To let my dog bark for an extra half hour even though the neighbour was already annoyed

[Candlestand]

I have 2 dogs, DH usually takes them to work so Mon-Fri they're never here during the day. Due to a bit of excess faffing yesterday morning he forgot them. Normally he puts them in the dog box in the car and sorts out DD and they all head off to nursery then work but somehow yesterday he just forgot he hadn't already put them in the car and I got a text from DH to tell me the dogs were still in the garden. Fine. I'm up in my office, WFH, the back door is open as it was such a nice day, they can mooch in and out as they please and we'll just walk them tonight instead.
I work for the local authority and we've had a nasty incident occur with a safeguarding issue for a child and I was part of back to back meetings so I never even went down for a cup of tea. I'm then in a meeting that I have been volunteered as minute taker for and there are over 20 people in this meeting and that's when my neighbour starts banging on my door. Initially I ignore him thinking it's a delivery and I can't leave this meeting but he is now practically pounding my door down so I race to the other room to open the window to ask them to go away whatever it is and he starts swearing that the dogs are barking and its really annoying. I shout down that I'm sorry but I'm in a meeting and I will sort them out as soon as I'm out of it. I can see he's furious and he storms off still swearing but the meeting is still going on without me and I have to be in it. I'm now vaguely aware that my younger dog is barking because it's been brought to my attention but honestly I just hadn't noticed before because it had been such a busy morning so I don't know how long they had been barking for. I didn't want to disrupt the meeting by asking for a break because there was a lot going on in it and we were, I hoped, almost finished but it turned out we were still going half an hour later before the meeting actually finished and because I'm now aware of it I can hear the dog still barking on and off for that time.
The thing is, we have a big garden and they don't come in when called straight away because it becomes a game to them so although me being out in the garden with them stopped the barking it takes me over 5 minutes to get them to come into the house (which I knew it would and why I didn't want to stop in the middle of a very large meeting to chase around my garden for ages). I appreciate it must have been annoying and I could see my neighbours over our fence so when I could go get them I apologised properly and tried to explain that I couldn't leave the meeting to come and get them and they were furious with me and said I was ruining their day. They are retired and are always in their garden. My dog was actually barking at their dog who was sat with them and my little dog could smell him, the older one wasn't actually barking. I tried to explain that he was just excited by their dog and if they had taken their dog in, he would have stopped barking but this just made them angrier (I meant it to try and break the tension as a discussion rather than a criticism of them, though clearly I misjudged how to say that) as they said why shouldn't their dog be allowed outside when he's being well behaved. I apologised again and just got back to chasing the dogs into the house and went back to work.

I appreciate it was annoying but I'm not sure they needed to be quite so angry. It was the middle of the day, this never normally happens at all because the dogs are not here during the week and at the weekend we're both able to be much more atuned to them if one of them starts barking at another dog or a squirrel or something and it has never been an issue before. We live rurally so other than the house on the other side of our neighbours theres no one else to be upset by the barking.
WIBU to put work before my neighbours enjoyment of their garden for half an hour?

[CandyLeBonBon]

@Brefugee

Your work is very worthy and you are so very much more important than your retired neighbor who should just put up with your awful dogs.

Train them not to bark. But most of all train them to come immediately when you call. Is your garden the size of Windsor Great park* that while you were out of the meeting anyway you couldn't have just got the dogs in?


*other huge parks are availabke

FENTON!!!!! FENTOOOOOOONNNNNNN!!!!

[Brefugee]

Your work is very worthy and you are so very much more important than your retired neighbor who should just put up with your awful dogs.

Train them not to bark. But most of all train them to come immediately when you call. Is your garden the size of Windsor Great park* that while you were out of the meeting anyway you couldn't have just got the dogs in?


*other huge parks are availabke

[ShowUsTheMeaningOfHaste]

I think if it was a one off and the dogs aren't normally there or causing a nuisance, I as the neighbour would have just rolled my eyes but not come round and certainly wouldn't have been as angry as they were.

The dogs should have been inside if they bark and can't be supervised but you were in a meeting so unfortunately couldn't do anything straight away so whilst yes I guess it was your fault technically, it's just one of those things, sometimes you can't sort a problem out in that very moment. It doesn't sound like this is a reoccurring issue so I'd have just left it as the neighbour personally.

My NDNs dogs bark all the time when they are let out (they have 5!) But they always try and quieten them and they are honestly lovely neighbours in every other way which I've learnt to appreciate after having bloody terrible ones so I'd never say anything.

[Firstworddinosaur]

I know barking dogs can be annoying, we've got loads on my street. The dog warden has been called for persistent offenders. But this was a one off so not really a big deal.

[purplefixes]

YABVU. I like 2 doors away from a pig ignorant family who leave their 3 dogs to bark all day everyday and they never seem to leave the house so there is no relief. It's your choice to have dogs so control the damn things.

[CounsellorTroi]

[quote Candlestand]@Sirzy That's unfair. It wasn't at all that I couldn't be bothered, I could not leave that meeting. It's not a choice to work, I have to work and its not my choice to work from home.[/quote]
What if your neighbour was trying to work from home, even in a meeting himself? You were being selfish and unreasonable.

[Scrunchy95]

Learn from this and check the dogs are in the house before you start work.

[IWouldntBother]

@TedMullins

Is anyone concerned that “I’ve sorted it” sounds a bit like the dogs are......dead?

Or the neighbour?

[IWouldntBother]

Bloody hell, talk about dramatic! The dogs barked, the neighbours got angry and now she's apologised.
Some of the posters on here should be ashamed of themselves and should be put in a cage instead of the dogs, it was a one off.

[OrangeRug]

If it's a one off fair enough though, I'm sure you won't do it again after this!

[OrangeRug]

I think your neighbour shouldn't have sworn at you but YABU for letting your dogs bark. My neighbours regularly shut their dogs out in the garden and let them bark for half an hour+ so I know how torturous that can be to listen to.

[TedMullins]

Is anyone concerned that “I’ve sorted it” sounds a bit like the dogs are......dead?

[Pugdogmom]

Jeez, I really hope you haven't rehomed your dogs over a one off incident, because of some of the vitriolic posts on here. 😳.

[Pugdogmom]

I have 2 dogs and also have to attend important meetings, so I make sure my dogs are settled beforehand. I have trained my two not to bark at stuff, but occasionally they do though. Appreciate it was an accident and I do believe you both could have handled it better. See you have got it sorted now.

[dontdisturbmenow]

So there you go, neither of us is right or wrong
But most of your examples are unpreventable. Land need mowing, DIY is essential.

A dog barking can be prevented or at least reduced by taking them in. Motorbikes or cars rivving is selfish too and not necessary, but likely to be seconds rather than long minutes.

[mummabubs]

Just seen your last post. Glad you've "sorted it" OP. I agree with someone else that I think most of the reactions you're eliciting are due to the tone you took up with your neighbours and then your more recent posts on this thread. All feels a bit chaotic and dichotomous. No need to get rid of the dogs, just train them or adapt your own actions so that they aren't left to roam outside if you know they may bark and or won't come in when called (as your OP states you already knew!?) We all make mistakes in life but it's how we learn from them that counts and your replies are a bit... Extreme??

[mummabubs]

I'm both a dog owner and someone who is also involved in child/adult protection meetings... YABU. Sorry OP, but it really is both antisocial and irresponsible as an owner to knowingly let your dog annoy someone else like that. I know you've acknowledged that maybe your solution wasn't well-thought through but I almost literally face-palmed when I read that you'd advised them to put their (well-behaved) dog inside as a solution. If it were me, proper apology is due to your neighbours and additional training for your dog that barks. It's 100% a behaviour that can be reduced with the right support.

[Astella22]

I think as a once off yanbu, if it was happening everyday I could understand their level of anger.

[memberofthewedding]

As it was your DH who caused the problem by neglecting to take the dogs then I would send him round to the neighbours to explain this. At the same time he could forcefully make the point that he does not appreciate people being verbally abusive to his wife and advise them to be more conciliatory. Its often amazing how much more humble neighbours can be when confronted by a man/men.

[Peaplant20]

@Jaichangecentfoisdenom agree. My neighbour who is around 50-60 has had many a weekend sat revving in the driveway in his old classic car and it wakes me up as he does it at about 9am in the morning. That to me is more selfish (although who knows there’s two sides to every story maybe he has a good reason!) than what OP has done as she couldn’t help it and it was a one off, it wasn’t early morning weekend or late at night.

[Jaichangecentfoisdenom]

See, that's your own opinion, @WilsonMilson. I completely disagree, there is nothing more annoying for me than the sound of a drill, a kango-hammer, a motorbike revving, or a lawn-mower mowing for hours on end. So there you go, neither of us is right or wrong.

[WilsonMilson]

There is nothing more annoying than a barking dog. You are being very unreasonable and antisocial. My entire sympathy is with your neighbour.

[Memedru]

If someone came round my house banging on the door and swearing like you said because of a bit of barking, I would of left them out there all day!

[Jaichangecentfoisdenom]

Lawn mowing, children shrieking, bulldozers digging - equally annoying to me as dogs barking and goats and sheep bleating. One form of noise pollution is no better or worse than another.

[murbblurb]

Lawn mowing is something useful and constructive. A dog left to bark because the owner is too idle/ has gone out is just a selfish irritation.