Neighbour and dogs

[Disgruntledpelicanlady]

Just wanting perspective on whether we are being unreasonable in being unhappy with this.
Our neighbour has a lot of dogs. 4/5 I think. They also run a dog groomers from their house so have additional dogs coming and going throughout the day.
The noise is getting too much to handle. The barking is all day. Tonight they have gone out and all of the dogs have been barking for 2 hours+. I can hear them over the tv. DH works from home and is constantly interrupted on work calls by the barking. Other people who visit our house have commented on it. They have been known to leave one of the dogs outside over night with it barking and crying.
I don't want to fall out with our neighbour but it's all a bit much. We've had to message tonight and say it's not on and we can't sit and listen to it all night.
I don't want to be unfair because I'm sure we're not silent. We also have a dog and a newborn. It's a semi detached house so I'm sure they hear us too.
So as not to drip feed - this neighbour has previously complained about our dog. Saying she barks and cries when we are at work (before DH worked from home) and it makes them feel stressed and sad to listen to and suggesting we are not exercising our dog enough. In response to this I bought a Doggy cam and we can see her whenever we are out and record this and we have never seen this. The only noise we could see her making is barking for a minute or so when the post was delivered, barking at the window cleaner etc.

Were we unreasonable to message them this evening complaining?
And what would you do going forward?

Personally I'd be checking that they have permission to run a business like that from a residential semi. Seems unlikely, given the obvious and inevitable noise issues.

I'd also go down the route they already did by reporting it to the council as a noise / environmental concern issue. If they can complain about the noise made by your one dog, you're well within your rights to complain about their 5!

First step, let them know that the nuisance barking is not on.

That is, barking for long periods without break, barking outside certain hours (11pm to 7am probably or thereabouts)...

I would not mention their business, and I would not expect a resolution but.. the council will ask you if you've talked to them, this shows you have.

Then you can move forward with an actual noise complaint - if they are not meant to be running their business from home and it is contributing to the noise issue directly (ie its dogs coming in for grooming that are barking, rather than their own dogs) then theres a chance that will be stopped.

There is a chance they are permitted to run the business from home, many people do, as it shouldn't be noisey and it shouldn't increase traffic, or produce waste water/products outside the usual household stuff.. and those are generally the main concerns about home businesses.

If it is legit.. and it is clients dogs barking and that barking is not constant just.. annoying or its not clients dogs its just their dogs having the odd woof, like yours dogs only more frequently, and theres more of them.. there is likely not a lot you can do there, they are allowed to WFH just as you are.. homes are not really designed to be workplaces... they're not quiet.

I do suspect they can be warned however about the overnight barking, at the very least.