What Is Wrong With People?

[Loving my Oldies]

A little dog has been barking non-stop for over two hours. She and her sister (Maltese Crosses) are owned by people who don't believe in having dogs in the house ... AT ALL, so I have been told. The dogs are occasionally walked and are basically just your nice average dogs. But they sure don't have much of a life.

I don't want to cast aspersions, so I hopped in the car and drove around the block to check their house. Plenty of lights on, two of their cars are parked out the front, so someone must be home. Are they deaf, or don't they care? I guess it's the latter

I first became aware of these dogs a few years ago: I actually went outside one day to call Tamar to stop barking only to see her snuggled and quiet on the lounge. It took me a while to work out where the barking was coming from.

The household consists of parents, two adult children and the 3-4 year old daughter of the daughter, so no shortage of people who could take these little dogs for a whizz around the block.

If someone told me my dogs were barking non-stop, I would be mortified, yet, I once asked the young woman which of her dogs was the barker? Deliberately of course. Could have wasted my breath. She wasn't sure . . . . . . . .

[Staffyluv]

I have been living next door to a guy with two dogs who both bark day and night for hours on end (purebred hunting/retrieving breeds) since 1997. He got the older dog about 10 years ago and the younger one about 6 years ago.. They live in an enclosure out in the back yard and only get let out occasionally. He has taken them hunting (for deer) twice in their lives - he doesn't take them because they aren't any good at it..

Over the years I have thrown them toys - they have no idea what to do with them..

When they do get into the backyard, they run around and around the outside perimeter with their heads down.. It reminds me of the bears or tigers in the zoo who pace back and forward in their cages..

They are nice dogs - he is just an as*hole owner.. As much as it annoys me (and yes, we have reported him a few of times over the years), it isn't the dogs fault they bark..

Now over the back we have an adorable little fluff ball who is always in the back yard and they come out to yell at her a dozen times a day to shut up.. This angel will freeze come winter (in Canberra) and she is still very much a baby..

Makes me want to lock them in the back yard..

[Loving my Oldies]

Oh, Staffyluv - that is worse than my rant. Poor poor dogs. At least "my" little dogs have each other and they have the run of the back yard, although I've no idea how big that is.

[Staffyluv]

I dare say it is in every suburb..

My dogs have run of the house/yard - they have a dog door to come and go.

I do realise that some people prefer not to have their dogs inside - but what I don't understand are those people who get a dog, put it in the back yard and never have anything to do with it again...

It breaks my heart to hear the two next door when we have fireworks or a decent storm.. They are terrified..

Don't get me wrong, they have food, shelter and each other (thankfully).. So technically they are looked after.

They do have good kennels, they are well built in their tiny yard.

It just seems so pointless to have a dog and never do anything with it, other than feed it.

The little one over the back just breaks my heart - I have had a couple of sneak peaks over the fence and she is so tiny..

I am surprised that Jess (the old BC behind us, next door to the pup) hasn't dug under the fence to the pup - her and Zig regularly dug through to each other (until I built the chicken coops and vege gardens on the fence, so they couldn't)..

[Dame Aussie]

We have lots of dogs around here who are never taken out and seem to just be outside and ignored constantly

[denali]

We have lots of dogs around here who are never taken out and seem to just be outside and ignored constantly

Same

Our neighbours dog was one of them.

I even offered to take him walking with mine and they said no

However, i did feed him whenever they went away and took him for plenty of walks.

AMAZINGLY, he was so well behaved.

The other thing is the he is a labradoodle, they got him clipped once a year which consisted of a 10 all over

Theyve moved to canberra now, and i sometimes wonder how he is.

ETA: S and G

Edited April 25, 2014 by denali

[LisaCC]

I don't know where this dog lives, as it's just close enough to be annoying but far enough away that I can't pin point the barking. I think it's coming from the other side of the park behind my place.

But there is a small "yappy" dog by the sound of it that is almost constant in it's barking. One small "yip" every 6 seconds (I counted). It comes and goes but at it's worst it went on for TWO WEEKS straight. Day and Night. Surely it's owners were there? Surely the neighbours would of complained if I can hear it!!

I don't know how people can let this continue.

Back at my Mum's house, the then new next door neighbours bought home a kelpie pup. From about 5 months old to 18 months it barked all day from when the father left 6am to when they fed it at night around 5pm.

Worse thing is… the woman was a stay at him mother so was there when it barked and never did a thing!

When everyone was home in the afternoon you would hear the father tell the kids to go play with the dog so it would be quiet. They never would.

They didn't even walk the poor thing. After our Lab died, Mum offered to walk their dog as she walks 2 hours every day and they said no.

They finally got enough council notices that they put an electric barking collar on it.

Edited April 25, 2014 by LisaCC

[RiverStar-Aura]

See, I don't have an issue with dogs being in the backyard, but I do question people who let their dogs bark and bark and bark. If you noticed that someone was home, did you stop and knock on their door to ask why they're leaving their dog bark so much?

I live across the road from people like this. I've never seen the dog and I think it get left inside all day and all night with very little human interaction. It barks non stop some nights so I've actually banged on their door around midnight and told them to shut their dog up. If neighbours can hear the dog, odds are the owners can too and how it's not annoying to them is beyond me.

[Rosetta]

I don't know where this dog lives, as it's just close enough to be annoying but far enough away that I can't pin point the barking. I think it's coming from the other side of the park behind my place.

But there is a small "yappy" dog by the sound of it that is almost constant in it's barking. One small "yip" every 6 seconds (I counted). It comes and goes but at it's worst it went on for TWO WEEKS straight. Day and Night. Surely it's owners were there? Surely the neighbours would of complained if I can hear it!!

I don't know how people can let this continue.

Back at my Mum's house, the then new next door neighbours bought home a kelpie pup. From about 5 months old to 18 months it barked all day from when the father left 6am to when they fed it at night around 5pm.

Worse thing is… the woman was a stay at him mother so was there when it barked and never did a thing!

When everyone was home in the afternoon you would hear the father tell the kids to go play with the dog so it would be quiet. They never would.

They didn't even walk the poor thing. After our Lab died, Mum offered to walk their dog as she walks 2 hours every day and they said no.

They finally got enough council notices that they put an electric barking collar on it.

Oh how I loath people who jump straight into this "solution" without trying even the most simple measures to address the problem causing the barking. Sometimes it can be as simple as bringing the dog inside - even to a laundry room at night time or for a few hours a day.

People are such arses really I think I would have to say something if a pup was left outside to freeze at night though.

[aussielover]

My next door neighbours dogs are also pretty yappy. I think they are maltese cross. I've never seen them taken out for a walk, but they are generally quiet during the night which is good.

I understand that dogs bark, and my own dog warning barks when someone comes to the house, but she doesn't bark at every little thing and her warnings last less than 1 minute. These little dogs will go on for 15-30 minutes or so, which I guess isn't really that bad and its usually during reasonable hours. They have a very high pitched yap though which really grates on my nerves.

[HazyWal]

It's a question I ask at least once a day

[keetamouse]

I had an issue some months back and stuck this note on their gate and not the next day but the one after I have not heard the dog since, I am assuming they sent the dog somewhere else, the other neighbours complained to me about it and I asked if they had approached the owners and of course they hadn't, BUT, the funniest thing is one lady said it looked like a Pitt Bull , had no water and no shade, when I went to check it out it was a Kelpie , there was a big shaded tree in the very small courtyard, but a big bucket of water in the shade, the poor dog was going nuts his mate was in side as mentioned in my letter.

"I am writing this in good faith in letting you know that your Kelpie is barking 90% of the day, I can see that you have one dog inside obviously recuperating from surgery hence the Elizabethan collar on the dog, this is probably the reason the kelpie is barking as his playmate is inside, this has been going on for well over 3 weeks now.

Yesterday he barked non stop although would break in between 3 barks then a break for 3 seconds than bark 3 times again, this went on for 3 hours non stop, I was out for a couple of hours came home around 2pm and he was quiet for a while I would say because he was exhausted and then started again around 4pm then started until you, I take it came home.

I am down the alley way at the back of the units and can hear him that far, I do not want to make any trouble I would just like to see if we can help with minimising his barking by suggesting some things that may keep him occupied for at least some of the time he is outside, he is obviously bored and needs things to do while his mate is inside. Being a Kelpie he would be quite stressed as well being in a confined space all day and his mate inside.

I do understand it may be difficult for you as they obviously need to be separated while you are not at home but I would like to help keep the peace in this area, I want to avoid barking issues with neighbours as it can become very unpleasant and to avoid conflicts between neighbours I feel I can help to find a solution.

I am more than happy to try and help with the problem and minimise the barking and stress that your boy is under.

Please feel free to call me and we can have a chat"

Maree

CPR

[Steph M]

I'm having a similar issue but it sounds like a LOT of little dogs howling every few hours. Maybe 4-5 minimum? They bark and natter through the day but the howling gets me. I can't pinpoint where they live either, but it sounds like they're all together and fairly miserable.

I worry some.idiot has a breeding set up at worst, at best a backyard full of sad little dogs. It isn't an area known for its doggy welfare, the dipshit across the road still has her nasty, balding terrier out to hassle the neighbourhood and attack my car if I try to honk him off the road, and another up the street exactly the same as StaffyLuv's neighnours , two pointers in cages in a.muddy yard who spend all day whining and barking. You can see them through the gate and they go at each other and the cages when anyone walks past, its very sad.

Both have been reported to council and nothing done, as usual.

[hankdog]

Nice letter Marie, these things are hard to put correctly aren't they. I always try going straight to owners although that

can backfire. My now moved neighbours had a cattle dog with a a big, loud repetitive bark. If I went in my yard or worked late in the back room she would stand at the fence repeatedly going "woof, woof, woof,......" Right through the night. I would go out and yell at her and she would go back inside. Wait ten minutes and start again. One day another neighbour came down the drive to my house thinking it was my dog, he was then incredulous that the dog had been going over two hours whilst the owners were sitting in the front yard with guest having a BBQ. Their reply to him was not to worry sooner or later I would go shut her up because she didn't listen to them!!!

Edited April 25, 2014 by hankdog

[Little Gifts]

You must live in the same street as me, except it is inbreeding Chihuahuas! Adults always home, visitors coming and going at all hours, dogs always outside and always bark, bark, bark, bark. Except for the 12 hours of the day where the front gate is open and they wander the streets and bark and attack me, the postie, anyone who dares walk down our street, etc. I can always tell when they go on one of their extended OS trips because the barking is even worse. They leave them there and a family member comes by once a day to put some food down. The place is always dark and the dogs don't settle the entire time they are gone (maybe months). Makes me want to scream.

[biker girl]

I was so worried about our four dogs & how they would settle into suburban life after several years of living on acreage in Tassie, that I spoke to each of our neighbours before we moved in & informed them of us having four dogs & that "if" there was any issue, to please come & speak to us directly!

One of the neighbours have two beagles & they are making more noise than our four combined!!!!!!!!

To the point that even after 6 months of living here, they are still throwing themselves against the fence & baying when I go & do a poo pickup near the fence

Luckily for us, our four are not responding back to them & as annoying as they are, I think the more noise they actually make, the better our dogs look or rather (not) sound!!!

[Guest donatella]

My neighbours either like me or think I'm an asshole as when I hear my 2 bark at something outside I'm yelling (sometimes from the shower) 'LUCY' 'BONNIE' GET INSIDE GRRR NOOO and all the deep voices I can to show I mean business.