Barking in evening from neighbours dogs

[ElTortilla]

I've spoken to my neighbour before about her dogs barking for prolonged periods. It then goes quiet for a few weeks and always starts up again. After some polite notes through her door and me actually knocking on to speak to her, it's never really been resolved. Dogs have massive anxiety being left.

Eventually I went to the council. It was destroying my mental health that everytime I sat down for a meal or opened a book or logged on to a meeting, the barking would start and wouldn't stop for upwards of an hour sometimes. Same if she went out. Barking constantly without dog stopping for breath. Could be a few hours. Could be 5 hours and longer. She once started a nightshift and the dog barked constantly without stopping all night. That was hellish.

I recently wrote off to the council again.

Now, the past few nights one of the dogs has been barking constantly from just before 9pm to just gone 10pm. That's my down time and my nerves can't take anymore. I really don't want this to be a regular thing, especially after a hard day at work.

I've emailed the council again. Can the council actually do anything?

I'm ashamed to say I also lost my rag and banged on the wall and shouted for her to shut the fuck up.

She has form for being in the house upstairs and leaving the dogs downstairs to bark however the past few nights I think she's been out of the house and left them.

This all sounds soul destroying. How about environmental health? Can you take recordings?

Sorry to hear you're going through this OP. Unfortunately I don't have any answers for you, but always wonder why people have animals, if they're prepared to go off and leave them, having been made aware by a neighbour that they suffer separation anxiety. It's so unfair on the poor dogs.

Thank you both for your replies.

Unfortunately she doesn't seem to care about them barking. So many times she's been upstairs and the dogs have been shut downstairs barking for hours. I get so tired of the noise. I'm hoping it won't be the same tonight and that environmental health at the council will act on my email. I dread going home.

Headphones

Keep reporting. I know of a family that were court ordered to rehome their small yappy fucker...
You are entitled to enjoyment of your home. We have ddogs and ndn often comment they never hear them. Decent owners don't inflict their life choice onto other people..

I can lt afford decent ones. The ones I have now I can still hear the dog over. I don't always want to listen to music and watch TV neither. Sometimes I want to read and enjoy life peacefully.

Oh that's interesting. I will keep reporting until she realises what an antisocial fucker she's being. She probably already realises actually. She just doesn't care.

Tonight barking is the same. Starting before 9pm and I expect (hope) for it to finish after 10pm. The barking does not stop during this time.

Do the council have to do something? I'm losing all hope. I ended up crying tonight. I work so, so hard. I want my home to be a place of sanctuary when I get home. I hate it here though.

My neighbour across the road was forced to rehome her dog due to the noise by our housing association

Is yours/hers rented

Can you go round and ask what's happening in that hour? Does it maybe need the radio on?

I really sympathise - must be horrible - and also for the dog - sounds like the poor dog has anxiety - some people should not have dogs! Needs rehoming in a happier environment

Here's hoping but then imagine living next door to someone after that had happened. It would be even more hellish them knowing it was me who ultimately caused their dogs to be rehomed?

I'm rented and I am not sure about her. I don't know how to find out.

I've been to speak to her so many times now and nothing ever changes for long. It might go quiet for a while but then starts up again. I'll just go the council route everytime now.

Yes, the council DO have to do something. I used to be a noise officer. Try and speak to someone and ask for your complaint to be fully investigated.

The dog definitely does have anxiety. She told me when I first moved in that unless she's got the dog sat on her knee, it barks and bark it did. So much when I first moved in.

When I've complained to her and the council it's gone quieter but then seems to start back up to a degree but not to the level and frequency it was before. I know that she has to go out sometimes but then I don't want to be hearing her dogs constantly for hours when she does go out. It's not my responsibility and the fact she got another dog when she had one with anxiety who obviously wasn't trained at all was such a dick move. It was a nightmare after she got the other dog. So much noise. That's when I complained to the council for the first time as talking to the neighbour didn't work for very long.

Oh, thats reassuring @Ilovegoldies. I will be phoning the housing officer who's dealt with my case before. He seemed OK when I phoned him a time after I had meeting after meeting disturbed by the barking.

Recordings of the dog barking should help prove the barking is extreme. I feel sorry for the poor dog. Good luck.

Hello @JoniBlue. I take lots of recordings, otherwise I know the neighbour will deny it when the environmental health officer contacts her.

Make sure that you tell the council officer that this constant barking makes you not want to go home, and that it has frequently reduced you to tears, as it's like constant torture. I would also be inclined to write to your MP if the council take too long to do something.

Failing that, could you consider moving if you're in rented accommodation OP?

I'd report her to the RSPCA too, if a dog has separation anxiety she shouldn't be leaving it alone to bark for hours, she shouldn't have animals.

Unfortunately as long as the dog is fed, has access to water and isn’t physically injured the RSPCA are unlikely to do anything.

There are plug ins she can buy for pet anxiety. Maybe suggest this? They are on Amazon.

The dog that's barking constantly is elderly now so they're unlikely to be able to change its ways. It's always been left to bark all its life with them. They didn't train it. Still, I am mighty unhappy about them swanning off somewhere for more than an hour in the evening, each evening til past 10pm.

I've had these issues with her and her dogs for three years now and I'm tired.