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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to stick a snotty note through my neighbours door telling them to stop their dog barking incessantly?

30 replies

Olihan · 29/05/2010 21:44

The neighbour whose garden is opposite ours (over the road, can't see each other's houses but gardens run parallel, iyswim) have a newish dog. It's a collie of sorts and it's kept in the garden.

It barks ALL day and ALL evening from about 7am until 11pm. No one ever seems to go out there and do anything to stop it, in fact no one really seems to be in the house at all to even know it's doing it.

I have had enough now. I want to go and put a very arsey note through their door because they clearly don't care that it's doing it and are making no effort to train it.

Yes or no?

OP posts:
Sidge · 29/05/2010 21:48

Yes. It would drive me doolally.

I would word it along the lines of 'I am concerned that your dog is incessantly barking and this implies that he is unattended. I will be phoning the RSPCA to report your neglected dog so consider this forewarned.'

Or something to that effect!

HumphreyCobbler · 29/05/2010 21:49

I would try asking politely in person first.

SacharissaCripslock · 29/05/2010 21:50

Write a polite note and escalate to arsey if no joy after that. But don't start with an arsey one as a fall out with neighbours can be really unpleasant.

SirBoobAlot · 29/05/2010 21:50

How do you know its not a rescue dog and it has not settled in yet? YABU to put an arsey note through the door. Our dog took six months of us regularly trying to control it and going to puppy classes (he was two and failed them ) before he was anywhere near under control.

Alouiseg · 29/05/2010 21:51

Poor dog! I think the Rspca should be called.

LordVolAuVent · 29/05/2010 21:54

I wouldn't put a letter through, pissy or otherwise. You are right to be annoyed/concerned about the dog, but if they're not there, they may not know what's happening (the barking, I mean - obv they know they're leaving it!)

A letter is unlikely to go down well, especially if it's the first contact made (I speak from experience)and/or arsey and threatening, so you are unlikely to get the result you want. I'd try approaching them in person, try not to be confrontational and see what happens.

If you've tried that, you've got more of a reason to get your freak on if nothing changes.

roisin · 29/05/2010 21:55

I'd call round first, be polite and friendly, but point out your issues.

Sending a note is bound to create more tension IMO.

The same message delivered with a friendly face has far more chance of success.

Original poster
Olihan · 29/05/2010 21:58

It's a young dog from the once that I've seen it (being walked by a different neighbour, not the owner, incidentally).

There can't be any training going on with it. It just doesn't stop barking. Their garden runs along the pavement so every time a person/dog/horse walks by it goes nuts.

It also must be in some kind of pen because I can't see it running around in there. I feel really sorry for it but I'm going crazy listening to it all the time.

We have a 2yo dog who still barks at anyone going past the garden but I don;t leave her out there unattended and as soon as she starts barking I take her inside. I would not dream of leaving her out there and I'm expect any reasonable dog owner to do the same. It's basic sodding consideration.

OP posts:
Original poster
Olihan · 29/05/2010 22:03

May have to wait til the PMT have gone before I pay a face to face visit .

You are probably right, a friendly 'I don't know if you're aware....' might be better.

Ooooh, but I want to swear a LOT!

OP posts:
Wineonafridaynight · 29/05/2010 22:05

Could you query the neighbour you saw walking it about it? Maybe they can shed some light on why it is barking. i.e. is it a rescue dog, how are they with it, e.t.c...

fizzyme · 29/05/2010 22:09

Hi Olihan

Ive had the exact same problem with my neighbours dog. Whilst pregnant the little demon next door barked continuously every night, after a few weeks (getting big by this point) I banged on their door at 2 in the morning after being laid listening to it for 4 hours. - My neighbour had the cheek to tell me that it was keeping up her family too and that even after smacking the dog it wouldnt stop (clearly a caring owner). I complained to the council who wanted times and dates which was difficult when its ALL THE TIME. In the end my husband went round with an anti bark collar and told them to use it. Two weeks later they went on holiday and left the dog alone for a day and a half - so I called the RSPCA and that seems to do the trick.

They had the cheek to knock on my door today and inform me my baby was crying and to 'sort him out' and that they planned to report me to social services for letting him cry for 15 minutes!!!!!

  • By the way I have 2 large boisterous dogs myself and neither of mine bark - even when theyve sat and listend to that thing yap all day.
My advice is stay amicapble where possible but dont put up with it, it can very quickly get on top of you and effect your day to day life. - Id try the council route but be prepaired to lots of logging (and tape recordings too).
hormonesnomore · 29/05/2010 22:44

We had this problem too and you have my sympathy Olihan.

I initially phoned the RSPCA but they told me that as long as the dog had access to shelter, water & food while it was left in the garden, they couldn't take any action.

However, our local council was great - after one phone call they sent someone round to talk to the neighbour in a friendly giving-advice-how-to-look-after-your-dog way. They wrote to us to confirm a visit had been made and to let them know if there was any further trouble. No logging was needed, but the dog was squealing & barking in the background when I made the call to them so the person on the other end heard it clearly enough!

So far (a year on), no more trouble from the squealy hairy little shit dog

Original poster
Olihan · 29/05/2010 23:26

Right, I may phone the council and see what they say then if they can't do anything without lots of logs I'll knock and ask them to sort something out.

If they don't then I'll go down the official logging route.

Then next month when I get PMT I'll go with the stroppy note .

OP posts:
Vallhala · 29/05/2010 23:34

The council will definitely be more helpful than the RSPCA - trust me, the latter are useless. Your LA will approach it as a noise nuisance issue rather than an animal welfare one (sad, but true, poor dog), but can lean on the RSPCA if necessary, which is far more effective than you calling them.

However I'd suggest a friendly word first. As you're a dog-owner yourself, could you not 'bump into' the walker and have a chat, make a fuss of pooch, acting in a nice friendly manner, in order to find out more, such as what his accomodation is, what the neighbour's long term plans for his housing and welfare are etc, and drop in a comment that the barking is a bit of an issue? Perhaps say that a couple of other neighbours have moaned to you about it (not that you are complaining of course, being a dog owner, it doesn't fuss you!!).

At the very least, that way you might be able to arm yourself with sufficient information to press for action on welfare grounds as well as nuisance ones.

Original poster
Olihan · 30/05/2010 00:30

The guy who I saw walking it (only the once, mind) often goes past our house and stops to talk to our dog so I may ask him next time I see him.

I like the idea of mentioning other people too, their immediate neighbours must be going absolutely crazy, it's bad enough being separated by a verge - road - pavement distance. I don't know them to ask though.

OP posts:
PortiaNovmerriment · 30/05/2010 00:40

Collies are highly intelligent dogs who need a lot of simulation and interaction- not being left in a pen in the back yard. I would ring the RSPCA for advice as well as the council for the noise abatement aspect.

Ronaldinhio · 30/05/2010 00:56

or you could try the old fashioned method of slinging some meat over their garden fence....

Original poster
Olihan · 30/05/2010 01:21

LOL, Ronaldinho. I was tempted earlier. PMT 'n all

OP posts:
legaleagle21 · 30/05/2010 07:43

I think to be annoyed - in fact very annoyed but a letter through the door would not be a good first move.

It would defiantely be better to speak with them calmly face to face first.

In the street where I live there is a house on the corner that has 2 dogs that bark horribly everytime anyone walks round the corner. Scares the kids eveytime - leaving the baby in tears.

The house is not near enough to mine for me to hear the dogs from mine but I even feel like complaining to about just the irritation of having them bark when I walk out my street.

CwtchyBlueMama · 30/05/2010 07:54

We had new neighbours move in last August & they brought with them a mini zoo,the dog is quite big & has hoof hoof pounding bark iyswim.

He is left out all day & night & barks at a sparrow farting in the next village.

Our neighbours at the bottom of our garden went round to tell them about it & the wife answered the door,neighbour said 'Hi,i am xxxx,welcome to the neighbourhood,blah blah,about your dog barking...'

Well wife then took him in the house & said to her husband,'this is xxxx & he is here to complain about the dog'

They have dont nothing to control its barking & in fact have since bought another dog

Some people will take no notice of anything you say to them.

whiskyplease · 30/05/2010 08:43

Contact the Environmental Health Officer at your local council office. They will write to the offender and ask you to keep a note of when it barks and how often, which you send back after a week. They will even send a sealed tape recorder to collect further evidence. They really do have "teeth". I'm surprised to read the comments about RSPCA since I always understood that a barking dog is an unhappy dog.

hormonesnomore · 30/05/2010 20:46

Our neighbour's dog is a collie and was obviously distressed whiskyplease - it was left for hours at a time. Although it had toys, water & shelter (kids' playhouse) it didn't have what it clearly needed - company.

The RSPCA guy I spoke to admitted it was suffering from separation anxiety but that's apparently not classed by them as cruelty

ItsGrimUpNorth · 30/05/2010 21:00

That's because if it were classed as cruelty, I think many many many more dogs in the U.K. would be regarded as ill treated.

I won't get a dog even though dh and the dcs are constantly clamouring for one. I know the dog will be left alone in the house for many hours a day. How is this good for a dog?

And actually, if a baby was crying for 15 minutes, I'd be concerned too.

Meltedchocolates · 30/05/2010 21:03

People opposite have 2 noisy large dogs that constantly bark and me moving about in my room inside can trigger them off.

They bark on and off from about 7am - 10.30pm

It's just so draining having to listen to that all day long.

nickschick · 30/05/2010 21:06

We have had this problem for the last 3 years .