first but when she did I shouted "shut that fucking dog up". She looked so shocked. It has been a lot better since then. Only barks occasionally.

I know you said you don't want to report them to the council but it might be the only way to resolve this. We had a different issue with another neighbour that we had to report and it worked a treat. They shut up the day we received a copy of the letter the council sent them. I really do feel for you. It can drive you demented.

Don't worry about future sale of your house - you can't live with this and no one sane would buy anyway. ( I turned down a lot of houses due to nearby barking dogs, the council noise officer was surprised at that when the fuckers up the road started with theirs) I also find that screaming abuse does the trick for others. Your neighbours are obviously grade a skanks, but there are plenty of apparently normal people who don't get that their pointless animal is really irritating others.

Start the council process and make it clear that you have been threatened.

Ugh they sound vile!!!
I took in a rescue dog and contacted all my immediate neighbours to pre-emptively apologise for any noise from him!
I've worked my arse off training him, he may have a brief go at say workmen outside or window cleaners but generally he's sorted now, even used to the binmen! I dont tolerate incessant barking from him and it pisses me off when other dogs round here start as that used to set him off but not any more.
If i can train my dog so can they!
And people who leave dogs alone all day really make me mad !!!!
I agree to that device thing that people have mentioned, as long as it obviously goes off once dog stops barking.
Otherwise complaining to the council may be the best route.
They sound like twats so would ignore your lovely polite letter.

Be generous.Buy them a can of Pet Corrector spray to give with your note.

I can relate so much to the distress dog barking can cause. We have neighbours directly across from us who have a retriever. It has the loudest bark I've ever heard. They lock it out on the back garden and leave it to bark and bark and bark and bark until they eventually let it in the house. When they first moved in they let it out at 12am and then again at 2am and 5am. The anxiety is gave me (and still gives me) is unbearable.
I lodged a couple of complaints to the council and to be fair the problem has improved drastically.
Get these idiots reported - they are nothing but a nuisance.

I sympathise. We had one for years out the back that seemed to get let out around 1am and around 6am. Not heard it in a while though. Couldn't even locate the exact location to confront them.

My parents use to use a sprinkler. If they were making too much noise on purpose or at a stupid hour, my dad would put on the sprinklers and it would soak their hot tub. They soon learned.

@ThereOnceWasANote

Our neighbours did this and we bought a device that made a high pitched noise every time the dogs barked. The dogs hated the noise so over a period of time they stopped. Our neighbours also hatred the noise so they let them out less. Not good for our relationship with them, but I didn't care. The dog barking was endless and stopping my young kids from sleeping.

Hi

I have this problem too sadly. Would you mind posting the name of the high pitched device you had success with please? Much appreciated.

Sorry - it was a long time ago. They sell them on Amazon now for not much money.