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Fear of deadly rage over yapping keeps dog owners awake at night Rachel Olding

January 23, 2012

FEW Sydneysiders are unfamiliar with the incessant, high-pitched sound of a dog barking from a neighbouring yard.

While he has a face that could melt butter, Gizmo can make some serious noise.

''I'm constantly worried about my neighbours. They all have my phone number and I tell them to call me if he's ever bothering them,'' said Pippa Williams, who fits Gizmo with a citronella non-barking collar, walks him daily and gives him enrichment toys to minimise his barking.

Luckily Gizmo's neighbours in North Sydney are more understanding than those of another Maltese terrier, Lilly.

She was kidnapped from her north shore home recently and found drowned near the marina in Roseville, an atrocity her owner, father-of-two Tom Quan, believes was committed by an irate neighbour fed up with Lilly's barking. But more frightening was the vitriol it stirred around his Gordon neighbourhood.

''There are few things that send otherwise genteel, peace-loving suburban folk into a murderous rage more than the endless yapping of a little fluffball dog,'' read one comment in an article about Lilly's death in the local newspaper. ''No one minds the occasional woof-woof of a real dog because they at least know when to shut up.''

''Many a night I've been awake imagining ways to dispose of [our neighbour's yapping dog] and restore some peace to our lives. And I LOVE dogs,'' another said.

Lilly's death was just one of many incidents, from poisonings to stabbings, to hit dog owners in urban areas recently amid rising rage against yappy dogs.

Higher density living and the popularity of smaller breeds mean dog issues are the most frequent complaints to councils.

Kelpies and German shepherds were the most popular breeds in the '90s. City-friendly Maltese terriers are the most popular these days, a decade-long study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research found.

The percentage of people whose dog rarely or never shows bad behaviour has fallen from 84 per cent to 77 per cent.

Smaller dogs are not always louder but they are more reactive and owners tend to intervene later as they are deemed less frightening, said Sharon Birrell, a dog trainer with Bark Busters. They are also more likely to live in homes where neighbours are closer and more easily annoyed.

''We get a lot of calls out to townhouses,'' said Ms Birrell. ''I've had owners very scared that people will get violent or throw poison over the fence. It creates an enormous amount of anxiety.''

Mr Quan spent $500 on a dog whisperer, but it failed to quell the hatred. Ms Williams said she goes to great lengths to be considerate.

But there also needs to be more understanding, said Kersti Seksel, president of the Australian Companion Animal Council, who advocates better housing design to mitigate noise.

''We possibly have expectations of dogs that aren't realistic. They're animals and they're going to have emotions and feelings.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/fear-of-deadly-rage-over-yapping-keeps-dog-owners-awake-at-night-20120122-1qc2n.html#ixzz1kEIzEG68

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Oh dear.

And we have government rules that make de-barking a criminal offence.

Totally absurd.

Surgical modification of this dog's vocal chords, by an experienced veterinarian, could have prevented this tragedy. It is NOT a cruel procedure when done by a veterinarian and the dogs have excellent quality of life afterwards.

IT IS TIME for the government get rid of the ridiculous laws that surround de-barking.

Souff

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Oh dear.

And we have government rules that make de-barking a criminal offence.

Totally absurd.

Surgical modification of this dog's vocal chords, by an experienced veterinarian, could have prevented this tragedy. It is NOT a cruel procedure when done by a veterinarian and the dogs have excellent quality of life afterwards.

IT IS TIME for the government get rid of the ridiculous laws that surround de-barking.

Souff

Is de-barking illegal? Because I have a friend that is considering having her dog de-barked, she hasn't spoken to her vet yet. I'll have to pass on the info. :)

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Oh dear.

And we have government rules that make de-barking a criminal offence.

Totally absurd.

Surgical modification of this dog's vocal chords, by an experienced veterinarian, could have prevented this tragedy. It is NOT a cruel procedure when done by a veterinarian and the dogs have excellent quality of life afterwards.

IT IS TIME for the government get rid of the ridiculous laws that surround de-barking.

Souff

Is de-barking illegal? Because I have a friend that is considering having her dog de-barked, she hasn't spoken to her vet yet. I'll have to pass on the info. :)

In NSW its illegal unless you have a council nuisance order and a stat declaration signed by a JP

sense order

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In NSW its illegal unless you have a council nuisance order and a stat declaration signed by a JP

sense order

Ok. Sorry didn't click that its in NSW, my bad :o

Do you know if it is legal in VIC?

Edited by Ronda
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Guest lavendergirl

Fear of deadly rage over yapping keeps dog owners awake at night Rachel Olding

January 23, 2012

FEW Sydneysiders are unfamiliar with the incessant, high-pitched sound of a dog barking from a neighbouring yard.

While he has a face that could melt butter, Gizmo can make some serious noise.

''I'm constantly worried about my neighbours. They all have my phone number and I tell them to call me if he's ever bothering them,'' said Pippa Williams, who fits Gizmo with a citronella non-barking collar, walks him daily and gives him enrichment toys to minimise his barking.

Luckily Gizmo's neighbours in North Sydney are more understanding than those of another Maltese terrier, Lilly.

She was kidnapped from her north shore home recently and found drowned near the marina in Roseville, an atrocity her owner, father-of-two Tom Quan, believes was committed by an irate neighbour fed up with Lilly's barking. But more frightening was the vitriol it stirred around his Gordon neighbourhood.

''There are few things that send otherwise genteel, peace-loving suburban folk into a murderous rage more than the endless yapping of a little fluffball dog,'' read one comment in an article about Lilly's death in the local newspaper. ''No one minds the occasional woof-woof of a real dog because they at least know when to shut up.''

''Many a night I've been awake imagining ways to dispose of [our neighbour's yapping dog] and restore some peace to our lives. And I LOVE dogs,'' another said.

Lilly's death was just one of many incidents, from poisonings to stabbings, to hit dog owners in urban areas recently amid rising rage against yappy dogs.

Higher density living and the popularity of smaller breeds mean dog issues are the most frequent complaints to councils.

Kelpies and German shepherds were the most popular breeds in the '90s. City-friendly Maltese terriers are the most popular these days, a decade-long study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research found.

The percentage of people whose dog rarely or never shows bad behaviour has fallen from 84 per cent to 77 per cent.

Smaller dogs are not always louder but they are more reactive and owners tend to intervene later as they are deemed less frightening, said Sharon Birrell, a dog trainer with Bark Busters. They are also more likely to live in homes where neighbours are closer and more easily annoyed.

''We get a lot of calls out to townhouses,'' said Ms Birrell. ''I've had owners very scared that people will get violent or throw poison over the fence. It creates an enormous amount of anxiety.''

Mr Quan spent $500 on a dog whisperer, but it failed to quell the hatred. Ms Williams said she goes to great lengths to be considerate.

But there also needs to be more understanding, said Kersti Seksel, president of the Australian Companion Animal Council, who advocates better housing design to mitigate noise.

''We possibly have expectations of dogs that aren't realistic. They're animals and they're going to have emotions and feelings.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/fear-of-deadly-rage-over-yapping-keeps-dog-owners-awake-at-night-20120122-1qc2n.html#ixzz1kEIzEG68

I would like to know what the "dog whisperer" recommended for $500 which was apparently a failure.

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If more people kept their dogs inside, it would not be such a huge problem. If you put the dog inside and close all the doors and windows, it's less likely to find anything to bark at in the first place, and even if it does, the neighbours would barely hear it.

It's weird how Aussies insist on keeping dogs outside all the time. When we walk down the street with the dogs at night nearly every house has a dog that wakes up and starts barking at us. And we usually walk between 10 and 11 pm, which means most people are asleep. Must be annoying to get woken up by your dog every night, yet people keep putting them out.

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If more people kept their dogs inside, it would not be such a huge problem. If you put the dog inside and close all the doors and windows, it's less likely to find anything to bark at in the first place, and even if it does, the neighbours would barely hear it.

I think the owners and the dogs do like a little bit of fresh air. For years, we have seen bored little white fluffies and chis yapping from open windows and from balconies, with seemingly nobody at home to discipline and re-train the dogs.

Souff

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In NSW its illegal unless you have a council nuisance order and a stat declaration signed by a JP

Correct.

And do you have to do that to get your dog de-sexed, or to have any other parts operated on?

No, it is simply not necessary.

If you know that your dog is a nuisance to the neighbours, you should be able to simply make an appointment at the vets and get the problem fixed surgically and legally.

If you wont do this and keep the peace in the neighbourhood, THEN councils should step in and issue the order so you are then forced to have the op done legally by a veterinarian and let your neighbours get some respite from yapping dogs.

This dog might be alive today if the law allowed owners to make the choice without involving council first.

Souff

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I would like to know what the "dog whisperer" recommended for $500 which was apparently a failure.

+1 - and how many hours did the owner put in for training besides the cash?

The owners of yappy dogs are usually not at home when the yapping is happening. Training can be of some benefit, but is not a replacement for owners being there with the dog and this is not always possible

Souff

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It's weird how Aussies insist on keeping dogs outside all the time. When we walk down the street with the dogs at night nearly every house has a dog that wakes up and starts barking at us. And we usually walk between 10 and 11 pm, which means most people are asleep. Must be annoying to get woken up by your dog every night, yet people keep putting them out.

Neither of my dogs would be happy locked inside all day, especially my young working breed! They love the fresh air, the noises, the smells, the sun and even the rain.

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You can't even take a debarked dog outside your property in Victoria so I would guess that it is illegal there!!!

Debarking is something that I would not do as my circumstances are such that I don't have any close neighbours. I can afford to say I would use other methods in order to keep the dog quiet however I would rather see a dog debarked than PTS.

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Well written article, for a change. Managing dogs in high density situations where many dogs are left alone for 8 hours or more at a stretch is a big problem. Night barking, especially with a high pitched bark, is unfair to neighbours. I don't know where the numbers on 'bad behaviour' came from, but if 77% of dogs rarely misbehave, that leaves an awful lot of potential problems.

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Why can't a debarked dog be out in public? In case someone can't hear it coming? :confused:

I've only ever met one and besides how weird it was to see a dog silently 'barking' it was the happiest little fluffer. It didn't seem bothered by its own noiselessness.

I do think other things should be tried first and debarking left as a last resort but if it's a choice between that, murder or PTS, I'd rather have a silent dog.

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I think the debarking laws are the toughest in Vic aren't they? Debarked dg are not allowed in public or something daft? And they can be seized?

You need written permission from a vet, and they can only do that once all avenues have failed.

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What a tragic society we have become. No tolerance for anything really & hurting & killing peoples pets is despicable. What one person may considers a nuisance & keeps them awake may not bother another & that includes children playing, music & neighbours visitors.

I believe that one thing that causes the yappy dog problem is that dogs are not welcome in so many public places & areas. A dog that is used to being around strange people & lots going on is less likely to bark. Outside all the time & overnight is no good either.

Dogs should be fine alone for 8 hours once past puppy stage. They don't need baby sitters & sophisticated & expensive entertainment.

There never used to be all this hassle about dogs years ago. People didn't complain as much & call authorities to sort everything out either. Heartbreaking thing to happen to Lily :cry:

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