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?

On the basis you were in such a serious meeting that you couldn't leave i was prepared to consider that you weren't being unreasonable in that one instance but reading your post in full I'm very much of the opinion that YABU.

1. As a matter of priority you need to train your dog to obey recall instantly
2. see a canine behaviourist to stop your dog barking

I know the latter isn't always easy but it is necessary. I've had a bark-prone dog in the past too so I understand.

While taking appropriate steps to modify your dogs behaviour you should apologise to your neighbour and then try and arrange for your dogs to get to know each other.

As others have said, badly handled on your part.

yabu!!! How do you know your neighbour wasn't also WFH and in an important meeting?

Why are you so important that your work trumped basic courtesy to your neighbours (leaving a barking dog outside is v rude).

All the waffle and justification doesn't change the fact that it's totally out of order to subject your neighbours to your dogs barking for ages.
I am saying that as someone who has two dogs - when they bark I bring them in!

No one should be expected to put up with listening, to dogs barking.

In case you haven't forgotten we are still in a pandemic and people have been forced to spend more time in their homes than usual. People are at breaking point and something like this can just push someone over the edge.

Your post screams of huge entitlement. If you want a lifestyle that includes pets you probably shouldn't ignore them and act as though you have a lifestyle where you can commit to work. Expect them to be noise logging from here on.

Dogs bark. But ywbu leaving them free to wander in the garden without checking in their welfare regularly.

I'm sure you could have requested a comfort break with no detriment to your meeting

@Candlestand

It's fine, I've sorted it

Oh god. Tomorrow we'll read about 2 dogs found with a note and suitcase.

How have you sorted it?

Gods I dont moan everytime my neighbours dogs bark. They do their best. And swearing at you is totally out of order. Where are your neighbours manners. Can nobody complain without effing and blinding now?

Why are so many posters ignoring the fact that this was ONCE? It's totally irrelevant if your neighbours have dogs that bark all day every day - this is a completely different situation.

Also, it says in the first post that the neighbours are retired, so all the "but what if they were in an important meeting too???" outrage is misplaced.

I wouldn't be angry with my neighbours for something annoying happening once, especially after they explained, and I don't think it's reasonable at all to infer that the OP is unforgivably self-centred, an irresponsible pet owner, or not able to do her job properly. Being rigid, unforgiving and quick to anger isn't a healthy way to live.

I am SO glad I don't have any neighbours, after years of living in close proximity to dog owners like you OP.

Your response is unreasonable, but my gosh it was a once off. I can assure you, pre-Covid I worked from home a couple of days a week and dogs barked then with their owners out at work.

You've apologised, don't worry about the wine. Just keep in mind next time the dogs are at home and you have a meeting, keep them inside with the doors closed.

Wow this has really triggered people, OP!

I don’t think you were being unreasonable, it was a one-off and it’s just a dog barking - so what? But then, I live in London with constant noise, which doesn’t bother me.

Your neighbours sound rude, banging on your door and then scowling at you.

@Grumblesigh

The only thing you should do differently is to never, ever post about a dog on Mumsnet.

On here, if your dog is not actively pulling a drowning child from a river, then they are a menace to society.

Haha yep!

I don't think you were unreasonable

But how can I fix it? There's no way to fix it is there. The damage has been done.

Give it a couple of days until things have calmed down, then go and chat to your neighbours. Explain what happened. Ask if the dog has disturbed them at other times. Then go into the kennel club bit in the pets section on MN (can't remember exact names) and ask for dog training help. Make the time to find a really good trainer. Find a way to calm down the barking. But do find a good trainer, not one who just shuts the dog up by whatever means necessary.

Work out a back up plan for what might happen if you or DH are unable to look after the dogs during the day. There are some good dog walkers and doggy day care places around.

Chalk this up as a mistake, that has highlighted the need to do some more work with your dogs. We all make mistakes, fortunately this one can be fixed.

Whilst I understand your neighbours' annoyance at the noise, I don't think you're being as unreasonable as some posters on here suggest. People are often told on threads about neighbourhood noise that some noise is to be expected - and I don't think it matters whether that noise is from children, cars, DIY or dogs. Your neighbours could do a lot worse - constant screaming children or motorbike tinkerers (we've had neighbours with both these) or dogs left out every day / night to yap and yowl.

And, fwiw, I think the neighbours are rude to be so unpleasant about a one-off.

Yea your neighbours are precious.
It was an hour.

I have a dog on one side of me that barks alllll day and night.
On the other side,children and a small baby that scream allll day and night.
It happens.

Living creatures make noise.

We all have to coexist, unless you move to the middle of nowhere with no neighbours..although I do know someone who did that but now listens to foxes screaming for half the night. That's life.

I dont think yabu and I'm someone who can't stand barking dogs at all. If it was a one off, your neighbours are being unreasonable and should get over themselves!

As for pounding on your door that's appalling. I would be having words about that!

If you'd gone to work and the dogs had been left out they have had to put up with it....

yabu!!! How do you know your neighbour wasn't also WFH and in an important meeting?

Neighbours are retired and spend the day in the garden/house.

As for pounding on your door that's appalling. I would be having words about that!
Yes,how very rude and uncouth.

As for pounding on your door that's appalling. I would be having words about that!

They only did that because OP totally ignored them

I don't think people are ignoring the fact that this was a 'one off' occurrence. I think they don't believe it. It's highly unlikely that most people would be so angry about a single barking episode. Much more likely is that either it had been going on for a long time, or it's more regular than the op is saying.

@Candlestand

It's fine, I've sorted it

My neighbours both have dogs, they very rarely bark so I can't say how annoying it would be to have to listen to constant barking but I think the reason you're getting a hard time is more of your response, both to your neighbours and to posters here, then the issue of the dogs barking. The comment above sounds incredibly immature, like you've spat the dummy and got rid of your dogs more to prove a point than doing what is best for them. People make mistakes, if this is the first problem you've had with the dogs and you've now got rid of them due to comments on an Internet forum im actually speechless. I really hope I've interpreted the above statement wrongly

Oh dear god the dog haters are out in force.

Your dogs barking for part of a morning has NOT ruined the next door neighbours day unless they LET it ruin it.

Its unfortunate, its a one off and you can ensure it doesn't happen again.

You've identified your dogs now think that 'come in' means 'piss about so the humans chase you round the garden' so you need to work on that - it isn't particularly difficult, teach a new recall from garden cue, prevent them ignoring that cue by either using long lines to enforce it OR don't use the cue if it will be ignored, until the cue is habit.

Lob the neighbours a bottle of wine and apologise, and move on - tbh im far more concerned that your OH could forget whether the dogs are loaded in the vehicle or not - if he can do that with them in the garden he can do it with them in the vehicle and thats dangerous.