What is normal for dog barking? Should I submit my log to the council?

[Carlie97]

After almost a year of next doors dog barking every five or ten minutes, especially when the neighbours are home which is all the time really, I hesitantly submitted a complaint to the council. The council sent me a log to complete over two weeks and the neighbours were informed a complaint had been made.

Immediately following them receiving my complaint, I felt the neighbours made somewhat of an effort in making sure the dog shut up as soon as it barked. Still annoying at the dog barking so frequently but I was grateful they were shutting the dog up on the first bark or so.

That effort continued with the barking becoming less frequent and them shutting the dog up as soon as it started. The past few days however have been shit. Sunday, the dog barked fourteen times in the morning alone, including barking at me in my own garden without it being told off for barking at me or otherwise distracted. This morning was hell. The dog barked from around 8am and was every 20 mins or so until around midday, then started up this evening again until its last bark just twenty minutes ago.

The neighbours are telling the dog to be quiet when it starts but is this adequate training for the long term? I'm anxious it isn't. Is my life still going to be filled with barking every ten to twenty minutes each day, even if it is for one or two very loud barks (some go on for much longer). If I submit, theres a possibility I'll be sent sound recording equipment or perhaps an officer will come round to listen.

The dog is barking every minute or so now. It really gets to me so much. I can't afford to move.

They do. Once it’s established as a statutory noise nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act (can’t remember the date of the Act offhand) the council must issue a Noise Abatement Notice, which if it ignored can lead to fines, criminal conviction and ultimately, seizure of the dog to be humanely rehomed.

My neighbour has been allowing her fear aggressive dog to take over our lives for 2 years now, to the extent that I have to take one of my dogs out to the park to toilet her when the neighbour is home. My neighbour is about to get a fine as she hasn’t taken the warnings from the council seriously, and doesn’t realise it yet, because like a lot of people on this thread she doesn’t believe that the council can do anything about a dog barking.

OP, don’t let it drop with the Council, dog noise is one of the main examples given in any law, guidance etc about domestic noise nuisance. From experience, I’d second the pp’s advice on getting guidance about how to ensure the Council do their duty in enforcing noise nuisance issues.

@LaLoba

and as I said 'I would be very very very surprised if the Council takes the dog from them.'

so please let us know which local authority has actually done so, and when and the date of the Act.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/leafy-welsh-city-suburb-barking-33338505.amp

Not my council, but not far, and recently. My own case is about to go to a fine, as I mentioned earlier, and they have already formally and legally warned her that they have powers to remove her dog,
The Act was 1990, you can find references to it on gov.uk, which clearly sets out the obligations of the council and uses dog barking as one of its examples.

My neighbour follows a very similar pattern to OP’s: when she’s home the dog is running round the garden unsupervised, barking at everything. The fact that she occasionally calls it to stop while continuing to leave it unsupervised to continue has not prevented her from being investigated and established by the council as a noise nuisance. Now that they have committed that judgment to writing they are obligated to take action until she controls her dog.

There’s a lot of misinformation on this thread. As someone who’s had dogs for many years, it’s enlightening me as to the cause of the entitled behaviour of many dog owners who think the rest of us should have to deal with the inconvenience, and at times, misery of their badly behaved dogs. They just don’t believe there are any consequences, and therefore don’t care how badly their laziness affects others.

You also said that you were pretty sure that the Council do not have powers to remove a dog under any Environmental Protection Act.

That’s just wrong, and as I said above, explains why some dog owners are complacent to the point of belligerence when it comes to the nuisance they create for their neighbours. They believe there are no consequences to them, so sod everyone else.

OP your log is a bit like mine was (not just dogs barking but people slamming doors, shouting etc). Council accepted my log and recordings but then tried to get out of acting on the grounds that the noise was not unreasonable. Sanctum Consultants said I had a good case in law and advised me to threaten the Council with legal action (yes you can do that). Council acted and fast. Didn't cost me anything but the price of a stamp and a few quid for the advice from Sanctum.

Do not listen to any 'advice' from Council people who may make up rules like 'the dog has to bark for half an hour constantly in order to be a nuisance'. Such assertions are attempts by lazy Council persons to fob off members of the public. The law doesn't go into specifics like the length of time a dog has to bark to be a nuisance, but it does recognise that excessive and unreasonable noise is a nuisance and has health implications.

Re your remark about mediation: all Councils will try to 'mediate' first in that they advise the dog owner/noise maker what they can do to make things better. Then the owners get a warning before anything legal happens. If the owners do nothing and the Council thinks there is a case and is willing to take it to court, the legal stuff starts.

If the Council won't act on the basis of your noise log and a legal letter from you doesn't prompt them to act, you can either sue the Council or the noise maker for allowing a nuisance to persist. These cases don't usually get to court as the Council or the noise maker mysteriously find a solution before that happens. Good luck!

Incidentally, the courts take a dim view of noise nuisance suits where the complainant has not first tried to go the Council route. So you have to do that first, even if you know your Council is crap at dealing with noise makers or your Council tries to tell you that you do not have a case (ours did try that!). Some Councils are very good and proactive, others are rubbish.

Under Section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act, a council can serve an abatement notice for statutory nuisance (e.g., severe or prolonged barking). While this does not mean they remove the dog immediately, ignoring the notice can lead to court orders and subsequent confiscation of the dog by the courts.

Our dog seems to bark to alert us to things, sometimes that useful (postman and he seems to be able to detect my son's seizures and my migraines as hell follow us anxiously barking at us for an hour or so beforehand) other times less useful (a dog being walked past on the pavement outside, our neighbours home carers coming round) but when we're not in he seems to consider himself off duty, we put white noise on and leave him a treat and his cosy bed and he just rests. He also never barks at night (unless alerting a seizure or the neighbour has an ambulance in which are thankfully rare) it's not always anxiety.

I hate our dog barking at least as much as the neighbours do but we've tried behaviourists. Anti anxiety medication and moving house and ever since our older dog died he just can't seem to stop alerting

Get Alexa to play Big Dog Barking an hour before they get up and an hour after they go to bed. Teach by example

And...submit your log.

YABU. Dog barking is the most annoying sound. Just log everything and send to the council.

What i dont understand is the dog goes mad at around 11am every day without fail while one of them gets ready to go out, then he goes to do his shopping. It's a good ten minutes when that happens whilst he gets his coat and shoes on and leaves.

He also goes out at 9pm each evening. The dog doesnt make a sound then. What's going on? Do they keep the dog quiet at night because it's anti social to let it bark? If they can keep it quiet at night, surely they can through the daytime?

I could have written this about my neighbours except they have two of the noisy things and they also shout the dogs names incessantly. It’s horrendous and they are obviously moronic. They are ruining everyone’s peace and yet they would think they are the most well to do people around. I love dogs and a happy, healthy dog that knows its place would never go on and on barking at passers by. Please that let their dogs bark are anti social menaces. Sorry for your situation OP I think you should go full on with the complaint

This is really affecting my mental health. It's every single day all day and I can't escape from it or think about anything else because all I hear is the barking. If you dont have anything nice to say then fuck off.

I'm genuinely asking, do you lack relationships and other things to focus on?

Of course I do. The dog barks all day, everyday bloody day. It's affecting my life, which is why I'm asking for advice on here.

It's not all day though, it barks briefly several times a day and predictably around 11am when someone leaves the home. He doesn't bark at night over night? Got for a walk from 10.45-11.15 daily. You need to take some responsibility for how you manage your own life around your surroundings.

Do you wfh? These things didn't shed to be an issue when people went out to offices, so long as dogs didn't bark at night or wasn't an issue.

You can't change your neighbours, the dog will continue to exist. What CAN you change about yourself? What can YOU do to help yourself? Your mental health is yours to manage

I cannot go for a walk at that time because im trying to work. It's funny when people suggest things on here without thinking whether the person is able to do them. It is all day. The dog barked from morning today and the last time it barked was 10.20pm. The barks might be brief but its many times a day. The neighbours are antisocial twats who don't give a fuck. I know that because they used to shout at each other at gone 11pm every night before I complained. They still shout through the day at the dogs but you can't change people who are common as muck, eh?

People are allowed to make noise and exist nextdoor to you.

OP, you sound like you need help and the dog really isn’t the issue. Dogs bark, babies cry, children shout, workmen use tools. You need to move or accept that this is life and find a way to cope e.g. noise cancelling headphones. Do you have a carer or trusted adult to give support if it’s making you so upset you are thinking of hurting yourself? That’s not normal and I genuinely think you need help. What’s your plan if the council says there’s not enough noise for a complaint?

None of those things. The noisiest thing I do is have a shower and have the TV on at a very reasonable volume. This is because I'm a decent person.

@Carlie97 Are you in at home all day, every day?

Humans matter more than dogs. I so feel for anyone going through this.