I'd like to stress that this isn't about the noise. Sometimes it's irritating, but not unmanageable. I know living in a terraced house comes with noise.
However, I wondered if I would be being unreasonable to approach my next door neighbour about their dogs. They have three. I work from home. I also home board dogs as a side business. So I do know that dogs bark and that's just how it is.
However, the reason I'm coming to ask is because these three howl and bark on and off ALL DAY. Literally for hours at a time sometimes. They're obviously distressed.
There are a couple of issues I see with approaching the neighbours about it:
- They know my landlord and they own their home. I'd rather not get any complaints. Particularly because I also board dogs and my landlord's condition for doing that was, if he gets any noise complaints I'll have to stop. But I am in all day to manage barking and do lots of walks/enrichment to minimise it.
- They're not that approachable. They come across as a little arrogant and entitled actually and I know they've had issues with some of our other neighbours in the past around parking (they park three huge vehicles on our narrow street - but that's for another thread entirely)
- I dont want to inadvertently sound accusatory - no one likes to be told they're essentially neglecting their dogs.
But sometimes they're out from 7am until 8pm. And then in the evening at the weekends sometimes too.
I'd report it to someone, but they'd likely know it was me as the neighbour on their other side is separated by a ginnel rather than an adjoining wall so likely can't hear it like I can.
What do I do?! WIBU to say something? And how would you approach it given the circumstances?