Barking dog saga

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WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

As you may have read in the rant thread, one of my next-door neighbors' dogs is barking incessantly when they are not at home. A few days ago the family left on vacation for a week. The dogs are still at home and a friend of theirs is taking care of the dogs. The Lab has been barking like mad.
I did not sleep well on Thursday or Friday because of my children falling out of bed, having nightmares, etc. On Friday, the day after my neighbors started vacation, the dogs were both left outside all day by her friend's daughter (she's 12). I was trying to get a nap when it was my 3 year old's nap time because I was exhausted. The Lab was barking right under her window and neither of us could sleep. In my dazed state, I called housing to complain. I wasn't thinking that I have my neighbor's number and she could call her friend to resolve the situation. She messaged me to ask if I had complained to housing because they called her. I told her I did, explained the situation, and of course she is pissed that I didn't call her first. I apologized and admitted I wasn't thinking straight, but my concern was that the dogs were both outside all day and the Lab had been barking for hours. Her friend put the dogs in the house around that time. But the Lab was still barking in the house once the friend left
Yesterday, the Lab was barking whenever someone walked on the sidewalk past our houses - which is almost constantly all day since we live on a main thoroughfare through the complex. Last night she started barking at 10pm and kept going for 90 minutes! We could her hear despite having the house closed up with the ac on. Their house is also closed with the ac running. There is only about 25 feet between our houses. If it wasn't for the fence dividing our yards and vertical blinds on the windows we could clearly see into their living room and kitchen from our living room. So it's not like we have a huge amount of property between us to help deaden the sound.
I can't do this for a week. I know I have to talk to them about this problem. I said something to her about a year or more ago about her dog barking. I did it in a joking way (I think Hershey and Denali miss you because they've both been barking since you guys left) and got told "so what". I don't give a shit about salvaging a friendship because we are friendly, but not friends. I don't like to have bad blood between neighbors, but I feel it's inevitable in this situation because she is the kind of person who automatically goes on the defensive. I had it out with her over telling me how to raise my kids and we ended up not speaking for the better part of 6 months because she was pissed at me for telling her I didn't appreciate her giving me unsolicited advice.
So what would you do?
 
Yoshimickster

Yoshimickster

From my experience dogs barking as much as you say is due to lack of attention or out of fear. Dogs are extremely social creatures, and need constant attention or else they will act out as such. I have neighbors myself who when they aren't home bark at anything that moves. Dogs need something or someone to keep them happy and content or else they never stop barking. If your neighbors are the only thing keeping the dogs from barking, it means that they aren't leaving them with people who give them the love and attention or support they need. It might be hard to convince them, but when they return maybe lay a small suggestion about hiring a dog sitter to keep the dog company if they go on vacation again so the dogs will have someone to keep them happy. You are right in not caring how they would feel, they are the ones being bad neighbors and even worse bad dog owners so be as strict as need be.
 
rac3r_x

rac3r_x

Wow, where do I begin? First of all your neighbors are idiots and have no business having a dog let alone dogs, if they'd just spend 30-60 minutes a day with them walking or playing the problem would probably stop. Unfortunately this is not the case and probably will not change in the future unless you suggest it to them and they actually listen. Next, everytime they start barking and it intrudes on your inner calm and peace go talk to them or call them, if it is after 10pm in most places you can register a noise complaint if things don't improve, I did those two things with the neighbors I had in the past when their dogs barked non-stop at night. I went next door and asked them to take the dogs inside and calm them down, then when it happened again I did the same thing and told them if it didn't stop I'd start registering a noise complaint because goddamnit I work and need some damn sleep, amazingly things settled down and it wasn't a problem anymore. There's no need you need to suffer because they can't see beyond their own selfish needs.
 
WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

Thanks guys for the advice. I don't like that they leave the dogs alone when they are on vacation, but the friend who is taking care of them lives just up the street from us (though I don't know exactly where). She comes twice a day from what I can tell to feed them and let them out. The last time they went away, one of the husband's co-workers stayed at the house with the dogs. So I don't want to say they are being abusive when I know the dogs are taken care of when the family is at home. It's not like we have much of a choice in housing either when it comes to the size of the home and yard.
When they come back from vacation I know we are going to have it out about this dog and I'm going to have to just not care when it comes down to her reaction.
 
Bowielee

Bowielee

When I've been out of town, my dog goes to a place where someone can actually watch him. Even if they do have someone checking on the dogs a few times a day, I'd consider it borderline abuse to leave them alone for that long. Jesus, I feel bad when I have to leave my dog alone for 8 hours, I would never leave him alone for a whole day with only a couple "bathroom breaks". If they want that sort of pet relationship, there are tons of cats out there that need good homes.
 
strawman

strawman

Use white noise generators (ocean/rainstorm/etc devices or MP3s, music, or leaving the TV or radio on) during times the dogs are likely to be barking. While it won't decrease the barking, it will make it significantly less noticeable.

Buy new shades for the windows. Consider ones that have air pockets. Most of the noise will be coming through the windows, and shades are an easy way to reduce that noise. Heavy curtains and drapes will also help. If you look around you can usually find heavy cloth on sale a few times a year, and if you aren't into sewing all you need are shears, some fabric glue or iron on basting, and no sewing is needed. Similarly, wall hangings can help absorb sound so any that makes it inside your house doesn't bounce around and seem louder than it is.

Plant bushes or shrubs between your house and the neighbors house. They, too, will help deaden the sound.

There are a lot of methods you can use to annoy the owner, but it's unlikely that you'll be able to resolve the problem diplomatically. They already know it's an issue, and they don't care. If you pester them with noise ordinances, they might comply with the strict legal requirements, but you actually need them to go further, and it's unlikely that they will. You could annoy them right back, but they've been living with this noise for months now, and have gotten used to it - anything you do isn't likely to have any significant effect.

Your time and effort are probably best spent trying to reduce how much noise makes it into your house, and increase the average noise level of your house so what external noise that makes it in is drowned out by noise you enjoy.

If you happen to have access to their home, though, I have a fantastic idea for controlling their main power breaker with a bark detector, so when the dog is barking they have no electricity...
 
Gared

Gared

You gotta let me in on this main power breaker bit. Not because I have neighbors with dogs or anything, but because it just sounds like useful knowledge to have.
 
WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

The problem with living in base housing is that we really can't alter the property (planting bushes or shrubs, change the blinds) and if we hang a lot of things on the walls it means more work for us when we move out. Everything has to be in the same condition when we move out as when we moved in. We get inspected twice before we leave to make sure and pay through the nose if it is not. Plus the walls are not exactly well built. I know many people who cannot hang their 32" LCD tvs on the walls because the brackets pull out.
Also, the dog only barks when they aren't home. If the electricity goes out and no one is there to see it, then is the electricity really out? ;)
 
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