charli73 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 (edited) DOL I need some help! Bit of background first our GSD is 6, well trained and socialized but quite an anxious dog esp when the family leave to do groceries etc. She is with us inside whenever home and sleeps inside and doesn't make a sound while inside. Lived here all those 7 years, neighbors have dogs, we all get along well and they love our dog and have no problem with her. Our dog is walked twice a day, has treat balls, kongs, Aussie dog home alone and is we make sure she is very well looked after. 6 months ago I went back to work after having our 2nd child for 3 days a week and we started to get complaints from a neighbor down the road recently moved in who says our dog barks every day non stop. Letters in our letterbox first now council are involved who call me every week to say this lady is still complaining about her life being ruined by my dog. She doesn't work so she is home all the time. We have been very cooperative with council and have audio taped for weeks our dogs barks which is heard to be more alert than boredom and the complaining lady has written logs of when she barks but they don't match up with our audio, in other words she hears barking when our dog is asleep inside or not home but when council tells her this she says we have fiddled with the audio tapes to suit ourselves. We have a 14 month old and a 2 year old and I don't have time to ask how my husbands day is so I certainly don't have time to fiddle with computer files. This woman is still blaming us for having no respect for neighbors, our neighbors have written letters backing us up, however now she is threatening that council aren't doing enough and she is taking us to the Victorian ombudsman.. Now I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and how far was it or could it be taken? My biggest worry is that she will harm or poison our dog. I can't make her stop barking completely but this seems to be the only outcome that will please this woman.. This week has been particularly bad as our lovely friendly neighbor is baby sitting two other dogs so our dog is barking back but if course this lady says that's not any excuse for our dog to be barking more.. C'mon is she serious??? Edited September 27, 2013 by charli73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Sorry, can't advise on council/ neighbour, but can you have dog inside when you're at work? To minimise noise? Noticed lots of people seemed to do this in Canberra - lots of dog barking at me, looking thru windows, but much less noise on the street! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Is she crate trained? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerMax Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. I don't think this would help. If the neighbour 'hears' the dog barking when it can't possibly be barking or isn't even at home then it sounds like mental health issues. I'd bet that if the dog was debarked, she would still complain about it barking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Not sure about the hours you are working on those 3 days but leaving her inside might be the best. I do know a friend who has been through something similar and it all becomes quite stressful to manage. When the school hols are over, could you board her for 3 days and then ask if the woman's diary has continued to complain about your dog barking because then we know she's making it up or has the wrong dog? I had a neighbour that complained about my dog barking and I had just returned from a week away - asked her if she'd heard him and she said she had a couple of times in the last few days. She was very surprised to learn that he'd been in kennels at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Dog barking can be hard to pinpoint so she could be getting your dog confused with someone else's. Id go with the boarding for a few days and see what she says. Probably cheaper than getting the ombudsman involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Yeah board your dog and don't tell the lady then check what she says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. I don't think this would help. If the neighbour 'hears' the dog barking when it can't possibly be barking or isn't even at home then it sounds like mental health issues. I'd bet that if the dog was debarked, she would still complain about it barking. You're right, I took it that the dog was still barking alot, just not always when the neighbour was saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. Nope not a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Yeah board your dog and don't tell the lady then check what she says Yes we have had my sister look after our dog for the whole weekend on a couple of occasions and mysteriously the neighbour hasnt got a log book for those dates.. She even says our dog barks at times we have gone out and taken the dog for a walk and she says we have lied. Even council says she is a bit 'odd'. Husband is livid we have to spend $$ on boarding for our dog who HATES being separated from the pack when even a dated receipt isnt enough but an option at our cost. Hard to say if this woman will have a log for the dates though.. Im looking into a sliding dog door insert so she can go inside and come out when she needs to toilet. At least then she can bark inside some of the time. Also yes our dog is crate trained, that where she sleeps in the kitchen.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Please don't recommend debarking to a Victorian resident. The Nanny State has made it illegal, and the RSPCA VIC actually prosecuted a Victorian woman who took her dog to a NSW vet to be debarked. The boarding (choose the three days you are all out of the house) is an excellent idea. Council can finally convince her that she has the wrong dog with the boarding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckybecbec Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. Thats a bit extreme isnt it? What if its not the OPs dog being the issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I'd be seriously thinking of debarking. Thats a bit extreme isnt it? What if its not the OPs dog being the issue? What's extreme about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Its extreme because its a first time issue for my dog from one crazy neighbour who has been told by council the dog doesnt bark that much and that there are lots of other dogs it could be but seh has blinkers on and wont listen to the council anymore. If it were all our neighbours complaining it might be a different story..and she isnt a direct next door neighbour and she is complaining about my dog barking during the day not at night.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Please don't recommend debarking to a Victorian resident. The Nanny State has made it illegal, and the RSPCA VIC actually prosecuted a Victorian woman who took her dog to a NSW vet to be debarked. The boarding (choose the three days you are all out of the house) is an excellent idea. Council can finally convince her that she has the wrong dog with the boarding! having the dog boarded in a kennel or with family she doesnt believe the dog has been removed... even with audio were apparently putting the recorder in another location.. this is wht im dealing with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelsquest Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 If the council are saying the neighbour is a bit odd and agreeing that your dog is not causing problems, I don't see how VCAT could overrule them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Yeah I'd say if council tell VCAT the whole story and back you up, they will probably just tell her to deal with it. I'm sure they come across lots of weirdos. Sounds like a nutter. I'd probably keep the dog inside when you aren't there to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 That almost sounds like harassment, maybe some legal action against her might be in order... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 That almost sounds like harassment, maybe some legal action against her might be in order... Absolutely, I agree. You need a nice letter from a lawyer to this woman. She's being completely unreasonable. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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