gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 This is a long story but please stick with me and I'll try and condence as much as possible. We moved to our present address nearly 3 years ago as 1 1/2 acres gave our dogs so much more room to run than our previous small house block did. We met the neighbours on both sides and asked both of them to let us know if the dogs were a problem while we were out - not that we thought they would be as they were never a problem at the last address. Both neighbours assured us there were no problems. One of our neighbours added a kitten to their family about 6 months ago and as soon as we saw it OH and myself knew there would be problems as I had trained my now 10yr GSD to chase the cats out of our yard at the last address as they were attacking the birds in our aviary. In July my neighbour approached my 21yr old son (why him and not OH or me I don't know) and said the dogs were barking and while he acknowledged we did call them when this happened he would like the dogs locked up from now on. My son told him that wasn't going to happen and basically the conversation stopped there. (My son is a man of not many words) Our neighbours immediately went to the council with their complaint and we received a letter. After this we have locked the dogs in the house yard whenever we go out and at night they are inside anyway. While in the house yard there is a driveway and 10 ft high shrub separating the 2 yards, but when my neighbours cat is out (and now coming into our yard as the dogs are locked up) my old girl will still bark - a quick short bark, not constant. I have asked my neighbour if he could move the cat when this happens but he refuses. I have now had a phone call from the council who apparently have been out here when I was out. The inspector was very sympathetic saying he has visited all the other neighbours surrounding us and they have all said they weren't even aware of our dogs barking. Apparently the council went back to our neighbour and said without any other complaints from other neighbours they don't see a problem. This inspector was really nice to me, and said he could see we were making an effort and all he could suggest was for us to trap the cat when it comes into our yard and bring it in to the council. Just to give a background on the type of neighbours we have - they are retired and have an adult daughter with Aspergers Syndrome who screams every *#!!!! you could imagine at me because she hates dogs (I ignore this because she has no control). They complained last year when I was feeding the birds (wild) because the noise upset their daughter so I stopped feeding them because I don't want to upset her either. My neighbour has told me he wants my old girl gone completely. You can imagine how upsetting it is to hear your neighbour (or anyone for that matter) say that about one of the familyl, because that's what she is to us. I have owned dogs for over 20 years and never have I had a complaint of any sort about them and I now find this is just eating me up because my dogs are such a huge part of my life and I'm at my witts end as to how I'm going to handle this. I would be grateful for any help/suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 living with neighbours should not be a one way street. and living in near proximity to people means that there has to be some reasonable neighbourhood noise. You have done everything you can to assist these neighbours because of their daughter, not complained about her swearing to you, stopped feeding the birds, locking your dogs up yet they still complain. AND the most amazing thing is you ask them to do something simple and they won't do it - that is remove the cat from YOUR property so your dog doesn't bark. The council aren't concerned, your other neighbours aren't concerned. I wouldn't be concerned either because of their attitude. Enjoy your old girl and your other dogs. If they bark at the cat so be it, it shouldn't be on your property in the first place. Sounds like it should be inside anyway or one of those cat runs because of the wild birds around your place. Get some brochures about the cat runs and put them in their letterbox. You've suggested an easy solution to the problem but the neighbour won't cooperate. and you are being perfectly reasonable as well, there is no suggestion in your post that you have said to the neighbours get rid of the cat yet they seem to think that you must get rid of your dog. It seems they are not barking at anything else or annoying anyone else. I'm inclined to agree with the council about trapping the cat, I would advise the neighbours though first that if it does stray onto your place that is what you intend to do. good luck and hope all goes well joanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 living with neighbours should not be a one way street. and living in near proximity to people means that there has to be some reasonable neighbourhood noise. You have done everything you can to assist these neighbours because of their daughter, not complained about her swearing to you, stopped feeding the birds, locking your dogs up yet they still complain. AND the most amazing thing is you ask them to do something simple and they won't do it - that is remove the cat from YOUR property so your dog doesn't bark. The council aren't concerned, your other neighbours aren't concerned. I wouldn't be concerned either because of their attitude. Enjoy your old girl and your other dogs. If they bark at the cat so be it, it shouldn't be on your property in the first place. Sounds like it should be inside anyway or one of those cat runs because of the wild birds around your place. Get some brochures about the cat runs and put them in their letterbox. You've suggested an easy solution to the problem but the neighbour won't cooperate. and you are being perfectly reasonable as well, there is no suggestion in your post that you have said to the neighbours get rid of the cat yet they seem to think that you must get rid of your dog. It seems they are not barking at anything else or annoying anyone else. I'm inclined to agree with the council about trapping the cat, I would advise the neighbours though first that if it does stray onto your place that is what you intend to do. good luck and hope all goes well joanne Thanks Joan for the quick repy and I did ask the council what happens from here and he said if our neighbours continue to complain they will have to come out and see me again. I like your idea regarding the brochures and I will do that this week. I am not asking them to get rid of the cat because I would think it's a good thing for their daughter to have but I agree cats should be kept indoors. We have had a cat and we never let him outdoors (the dogs got on well with him and he lived to 22yrs). I find myself jumping on the dogs every time they make a noise and I hate myself for it because any other time I wouldn't even have re-acted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Sounds to me like you have a pretty one-sided relationship with your neighbours.... They want your dogs locked up, so they get locked up. They want to stop feeding the wild birds, so you stop feeding them. Now they want you to get rid of your dog so they don't have to take responsibility for their roaming cat Not to mention you have to cop the abuse from their daughter, which regardless of what her disability is, still isn't appropriate. It appears you have the council on your side, it is my understanding that most barking dog complaints need to come from more than one person in order to ensure it is not a personal vendetta. I would do as the council asks, trap the cat and take it into the council to prove that they are the ones not keeping their animals under control. You've asked them to do something about the cat, they refused, take it to the council!! If you have the councils backing, and your other neighbours support, then there is nothing your complaining neighbours can do. Maybe once they understand that they will receive no more backing from the council, the complaints will stop and they will just have to deal with it. I know its not nice to have that kind of complaint hanging over your head, but your neighbours sound like they are being unreasonable and want everything their own way, with no give and take. Good luck! BTW you might be better off getting this moved to General - there are a few people on DOL who are rangers but don't tend to frequent the training section.... (Before anyone flames me over not being able to "control cats", I have two cats. I have a neighbour with bird averys and expensive birds. I have no doubt on this earth that if my cats went over the fence and into his yard, they would not come out alive. I spent nearly $1000 when I moved here to build them a outdoor cat cage so they can come and go as they please and not annoy any of my neighbours, and stay safe.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 BTW you might be better off getting this moved to General - there are a few people on DOL who are rangers but don't tend to frequent the training section.... I've never done that before - can someone give this green DOL'er instructions please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOE Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Hi Noise complaints are the worst complaints we deal with especially when it is only the one person and it seems that no matter what you do that person is never satisfied. Apart from debarking your old girl if it is even legal there, the cat appears to be the problem get a trap and trap it but ensure you tell the council who it belongs to, My gsds hate all cats bar mine as well. The other soloution is a bark collar but sice gsds have the thick coat you will probably need to shave the hair. If it was me I would trap the cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Your neighbour invited the trouble in with the cat!! A cat is "ment" to stay on it's own property. Perhaps complain to the council about the cat, get a cat trap from the council and trap then see what your neighbour has to say about the whole situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatoutofhell Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 cats have the same laws as dogs regarding wandering-i bet this cats not registered too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 This inspector was really nice to me, and said he could see we were making an effort and all he could suggest was for us to trap the cat when it comes into our yard and bring it in to the council. This is the first thing that came to mind Glad you at least have this bloke on your side. If I were you I'd write your neighbour a letter detailing everything you've written here in regards to what you've done to try and appease them, including putting up with their daughter's behaviour (I know she can't help it, but you've been very understanding). I'd be handing a copy of it to the council as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I would approach your neighbour in writing as others have suggested, and copy this letter to all near neighbours for their information. Also copy it to the Ranger/Council. Keep a barking diary yourself...keep a "cat wandering" diary alongside the barking diary. Inform all near neighbours that there is a roaming cat in the area, and that if this cat continues to disturb you and your family, you will rent a trap and take any trapped cat/s to the council or RSPCA. As far as I can tell, the only problem you have is your neighbour's attitude...which stinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Personally I would look seriously at debarking, neighbours like this are not going to accept anything else. They can still bark but it is very muted. Once you have done it you will wish you had thought of it long ago. It does not harm the dogs, it is a minor operation and it solves the issue completely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Thanks everyone for your advice, you've given me plenty to think about. I'm not sure about debarking as she's 10 years old and I'd never forgive myself (or my neighbour) if anything went wrong. I think it comes down to our neighbour being scared of German Shepherds, because they made a point of telling the council our Golden Retriever wasn't a problem. We might consider the trap - not that I intend any harm, but maybe they'll keep their cat inside or at least out of our yard. The guy from the council told me our neighbour claims the cat coming into our yard is a stray, so I suppose I can "assume" they're right - if that's what they want to tell the council . I worry the trap might make our neighbours even more determined to make our life miserable. I'm going to show OH your suggestions when he gets home and hopefully we'll find a happy medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tramissa Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Just catch the cat when it's there and hand it into the council. If it's a "stray" as they claim, then no harm done right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I'd let the neighbours know that the council officer told you to trap the cat - stray cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornir Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I'd trap the cat too. You could always say to your neighbours: "The ranger told me that the cat coming into my property is not yours afterall, but a stray, so we are going to rent a trap to trap the cat and then it can be found a decent home, so there shouldn't be any barking problems after that" If it is a stray then that's cool, but id it is theirs then they will hopefully do something about it. Doesn't make you look like a meanie either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Its moron people like this who give cats a bad name. You are supposed to contain your cat on your own property - its the law. Hire a trap and trap the cat. Take it to the pound and let the neighbours know that you trapped that pesky stray cat that was causing your dogs to bark. I have three cats and they have never annoyed anyone, never killed an innocent animal, never pissed on someone's front door, etc. They are inside cats and thats the way it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Had a chat with OH last night and decided to go with the trap (as council suggested), after all our neighbour did say it was a stray. I saw the "stray" this morning and guess who's yard it went running back to? I have also downloaded local council information regarding responsible cat ownership. It states :- "Often cats cause disputes and anxiety between neighbours by causing dogs to bark, by fighting with other cats or by defacating in neighbouring gardens. This is not fair to your neighbours" I thought I might contact the Inspector from the council and ask if they could send a brochure or letter on responsible cat ownership to our neighbours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 (edited) For the Council to contact just your neighbour would perhaps seem to them as victimising them...far better to either send information to everyone or to no-one. If your neighbours are so convinced it's not their cat wandering that's causing your dog/s to bark, then trapping the cat won't cause them any harm, will it? You really do need to document EVERYTHING including when your own dog/s bark. This is so important b/c if it goes to mediation or Court, you will need every shred of evidence on your side. Try to keep your dogs indoors when you leave the property. That will reduce the chances of nuisance barking and your neighbours hearing it, and it will keep your dogs safe/r. Get that cat trap ASAP so you can remove the "stray" from the neighbourhood. Edited October 29, 2006 by lillysmum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 You really do need to document EVERYTHING including when your own dog/s bark. That's the thing, the barking our neighbours complain about is happening when I'm not home, and I do lock them in the house yard when I go out. I can't lock them in the garage during the daytime as it's too hot. To give you an idea of just how much our dogs bark, our back neighbour said he wasn't home when the council came around and he had a note in his letterbox asking him to ring the council regarding a dog-barking problem. Our neighbour said it didn't even occur to him it was about our dogs, he thought it was his dog, or the dog two doors up from us. When he rang the council and was asked about our dogs he said he nearly fell over, because he never hears them. He told the council our dogs were definately not a problem. The problem is that when I go out I lock the dogs in the house yard, the neighbours cat is then free to roam the rest of our yard, but of course it goes home when I let the dogs out when I get home. The barking must be so short that no other neighbours even realise it's happening. All this because our neighbour refuses to keep their cat at home, or better still indoors. And I have to say I'm feeling a little victimised as there are certainly other dogs in the neighbourhood and they bark and yet we're the only ones getting visits from the council . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Dont stress too much about it. If no one else is complaining and the ranger has taken statements from the other neighbours that they dont even realise your dogs are an issue then the council cant do much about it. Jeezus you even restrict your dogs access on preperty YOU PAY FOR. Dogs are allowed the odd bark, it wouldnt be fair to silence a group of dogs 24/7. Birds chirp, cats meow, dogs bark. Tell the neighbour to stick it up his a$$ frankly and from now on there will be cat traps set to take care of the problems causing noise issues for your dogs. If they love the cat they'll take care of it, if not at least the poor bugger will be better off. And debarking ... you are right too risky. If its the occasional bark then I would never put an animal through such an operation, and there are other options like no-bark ecollars to try. It is VERY risky IMO as you are destroying such a sensitive area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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