Dogs occasionally barking

[issy2165]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but our neighbours are going to put in a noise complaint about our two dogs they are old and we leave the back door open while we go to work so they can go for a wee as it's cruel for them to hold there bladder we work from 8-4 so not unsociable hours and they only bark if someone comes past the house so it's not constant. What can they legally do? They never bark at night and they are looked after better than the children! Help!!!

This won't be the best place to post this, maybe move to legal or chat?

they are looked after better than the children!

Would you leave your children alone all day between 8-4 with doors open for them to go outside at their own will? Probably not. I'm not suggesting you lock them indoors all day but they should have a dog walker or go to a doggie daycare.

Waiting for the next barking frenzy is nearly as bad as the resulting hours of bloody barking.

Your neighbours can get the council round, get you a warning, keep a noise diary and if you still refuse to do anything the dogs can be removed.

I am not, thank goodness, your neighbour, but i am currently in step 3 of this. Matters do seem to be improving. You've already had the first bit, a warning before action.

Get a dog walker, stay home or take them to daycare. Or as we say in this house, train it or shoot it.

Wow I wish I never asked now I'm disgusted in you people you are awful

People are not awful - they are entitled to an opinion. Keeping dogs without social contact from 8-4 will result in them barking at anything.

Including (in our next door neighbour's case) people nearby, people putting washing/bins out in their own garden, cats, birds, squirrels, a van reversing, someone sawing, anything they can see or hear that is out of the ordinary. It is all very well saying they are quiet when you are there, but obviously the neighbours have reached the end of their tether in the daytime when you are not there.

Legally, you can do nothing other than apologise for the noise, and try to put things in place where your noise is not inconveniencing others.

If there is a noise abatement notice given, then you have to find ways to stop it, perhaps try thinking of how to stop it getting that far.

(a long walk before you go to work, a dog walker taking them out at lunchtime - no access to the garden when no-one is in - your house insurance would be invalidated in any case if you left a door open every day!)

If you are at work, you can't know how much they are barking, surely.

We have problems with a barking dog although unfortunately, can't work out who owns it. It is really selfish! And I say that as a big dog lover!

Barking dogs are unhappy. If you don't give a stuff about the neighbours, are you bothered about the dog?

And if you are in the UK, the above process will happen because it is the law and applies to you too. So if you are bothered about the dog, take action as doing nothing can result in it being destroyed.

I've been waiting four years for what sounds like an old unhappy dog to die. It hasn't so I am also at the end of my tether.

YABU by leaving your dogs in the garden to bark. You probably don't notice the noice now but the noise your neighbours will be experiencing will be awful no doubt.

My neighbour has a dog that barks every time it goes into the garden, she only lets it out at set times, and not early in the morning, after 10am normally. Even though she is doing her best, it is still fairly annoying. I have a dog that I let out during the day whilst I'm out. My dog doesn't bark hardly ever, only if someone was literally breaking in or knocking on my front door. If I knew my dog was causing such noise to make my neighbours complain I would stop straight away.

No one has been unreasonable in their replies to you, but you seem very angry, why did you post if you wouldn't accept the feedback?

If they can't hold their bladder I would use some of my wages to get a dog walker half way thro the day ?

You leave your house completely unlocked for 8 hours whilst at work ?! there is nothing worse than the noise of a barking dog especially when you don't have one yourself , if your out all day then don't have a pet that needs more input id say , maybe a cat.

Your poor dogs :(
And neighbours.....

If you leave your house unlocked your house insurance will be invalidated.
You also run the risk of someone stealing the dogs.
If you are both out working, can't you afford a dog walker?

Can I ask what was so awful about my suggestion of paying a dogwalker or for them to go to a doggie daycare? You said they are looked after better than your children - I think that's bullshit. If you cannot afford proper care for your dogs you shouldn't have them. And that includes not leaving them alone for 8 hours a day. That's disgusting.

I have a dog. I pay for a dogwalker to come twice a day - once at lunch time and once a couple of hours later - three times a week, and at a doggie day care two days a week. My retires next door neighbour also has a key as she loves the dog and likes to come and keep him company whenever she can (but we don't factor this in as an expectation, it's just a bonus). We pay £60 a week to make sure that our dog is never on his own for more than 3 hours, because that's what responsible dog owners do. The same way I would pay for childcare.

I think you need to do something, OP as there has been a complaint. The suggestion of a dog walker seems a very sensible one. It seems that the dogs are barking much more than you realise when you're not there.

Can you leave something recording to see just how much they are barking while you're out?

You won't automatically be in trouble just because your dogs bark, it's normal dog behaviour. The line is when the barking is excessive and unreasonable.