I have just lost it at next doors noise

[SpeedbirdSquawker]

I am under a lot of stress at the moment and I've felt at breaking point.

I've lived next to my neighbour for three years now. She used to let the dog bark constantly. I mean it would be all day with barely a break and she thought nothing of going to sit upstairs and leaving it downstairs to bark. I had lots of words with her, notes through the door where she'd always be very apologetic, it would go quiet for a few days and then it would start up again. Then she got a new dog. It got to the point where the dogs were my daily soundtrack to my life. Their barking and howling interrupted online work meetings, I couldn't read and the barking would barely stop for more than ten minutes before it started up again. The dogs will even bark if she goes to the toilet.

I went to the council and when the neighbours received the letter from the council the noise stopped apart from the odd bark which I don't mind.

For around three months now the dogs have been left some weekends, one day for five hours. The dogs just bark non stop when they're left and both are very loud.

This morning I was sat, trying to get myself together (depression is shit), meditating as I've been told that can help, and one of the dogs started barking. It didn't shut up for around five minutes. To my shame, I lost it, shouted very loudly to shut the fuck up and banged on the wall multiple times. It's gone quiet now but I'm a fucking mad woman aren't I? I'm going to get in trouble for my temper.

Long overdue really

No you’re not a mad woman, you’re a woman under considerable stress.

No, not a mad woman at all. As someone who has lived in a flat with no sound insulation, I know how the noise can slowly eat away at you before it becomes all consuming and you lose it as soon as it starts.

@ssd I feel really sad. I'm a mad woman. I lost my rag completely. Not at the animals. They obviously haven't been cared for right but at the stupid owner. She's awful. She also sits in the garden, lights up a joint, despite me sitting there too often with my washing out to dry. The smell is awful.

I thought you would all agree that I'm a crazy person. Your loveliness has made me cry.

She was in the house as they have shut up now. She just doesn't give a shit. She can't be arsed training the dogs. She's happy for them to experience the separation anxiety at the level they do. She's a shit person.

Ah, don't worry. I'm the mad woman who on a sunny day, after the yappy little shit had barked non stop for days actually went outside and shouted to shut the the bloody dog up so other people could enjoy the weather. It went quiet. Have only needed to repeat once.

Not a madwoman at all. Time to log times, the effect on you and record the noise and start reporting to the council again.

Your neighbour’s an arsehole. They knew the dog they had was badly trained/bored/ etc and causing noise pollution and then bought another one.

I’m a dog lover but in this country the owners are entitled gobshites.

@Mabelface I don't understand how these people can be so selfish? I'm hoping the council might take the dogs away or at least fine her.

My pil are these people. They are excruciatingly selfish neighbours. Their next door neighbours hate their dogs (I know because I’m friendly with them as I know them socially), and their neighbours that share the wall are deaf, but they are elderly, infirm and deaf and won’t be living there much longer. Think my inlaws will get sharp shock when they get new neighbours who won’t put up with the constant, loud piercing shrieking yapping of their badly trained and indulged dogs.

Don’t even question yourself @SpeedbirdSquawker , you’re absolutely right to lose your temper and tell the woman to get a grip.

put in a complaint with the council and perhaps even go round to her - when and if you’re up to it - and tell her that your patience has now been exhausted and you won’t be tolerating all this noise anymore and she has to sort it out or rehome the dogs, or move. Enough is enough.

YANBU I have a dog and her barking drives me mad and we work hard to minimise it.

Ugh, it's just started up again. Not a days peace from these dogs.

You’re not a mad woman - you have a drug-addled neighbour who only cares about herself.

I’d keep pushing the complaint with the council regardless.

Well, if you're a mad woman then so am I. Years ago we had a neighbour with a Rottweiler. They would leave it outside all day while they were at work. It had a shelter to go in but it still barked constantly at everything. It drove us up the wall. They would put it out at 6am. Then it would start.

One night it started about 3am. Well, I lost it. I went round and banged on their front door. When he answered I gave him what for. Swear words and all. He called me all sorts.

The next day we rang the landlady of the house who just happened to be his girlfriend's mother. Told her everything. About an hour later he came round to apologise. Things did improve after that, but we cheered to ourselves when they all moved out a couple of years later.

Keep a diary of days and times it barks and keep complaining to the council. I feel your pain.

I hate dogs being left to bark. Mine is told immediately if he barks. I’ve taught them barking is not on. Shame next door doesn’t do the same.

I would report it as a noise nuisance and also report her about the dogs being neglected. An ex colleague of mine used to leave her dog to go to work and eventually it was taken off her.

I feel sad for you and sad for the dogs. I would have lost it a long time ago! It’s hard when you can’t get peace and quiet in your own home

It's a sound that is impossible to ignore. It must drive even the owners batty?

Crazy woman? Hell no. I’m amazed you didn’t do this before.

we had some complete and utter horrors move in below us - two couples and their maids - for a very long holiday (well they were there for about a year and didn’t seem to be working) and they played really loud music all hours of the day and night, 7 days a week. The council were called, wrote them a letter (naughty please shhhhhhhh) and CCed me in. So the men decided it was fine to try to scare me in the lift by scowling, leaning over me (so nothing you could say was exactly threatening).

Quick story - they didn’t shut up, council came around and told them to shut up. They then got a karaoke machine and didn’t stop ;oh it was awful) until I had had enough one day (up all night and was trying to study for an exam) and I screamed like a banshee at them them to shut the F up or get some effing singing lessons.

Definitely report again, I've been in the same place and listened to it for 2 years then I lost it and snapped and banged on the wall, and the owner had the cheek to start shouting at me through the wall. Reported it the same day and then she had to pay for the dog to be minded whenever she went out. If you've reported once and they breach it, the council can take it to the next level afaik and start fining. Definitely report, don't live like this.

No, the dogs deserve better owners.

It's so annoying, in our old house we had exactly the same 2 big dogs constantly barking yet hardly ever saw them get walked, just running around a small garden all day barking. We've now moved and unfortunately, it's the same on this street too! Next door have 3 little dogs that aren't too noisy but someone living over the road in a flat has a huge rottweiler type dog and they just leave it to bark all day occasionally shouting at it to shut up, which then sets next doors dogs off.

It just makes me wonder why on earth do people get dogs if they can't look after them properly!

I'm a fucking mad woman aren't I? I'm going to get in trouble for my temper.

No, long overdue for you to do that.

When we lived in our last house, the neighbours were twats. I lost my shit at them early one Sunday morning and if they had come out, I'd have more than likely wrapped the piece of 4x2 that was close to hand around their heads.