To report my neighbour's dog without speaking to them first?

[Applescruffle]

My neighbours bring their dog outside on a lead every single morning at 6:15am without fail. Even weekend and bank holidays. It barks from the minute they open their door, as they walk down their drive, undo their gates, walk down the street, bark bark bark bark. Every morning I hear it and then hear it fade away as they walk down the street. This is usually how I am woken up and how my day starts. Sometimes it's earlier, the other day it was 5:55am.
In addition to this, they bring it out the front on a lead at several intervals throughout the day, and quite often though the night too. It's never not barking when it's out. Recent examples are 1:30am, 4:10am, and 2:15am. It's so loud, it echos around the street. At these times, they often don't even walk it, they just stand at the end of their drive with it.
It pulls and pulls at the lead while barking, almost dragging them along the street. It seems to very clearly have no training whatsoever. They did have another dog (I posted about that one here too) but they couldn't handle it as it was too aggressive so they got rid of it and we all had a few months of peace thinking it was over, now they have this one and it's just as bad so clearly the issue is them.
Anyway, after the 1:30am incident our children have asked us to do something about it as it's waking them up and affecting their concentration at school. I was ready to go round and speak to them but my husband stopped me and said I should just report them to the council instead so they won't know who it is and can't cause any problems for us.
So I have submitted a full report to the local council, with dates, times and recordings.
I feel really guilty though because surely the neighbourly thing to do would have been to speak to them but maybe my husband is right and also surely anyone who is fine with letting their dog make all that racket in their front garden in the early hours of the morning is not a reasonable person and so is not going to respond reasonably?

They are walking their dog. What do you expect them to do? It's not like they sling it outside and leave it alone.

They are being unreasonable, is it the dog, or their lack of training it?

Train it?
Not let it bark outside in the front garden at 1:30am??

I think you might have moved into my old house. My ex neighbour's dog was the same, extremely reactive and untrained, pulled them off their feet and barked all the way down the street on it's multiple walks a day, starting at 6.40am. Drove me insane. No barking dogs in my new street thank god.
Honestly though I don't think anything will come of reporting to the council. They're not even interested in distressed dogs that are left to howl alone all day.

It will be interesting to hear your Council's response.

I think you may be informed that it is not a continual noise that they can't help, or because the dog is not in the garden for long periods of time that they cannot help or as the dog is not left in the home for long periods of time barking constantly that they cannot help.

Well given that their dog pulls them along the street while barking it's head off, they bring it outside to let it bark on a lead in the middle of the night, and they never let it out into their massive back garden, plus their last dog behaved in exactly the same way, I'd say it's them and their lack of training or any consderation.

I've been here ages but I wonder if you moved from nearby! It used to be 6:30 every day but now it's 6:15, sometimes earlier.

You do know that if you sell your house you'll have to let the new buyers know that you've reported your neighbours to the council for excess noise?

We rent

I spoke to them on the phone and described the issue in detail and they did say they can help if I send all the information by email but they may change their mind!!

The council won't do anything.

You are more likely to achieve a change by having a reasonable conversation with your neighbour.

Calmly explain the affect it's having on you and the family and ask if they can take steps to minimise this.

They sound awful OP. Don't worry about upsetting them. They clearly couldn't give two shiny shits about upsetting the entire street.

Our neighbour’s dog barks. It’s been reported numerous times. The dog warden comes out and they deny it’s their dog barking. Nothing changes.

Noise complaints for dogs are reviewed on 3 main points. It sounds like time and volume are covered, it will be a case of how long it goes on for. But if you can use the app to record it (if your council uses it, most do now) you might have a good case:

Factors taken into account in making this assessment include:

• The volume of the barking
• The duration of the barking
• The time of day in which the barking takes place

It's not acceptable. Most councils do investigate. I've been on the arse end of a complaint twice. Once was malicious and once (in a different county) a case of mistaken identity and the issue was next doors dog. Both times we still had it hanging it over us and the worry while diaries were collected, and investigators came out/recording devices installed.

Both times cleared after recording devices installed/investigators came out.

Ime shouting Shut That Bloody Ddog Up works wonders...

Meant to add out of your open window...

Even if the council do turn up and witness the barking what are they going to do?

Sorry but are you absolutely sure they have their dog on a lead in the garden at 1:30 and 2:15 in the morning and then walk it at 6:15am? That's madness. Are you imagning the barking because you're expecting it or have you seen them out there?

A family I know were court ordered to rehome their yappy ddog.. Persistant barking.. Neighbours complained. 1 set of neighbours.. I have 4 ddogs. They do not annoy people living in our area.

When it woke me up at 4:10am I thought it must be a fox or something because surely the fuck not, right?
but then when it woke me up the next night at 1:30am, I went to the window and sure enough, they were fucking around with it on a lead on their front lawn while it barked it's head off.
When it stopped I went back to bed but I couldn't get back to sleep straight away. As I was drifting off, it starts again, 2:15am. I went to the woindow and sure enough. Them and their mutt once more.
I spoke to another neighbour who confirmed the 4:10am incident was also them.

According to the website they can issue fines

Good. Hopefully rehomed to someone who knows how to properly train and keep them.

Bit of a dick move not to attempt to resolve with the neighbour directly and go straight to telling tales to the council! But you’ve done it now so not sure what to suggest 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyone who so clearly doesn't give a shit about waking the whole street up regularly is unlikely to be reasonable when you try and talk to them in my experience

Entitled people like that don't want to talk. They have no regard for their neighbours.. Or the ddog would be trained. Now op can't be made to feel in the wrong. Because you aren't op. Report every day..