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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour lets their dogs yap in the garden for hours every day

14 replies

redflowerbluethorns · 09/07/2022 21:03

My neighbour has two dogs that bark in the garden for hours on end every day. They are outside in the garden yapping from 6am until 8.30amish, when they go to work. They get home some time mid afternoon, and yapping resumes intermittently from about 4pm until about midnight. Nobody calls them in during this time.

I've tolerated this for years (the dogs have to be very old now, and they have always done it) but more recently it gets on my nerves because they're out there at stupid o'clock. I'm much more aware of the sound as I struggle with sensory overload.

We live in a small neighbourhood, everyone knows these people and everyone loves them, so if I were to say something it's likely all of my neighbours would them hate me. Most people have dogs and all of them bark a little bit (including mine, the difference is if she does it in the garden then I call her inside immediately - mostly she barks in response to the barking dog chorus, which is triggered in the evenings by these yappers) but these ones just take the biscuit.

RSPCA won't care because the dogs are looked after generally, they just have unsupervised garden access and bark all day. I do feel very sorry for the dogs to be that sensitive to the world around them, but the owners aren't phased by the barking.

YANBU - you should say something
YABU - ride it out like you have for several years and wear ear plugs all day

OP posts:
KangarooKenny · 09/07/2022 21:13

Barking at 6am is out of order, I’d be having a word about that

Badger1970 · 09/07/2022 21:17

Someone on our road has got a facking cockapoo and it barks from dawn til dusk..... and what amazes me is that one of them works from home so it must disturb them, let alone everyone else.

6am it started today. Woke me and our grandaughter up. I'm sick of it. I'll be hollering out of the window if it does it tomorrow.............

wouldyoulikefrieswithyourdrink · 09/07/2022 21:18

I would be reporting them selfish cunts

Caneparrot · 09/07/2022 21:19

I would think you lived on my street except ours is only one dog! Drives me bonkers and I am considering going and posting a note but feel there is no nice way of doing it/it will be taken the wrong way. I just want to make them aware it’s incredibly disturbing as they obviously don’t notice it! Drives my dog mad as well.

Rantypanties · 09/07/2022 21:19

I’m sat here in my living room, obviously all the doors/windows open and I’ve got yapping in stereo. Someone’s dog out the back is going and a neighbour who backs onto our drive has theirs barking at any movement. It’s starting to get annoying- I rarely hear any attempts to shush them and a couple of days ago the neighbours let their yapping dog out at 5.45am.

It’s not on in this weather. My dog is lying by my feet and rarely barks. If he does and doesn’t stop when I call him I bring him inside. I hate hearing dogs constantly barking.

redflowerbluethorns · 09/07/2022 21:19

6am I can just about cope with (luckily it doesn't wake DC up or I wouldn't be happy). I really struggle to go to sleep and barking at midnight is rubbish. Especially when it's hot and I need to leave the windows open.

OP posts:
Bmedics · 09/07/2022 21:24

Can you approach it from the position of your Health with them? If everyone likes them they must not be that bad. Maybe they’ll be reasonable. Some thing like ‘my health is worse lately and the dogs barking didn’t used to bother me but now they’re giving me right fit? Who knows, you might be suffering all this time and they’re just not aware and would do something different if they were.

Isaidnoalready · 09/07/2022 21:24

We have dog breeders not even a neighbour he is a neighbours neighbour but he has put the shed at the bottom of his garden away from his house and closer to ours bark bark bark yap yap yap sets the neighbours dogs off then my other neighbour got a yappy dog he does call it in but its more like huge amount of barking followed by shut up get in the house you fucking dog yells i mean he doesn't hurt his dogs but the yelling how is the yelling helping

redflowerbluethorns · 09/07/2022 21:24

I've considered posting a note but I feel like they'd know it was us, and I don't know if I want the animosity from every house nearby! Dogs bark and I don't have an issue with it, hearing them a few times a day is fine, or if they're playing in the garden and barking...I can see them outside now, they came outside about 20 minutes ago, and are stood on the spot barking. They stop every 5 minutes then restart. It goes through me!! I'd rather it was a big dog barking than a little shrieky bark, I can tolerate a bigger dog's bark (although still wouldn't appreciate it for hours).

OP posts:
MrsIronfoundersson · 09/07/2022 21:25

We had this years ago ... 6am on a Sunday so I shouted out the window 'please shut that dog up or I'll come round and do it'. Silence thereafter. How do dog owners not hear their yapping dogs?!
Ps we had dogs for a while (inherited old dogs) and if they barked, they were brought indoors.

redflowerbluethorns · 09/07/2022 21:26

Can you approach it from the position of your Health with them? If everyone likes them they must not be that bad. Maybe they’ll be reasonable. Some thing like ‘my health is worse lately and the dogs barking didn’t used to bother me but now they’re giving me right fit? Who knows, you might be suffering all this time and they’re just not aware and would do something different if they were.

This is a good idea. I suffer with chronic pain and on bad days those dogs barking constantly really tips me over the edge with the sensory overload (always worse if I'm having a bad day pain wise), really effects my mood and mental health.

OP posts:
Fulbe · 09/07/2022 21:49

YANBU but I wonder if it's worse for you if you're ill too? I had a severe illness a couple of years ago and our neighbour's creaking gate did my nut in because I was just stuck indoors. Since I've been better I haven't given it a second thought, even though it still creaks.

I think with the timings you could definitely say something as there is a legal limit on noise. You could contact Environmental Health for advice, this is likely something that comes up regularly for them.

I would suggest approaching with humility and warmth and suggest that they probably weren't aware but it's affecting your sleep at these times, is there any way they could keep the dogs in the house during normal sleeping hours? Also better if you make friends with them first.

redflowerbluethorns · 09/07/2022 22:20

YANBU but I wonder if it's worse for you if you're ill too? I had a severe illness a couple of years ago and our neighbour's creaking gate did my nut in because I was just stuck indoors. Since I've been better I haven't given it a second thought, even though it still creaks.

I've had chronic illnesses for years, it's since I've had children. Think there's so much noise coming from other areas of my life that I notice it even more than I used to.

OP posts:
Ownedbymycats · 10/07/2022 01:09

I live in a valley at least a quarter of a mile from my nearest neighbour but my neighbours' barking dogs actually answer each other like a chorus. Have you considered contacting your local council?

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