Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Barking Dogs' LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
7:54 pm [mod_2]	Barking Mad in Australia! This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net from "Barking Mad": I live in a southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Although this is in the recent past, it has been like 'pulling teeth', to get to this stage and given my neighbour's refusal to admit fault, I wonder if / when it will recommence. It has been 10 weeks now with no barking between the hours of 9 pm and 9 am (those are the times when I especially want peace and quiet). I rent a Government subsidised house, - due to my anxiety condition. I've lived here for more than 6 years in this quiet neighbourhood. My next door neighbour ( I will refer to as R ) moved in with his Kelpie (Australian sheep-dog) a fortnight before Xmas 2007. This 50 year old guy was / is a Government employee concerning Drug and Alcohol Abuse. R allowed his dog to stay in the yard at night and bark at various times of the night and early morning. The dog was quiet during the day It barks 10 metres from my sleeping head, the noise reverberating against the 2 metre high sheet-iron dividing fence and the open carport where it sleeps. I've spoken to R about this 4 times or so. The first time, his reply included saying to the dog 'come on, you're not allowed to protect me anymore'. The last encounter had R screaming at me that his dog does'nt bark (said on other occassions too) and false counter accusations. I've tried complaining to the Government Housing Authority, who in turn directs me to the Council. A Council 'Ranger', apparently visited one afternoon, sat in their car for 10 minutes and heard no barking. They told R why they were there. R put 2 and 2 together and yelled at me in the street. This guy is a bit of a nut-case, has shown his selfishness in other ways too and seems to know how to 'play the system'. If any one has some feedback / would like details, I'll be glad to talk. This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
12:41 pm [mightycourtney]	Ready to Move ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) Current Mood: aggravated (15 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
10:18 am [jmacek07]	Stop the Barking!!! Hello All, I see several posts on here in regards to barking dogs. We recently wrote a blog post on the subject and asked people to respond as to what kind of dog barking problem they had. We had over 500 responses and we took the most prevalent problems and created a free video on how to stop dog barking and tried to address the biggest problems. Not sure if anyone is interested but I thought I would share as it seems to be an issue here for some. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
7:24 pm [crh3675]	My Barking Dogs We have a Jack Russell and a Caryn Terrier.  They are by nature. hunters of small animals, squirrels, chipmunks, mice what have you.  When we let them outside, twice a day, they have a tendency to chase these little rodents and bark when they have cornered one. We have lived in our house for 4 years.  Our backyard neighbor whose house actually resides more than 300 yards from us, is determined to make our life difficult.  It seems that during the time that our dogs are outside, they may bark.  Nothing like a drawn out consistent yapping, just if they see a small animal or hear a motorcycle drive by.  In any case, this neighbor has called us several times about our dogs barking.  Like they are conveniently sitting in their house waiting for them to bark. We have told them they we will try to bring them in as soon as we can once they have done their business.  Well, regardless of our best efforts, this neighbor (300 yards away) called the police to issue a disturbance order to us. I hear dogs barking all the time that aren't our dogs at all and I never had a problem with it.  I just don't understand some people. I went ahead and made the $150 investment and now my 5 year old and 7 year old dogs have bark collars.  I guess I'll have to see if they work.  Issuing a disturbance order is what I consider a "direct hit" and puts me over the top in anger. These neighbors also hold big parties during the summer in their pool (300 yards away) and blast music until all hours of the night.  We have not once complained but I guess we should start. Current Mood: annoyed (30 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
6:20 pm [truthseeker10]	barking in Portland Here is my story in Portland, Oregon ...   A year ago, some renters moved in next to me.  They got a large dog that they left in the yard from 4:30am to late at night. It barked almost all the time. They left it out there in rain, snow, heat, and never played with it in the yard or ever took it for walks (to my knowledge).  This was the loudest dog I ever heard. When I talked to the owner, he said "I'ts a dog and its going to bark".  When I asked him to either keep it inside or have someone home to monitor the barking and quiet it down when it barks, he said something about when his kids go to school. Like another neighbor told me, "He basically told you to F off".   I used tape recordings and neighbors signed my complaints and I turned them in to Animal Control. (getting signatures was not easy and I only got them on a few forms).  The tapes did work.   They did write citations for noise and lack of pet license, but the owner ignored them (I assumed they never paid any of them).   While animal control was investigating about 10 notices I wrote up for 1 month, the garbage family got evicted.  That would have been notice #3 and an order to abate the barking would follow.   But during the eviction, another renting neighbor with outside dogs and a yard that looks like a trash dump, took the dog into his yard. A week or so later, the dog and his dogs killed another dog that got inside his yard.   I went down to Animal Control to give them a piece of my mind.  All of a sudden, they finally acted like they gave a crap. I told them that the one that used to live next to me was the main agressor and the killer.  Animal Control removed the dog that day.   I still have some barking problems with those other 2 dogs 2 houses down from me. I will mail out info to almost all in the area ask to form a meeting so we can support each other. I learned what you all know -- LIFE IS HELL WHEN YOU CAN NEVER RELAX.   More... those houses look like trash dumps.  The one next to me did not even have trash service and piled it all up in the house and yard.   I am hoping my yet to be formed group will come together and be effective to the point of making the problem stop. I know the cops and politicians suck and don't care, never will.     We have a mayor who cares more about raping little boys than protecting our peace.   Thanks for hearing my story.  I feel so alone in all of this TORTURE.   And to the little dog (pet) which I watched get murdered by barking dogs (junkyard dogs):  Your sacrifice to get the worst one off my street is appreciated. I honor you. I am glad your death was fast, even as it was violent. God Bless You.    -----------   Recent update:  I talked to the owner of the house next to me yesterday as he was cleaning it.  The renters had left a large garbage can full of used diapers out in the rain. That is what kind of people have barking dogs. He did leave me his phone # and told me to call if renters in future cause problems. I talked to a Multnomah County (Portland) Animal Control employee. I told her that the people next to me had a dog that barked all day and no  one was home to manage it.  This is her EXACT reply:  "That's fine. There is nothing wrong with that. I have dogs at home and I want them to bark." She called me a liar when I told her that the dogs 2 doors down bark at me whenever I am in my yard. I told her that the authorities should take anonymous calls for barking so other people who are not liars can call it in.  She said "If they don't leave their name, they will be calling from a gas station far away and lying." I emailed a lawyer about barking, but did not get a reply. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 30th, 2009
8:38 pm [mod_2]	Unhappy memories This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net: Today, I discovered your web site about barking dogs and their owners. What a revelation it has been for me to read it! I have sometimes felt very alone in my dislike of noise (be it barking dogs, music from stereos, etc.), especially when it comes into my family's house without our permission. It seems as though many people in our society embrace noise and enjoy inflicting it on others. Anyway, it's a relief to know that there are others out there who think and feel like I do. The PDF poster, which lists the effects of continued noise, is especially worrisome, because I've experienced some of the lesser symptoms myself. For instance, I don't look forward to spring and good weather, because I know my more difficult neighbors, and their dogs, will be spending more time outside. Your articles about the nature of deranged dog owners brought back some very unhappy memories for me. To make two long stories short, about twelve years ago, I had two neighbors who allowed their dogs to bark incessantly (disturbing my sleep), and who were indignant that anyone would challenge their right to allow their dogs to disturb others. It was very difficult dealing with both of these individuals, and I must confess that I did not always conduct myself wisely or patiently. I was eventually evicted from the garage apartment I was renting, when one of these individuals lied to the police and said I'd threatened to kill her dog (not that the thought didn't cross my mind.) That was too much for my pet-owning landlords to bear, and thus I had find a new home. Looking back, however, I clearly can see that it was high time for me to find a new place to live. I wasn't proud of the kind of thoughts there were going through my head while I was suffering at the hands of my neighbors and their dogs: I felt like I was the helpless victim of some kind of sleep deprivation torture experiment. I even felt like I was going crazy. I could write at length about this subject, but I'll spare you. Thanks for listening, and thanks for all the work you've put into your great web site. It was a real eye-opener for me. Thanks again! Sincerely, Jeff Austin, Texas This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
7:59 pm [mod_2]	"WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY!" Quiet Pima County This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net: Hello folks. My name is Catherine Sienko and I am the founder of "Quiet Pima County. http://www.quietpimacounty.org (Pima County is in Arizona and Tucson is the city.) We also have a yahoo.group with the same name. Quiet Pima County is a new anti-barking activist/support group for all victims of incessant barking. Our main objective is to change the laws and change the way nuisance complaints are handled by Pima Animal Care Center and law enforcement. Any resident that resides in Pima County and is presently a victim of incessant barking or has been a victim or knows anyonewho is sick and tired of the unwanted, forced fed, barking, dog nuisance noise are urged to join. Nuisance dog barking is not a neighborhood dispute. It is a violation of our right to quiet, peaceful enjoyment of our homes and property. After years of being forced fed the sound of my neighbors 3 barking dogs and filing complaints, going to mediation, filling out barking logs, going to court and WINNING, being harassed, libeled and so on.... I had to do something about it. These dogs are still barking. Other neighbors have filed complaints. They are getting the run-a-round much like me. Our group started out quite small. I made a real pain in the patootie with a local newspaper and they wrote a story. We recieved many (over 100) positive comments. Our membership grew and continues to grow. We are posting notices in local markets and gathering places. We are 'branching' out into 'chapters' within Pima County. Neighborhoods getting together, Districts getting together, City Wards getting together. ALL FOR A COMMON GOAL. This 'county' is a bit bigger than the State of New Jersey. We have written and called EVERY Board of District Supervisors and Tucson City Ward representatives. I have written to the Governor of Arizona. Our requests for better enforcement of the 'animal noise ordinance' have pretty much fallen on deaf ears. Very few responses from out elected officials. Mis-directed information to member who have called and complained. Again a run around. YOU KNOW if these government constituants had barking dogs next door to them, it wouldn't be for long. I personally have drafted new legislation to be considered. It's tough. It protects the complainant. WE remain anonymous. Offenders recieve larger fines. Mandated Dog Behavior training for the offender would replace mandated mediation for the victim. No set time frames. Inside or outside barking will not be tolerated. Injunction and abatement. Impoundment of animals and offender for repeat violations. Our most recent accomplishment was getting an interview with the local NBC affliate TV News station, KVOA. I was VERY nervous. They also interviewed my neighbor with the barking dogs. They will be using footage from the videos I shot. It will be shown tomorrow, Monday Feb. 9, 2009 begining with the 5am broadcast and continuing through out the day on each and every time period for news. Hopefully this will make our elected officials realize "WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY!" (Here is a link to the news story and video http://www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=9822960 ) Please do not hesitate to contact us if you live in Pima County. Sincerely, Catherine Sienko Quiet Pima County This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (6 Comments |Comment on this)
7:54 pm [mod_2]	His bite is even worse than his bark... This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net by Gina in Galena, Kansas: I found your webstite very informative, but I have found myself in a slightly different predicament. My neighbour's dog, a boxer, seems to be quite aggressive. Anytime I, or anyone else, is in my backyard this dog becomes biligerent. He doesn't just bark, he growls, lunges, charges, bites, and tries to jump the fence. It is very alarming and has gone on for a year now. There are actually 3 boxers living there, and they have dug under and torn our fence to the point that in March our Chihuahua got under and was attcked, costing us almost $500 in vet bills. Then, in December our Pomeranian got under and he killed her. I'm convinced this dog is going to seriously hurt someone, though the owners say they have never seen any aggressive behavior and that he would never hurt anyone. I have contacted animal control and was told that they aren't able to do anything. As long as the dog is in their yard, they haven't committed a crime, regardless of his behavior. And even though they tore the fence up, my dogs were in the wrong by being in their yard. I was told, however, if the was barking at all hours of the night then they could intervene. It seems to me if they are able to stop nuisance barking they would also be able to stop threatening behavior. The Animal Control officer told me if he cited them with nuisance behavior, he would have to cite me for having dogs at large. I've considered taking them to court but don't know where to begin. Do you have any advice for me? Thank you, Gina This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
11:32 pm [dporto]	Has anyone ever used more than one bark free device at once? I'm at the end of my rope.  I ordered the Petsafe Ultrasonic bark free device through amazon.com and it arrived the other day. It doesn't seem to be working.  The german shephard in the yard behind ours continues to bark loud.  At first, the dog seemed to stop *mid-bark* when I first hung this device from a tree branch aimed right into their yard.  But now three days have gone by and the dog seems to bark more aggresively. As soon as they let this dog out of their house it is barking.  I swear it barks just to hear itself bark.  I think its getting pissed off that there is some other *noise* trying to compete with its own barking.   So my question is, what if I order two or three more of these things and continue to aim them right into the neighbor's yard....has anyone ever had to use more than one device to stop the barking? Thanks Dee p.s  is there any kind of military-style  HIGH dB ultrasonic bark free device on the market?   I think I need mega mega mega strength (7 Comments |Comment on this)
10:44 am [mod_2]	The other side of the fence... This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net: I'd like to let you hear from 'the other side of the fence'..so to speak. I am the recipient of one of your ideas to 'quiet your neighbor's dog'. My situation started like this: In 2006 I moved into a new neighborhood. The neighbor behind me and I share a fence (backyard to backyard). My house is higher in elevation by approximately 20 feet, so basically I look down into my neighbor's back yard. My neighbor has 2 dogs that are housed in a run in his back yard all day and into the evening. My husband works nights and the dogs barked all day. I did not report them, I did not antagonize them, my husband put earplugs in his ears and then was able to sleep. They also bark at me when I go into my back yard to mow, or pick up ,etc. They did not/do not bark every day, however it is still annoying. The neighbor who lives next door to me is constantly being reported by the neighbor behind me. He is reported for his 2 dogs 'excessively barking', however the neighbor who reports him (the neighbor behind me) is the one whose dogs bark the most! He/his wife files reports stating the other neighbors' dogs are 'in danger', 'have no shelter', 'have no food or water', and on and on. ALL the reports have been completely UNFOUNDED. I cannot have a conversation in my own back yard without being screamed at to 'shut up' (by the wife) because these neighbors like to have their windows open. This also happens to the other neighbors around their home. In April of 2008 our family got a puppy. Our only dog. He sleeps inside at night, and barking was not an issue. We were reported by this same neighbor behind us for our dog 'excessively barking' on 9/11/08. Our dog was not even outside on that day (and we have witnesses), however we received a notice from animal control that stated our dog barked for 5 straight hours!! As the weeks passed, our dog did start to bark, however he only seems to bark at the one neighbor behind us. We consistently address the issue with our dog the minute it happens, however it just seemed like something was wrong, right around Christmas. The dog would be sound asleep and then jump up and bark like he heard something we didn't. I even mentioned to others that I thought someone had a dog whistle or something because the dog was acting odd. We pretty much now only let him out for potty breaks. Well, approximately 2 weeks ago, our next door neighbor caught the neighbor behind us in the act of antagonizing our dog (we had gone to the store). He was holding one of those lovely 'remote anti-barking boxes' over our fence and holding the button down and pointing it directly at our dog. It was driving our dog nuts! Now, I have looked at the instructions for these boxes, and I'm quite sure you are not supposed to antagonize the dog with the box when he isn't even barking! This has now CAUSED our dog to bark. This man waits until the second we let our dog out the back door to take a stroll around his back yard. He comes to the shared fence, stands there, and peeks thru, and then our dog will bark at him. I keep the dog in the house constantly now, but the poor dog can't catch a break! We had to go to the extreme of putting a camera in our back window so that we could even leave our house!! And then the Crazy neighbor's wife reported us to the police for 'trying to videotape them in the bedroom'. Now I do agree that there are irresponsible owners out there...I AM NOT one of them! Every time my dog even clears his throat I am dragging him in the house. I think the most important thing to remind people is how to be a good neighbor. This family has not ever so much as introduced themselves to us or our dog. The first and only words they have directed to us are 'shut up' and that was when we were having an ordinary conversation in our own back yard! Oh, and here's another little tidbit, some of those anti-bark boxes come with a remote control which is the type I believe this particular neighbor has. It also emits dual tones- One audible to humans, the other ultrasonic. I let my dog out back last week and (now I stand out there with him the entire time he is out) the box was emitting the audible tone over and over and over...and there were NO DOGS BARKING AT ALL. I even videotaped the incidents at least 5 times. So my question is this...how do we train our neighbor?? Do they make a deterrent for people like him? Do you know that there are NO laws in place which prosecute people who file false reports with the Dept of Animal Control?? I fully believe that if you file a report of a neighbor's dog barking for 5 hours straight you should have to have some sort of proof, especially if you have filed previous reports which have been completely unfounded. The facts are this...all dogs bark. They should not be allowed to bark for a long period of time, but if the dog says 'woof, woof' then stops, people also should not overreact. If we all just try to be good neighbors we can work together to solve our problems in a friendly way. This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
10:29 am [afitzgeral]	Mediation? Hello all - I'm a reporter for USA Today looking for stories from people who have tried mediation programs set up in their communities for just this problem - those set up local governments outside of the police department, or possibly by community members themselves - to solve the problem of barking dogs. Maybe you have had success with mediation; maybe not. If you have a story you would like to share, please contact me at afitzgeral@usatoday.com and I'll look at it. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
12:50 pm [barkedaway]	barking dogs are not always what they seem I bought a house in a nice, quiet neighborhood and spent much time and money to make it a home for my daughter and me.  Life was good. New people bought the house next door, a woman and her mentally deficient grandson who could not talk, and seemed ok, but they had two large dogs they put in their back yard, who barked loudly almost all the time, and a small dog in the front yard and house who acted the same way.  Unfortunately, their fenced in yard came to a few feet from my bedroom window.  I made friends with the dogs, and often reached over the fence to pet them, they really weren't bad dogs.  It was annoying that if I went in my own back yard they would bark and apparantly be ready to attack if not for the fence, so my back yard became a horrible place to be.  Worse was that they would bark all night, and for some reason I could not fathom the barking got worse and worse.  I asked the neighbot to quiet them, but the dogs just barked more.  How odd I thought.  The poor dogs stayed in the back yard 24 hours a day, no one EVER played with then or gave them attention, or so I thought.  I could not understand why as the weeks went by the barking became worse and worse. I bought a bark stopper for my bedroom window, which did help a little, but mainly caused the dogs to stay a little farther away when they barked.  The barking got worse. I worked daytime, so I slept at night, but I didn't get much sleep.  I called the police, and they came out, and the police chief even had a visit with the woman, but the barking did not stop or decrease.  One morning I arose after a sleepless night and drank an entire pot of coffee to go to work, but I was so tired I decided to lay down for a minute before work, and I fell asleep.  Fell asleep after an entire pot of coffee! This went on for many months, nothing worked, the police would do nothing, and I wondered why.  The neighbors became not so nice, in fact not nice at all.  One grown daughter, who didn't even live there, attacked me with a steel fencepost, hitting me in the knee and drawing blood.  I reported that to the police, and nothing was done.  Then the son got out of prison and after parking on my yard, told me that my yard was indeed their property and that if I called the cops he would kill me.  No, not nice at all.  This was the father of the mute grandson, I found out later the boy was mute because the father had hit him so hard in the head when young.  One report from an eyewitness, this father knocked the small boy to the ground at a rodeo for asking for some ice cream.  The local cowboys who saw beat this man to the ground, but that did not stop the abuse of the child.  Odd people, my neighbors. One day I was at home, and heard the woman go in the back yard with the dogs, and a toy gun.  More barking, so I looked out my window, curious.  She would point the gun at the dogs and yell, "BANG BANG", then tell the dogs to bark!  When they did bark, she would say "Good dogs!"  She was training the dogs to bark!  She WANTED the dogs to bark.  Why?  I did not know. I decided to move, so put the house up for sale.  Not much interest with the dogs barking all the time, but by offering owner financing and dropping the price many thousands of dollars, I found a buyer and moved away.  But owner financing meant I was still tied to the house, and the possbility of the buyers defaulting was real, but I was so glad to be gone. Eventually my buyers did decide to move, and found another buyer for the house.  I had to contribute another thousand dollars to get the deal completed, but then the house and I had fully parted ways.  Hooray, yes, but I still wondered about those neighbors. A few months later, it all made sense.  The police raided the house and found a meth lab.  The barking dogs were there to keep people away from the house, so they could make their meth, and hence their money.  Of course, the neighbors were using the meth too, which explained their agressive behavior. Be warned.  If your neighbors have barking dogs, it may say something about the neighbors, something bad.  Be careful when talking to these people.  We found a house in a quiet neighborhood, with a restriction against dogs running without a leash, which is usually ignored.  Alas, after moving in we noticed a lot of dogs barking at times.  While it is annoying, it is nothing like the "house from hell".  Even so, we plan to sell this house and become renters, solely because it is so much easier to move when you are a renter.  Next time a family with barking dogs moves in next door, we will move and hope we get lucky.  Unfortunately, it seems dogs are everywhere.  Try seaching for a dog free subdivision sometime, and if you find one please let me know where it is!  I could not find one in the US, anywhere. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, January 9th, 2009
1:34 pm [chessybarks]	We live in a two family house. Whenvever someone comes or goes from the apartment below us our dog Bruce barks.  Anyone comes near the yard, our dog barks. I walk/run him three times a day because I work from home but it doesnt matter. He could be dead tired and he still will wake up to growl and bark.  Please help! I have tried negative feedback, positive feedback...nothing is working and I need him to learn to pick his barking battles.   Tim PS Thanks for having me. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
6:59 pm [pastilla]	New Year's Eve Happy New Year's! Table set romantically . . . Champagne chilling . . . Music playing softly . . . Windows closed . . . Foam inserts placed in windows . . . Sound isolating curtains drawn . . . Silicone earplugs and industrial sound-muffling earphones on . . . . . . and I can STILL HEAR MY NEIGHBOR'S BLOODY GERMAN SHEPHERD BARKING. There isn't enough booze in the world to drown that noise out. :: clinks glass :: Happy New Year's. Ya, right. Current Mood: irritated (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
9:30 am [windward007]	SoCal barking dogs  It was very pleasant when we moved into our new house, although the homes are very close together and there is rather loud traffic noise.  Then the neighbors behind me got three new dogs. A pit bull, a shepherd and some little yappy dog that stays inside and barks. I love dogs but I refuse to put up with their constant noise. The pit bull is a viscious punk that barks all the time and charges crashing into the fence at me. Once it almost busted through the fence; so it's time to get some long leather gloves and a club ready to dispatch that creature if it ever makes the mistake of coming through.  These dogs used to bark at all hours of the night and day, and were driving me and my other neighbor crazy as I am a light sleeper and get far too little sleep even when it's quiet. He talked to the family but they were very defensive and did nothing about these dogs. We would both yell at the dogs at the same time during the night. He would even set off his car alarm when they barked during the night to send a message to the family that if he can't sleep - neither can they.   So we both wrote to our county Animal Control; we didn't hear from back from that agency but the dogs don't bark late at night anymore; however they bark too much at other times still. Also new tenants moved in right next door with two large dogs and they just bark sometimes, not a whole lot; but our immediate area has gone from zero to five dogs in a short period of time and they all bark together sometimes.  I bought a PetSafe Ultrasonic Outdoor Bark Control and set it up so it faces the back neighbor's back last night. I made i bit of noise which is all it takes to make that pit bull bark and attack the fence right by me. The PetSafe was activated and that dog barked a few times and then went away whimpering. Success! Later it tried to bark quietly and then stopped. So time will tell if this will work long term. I may get one for my other neighbor to use as he lives right next to the barking dog owners (I am behind them). If there is still too much noise I will just buy more of these devices until there are so many decibels of piercing ultrasonic noise that they get the message through their thick canine skulls that barking is unacceptable. Will post an update later. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
11:05 am [quietpimacounty]	Quiet Pima County 'Quiet Pima County' is a new anti-barking activist/support group for all victims of incessant barking. Our main objective is to change the law and change the way nuisance complaints are handled by Pima Animal Care and the police. Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore? Contact QuietPimaCounty@yahoo.com Location:  Tucson, AZ (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
3:38 pm [pastilla]	Dr. Phil Features a Crazymaking Barking Dog Situation Dr. Phil is featuring an annoying dog right now! Already the teaser has made me see red . . . the neighbor is saying the "cats meow, babies cry, dogs bark" line . . . (I'm pleased because I wrote to the show and suggested they feature a barking dog problem!) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
9:39 pm [mod_2]	How about 200 dogs barking continually! This posting was emailed to forum@barkingdogs.net from: "Tormented" in Ashland, VA I have been to court several times concerning my neighbor who bought the farm joining our property. He as turned it into a animal rescue center called Bark. I wrote him a very nice letter letting him know that a problem exists. No reply, it was sent certified registered postage. After putting up with it for over 2 years I personally went to his residence and blasted him. I am on medication prescribed by my doctor, (2 sedatives, and he has increased my blood pressure medicine.) I took him to court and won. He was fined $1000 plus court cost. He appealed it. By the time we went back to court I had a petition with 20 names of neighbors who wants this noise to stop. I had 2 county police officers testifying on my side. I add another 10 witnesses to give testimony and written records of the noise. I had a recording of the barking. Guess what? The judge heard the defendant's attorney side, stating that the laws as so vague no one should be accused of dog nuisance laws. Without hearing our side, the judged dismissed the case. We went before the Board of Supervisors and voiced our concerns for the courts actions. Now the court will rehear the case, (no case scheduled yet.) I am at my wits end! This is another example how old laws and the courts do not want to be bothered by this situation. Another thought, 200 dogs means minimum 200 pounds of feces every day times 365 equals 73,000 pounds of manure buried in the ground. God know what we are drinking, (all of us have well water.) Have any suggestions? Please reply! p.s. The people who operate these rescue kennels are not normal! They are obsessed! Dogs are more valuable then human life. I don't hate dogs, I have 2 dachshunds we love, but keep in control. This posting is part of the Forum section of barkingdogs.net (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 1st, 2008
2:51 pm [drunkitty]	The Neighbors Dogs So this weekend we were at Petsmart and I finally picked up one of those sonic ba things.  This one looks like a <a href="http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3006736">birdhouse</a>.  It had the best reviews we'd seen of any of the products we looked into online.  But, most importantly it was available at hte local store which meant easier returns if it didn't work.  Overall reviews of these things have been about 50/50, so we weren't counting on anything. So Sunday evening we are sitting around hte house getting ready to go play Poker and the dogs are barking.  I could have easily ignored it since we were heading out for the evening anyway, but since we'd bought this thing I figured I'd test it out.  So I opened the package and stuck a battery in it and turned it on.  I walked outside with it and got about 10 feet from the fence and it started going off as the dogs would bark.  Initially there wasn't really a response, but after a few more barks the barks turned into whines and then nothing... at least from the dogs next door.  But there were more dogs on the other side (not sure how far down but we could still hear them from outside and so could the dogs next door).  So they stopped barking for a minute or so and then because the sonic noise went away and the other dogs were still barking they started up again.  Again after about 20 seconds or so of barking they stopped and went back to whining. It worked! So now we just have to find a way to permanently install it near the fence rather than carrying it outside each time they start barking. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 30th, 2008
2:05 am [the_jj_chi]	Nasty Neighbor Drama My parents live in a beautiful Chicagoan neighborhood. Their neighbor owns a relatively young German shepherd, who has never been trained. He has always barked incessantly. Sometimes as early as 6 A.M. and as late as 1 A.M. He barks for 10-15 minutes at a time. It is loud, deep, throaty. My parents can hear it from every room in their house. The dog is left outside for hours at a time. He barks and barks and barks. Thens stops. Then barks some more. It is like Chinese water torture -- waiting for the next bark, and when it comes, it is awful, but all you can do is wait for the next bark. For the first year, my parents tried to talk to the neighbor nicely. They would call when the dog was barking too long, or walk over to the house. There were always promises about how she would take care of the dog -- that she was going to have it trained. She never did, and it got worse and worse. Another neighbor also became very bothered by the dog -- she is herself a dog owner and works at an animal shelter. She would call Bad Neighbor (BN for short) and have conversations with her about how she felt the dog was perhaps bored, or restless, or needed attention. BN would always make excuses. "I was having a party and I didn't want him in the house." "The neighbors' cat was crawling around outside and that's what my dog was reacting to." BN soon stopped picking up the phone after my parents or the second neighbor called. One day during this past summer, my dad was working in his garden. The dog was running around her yard barking incessently ad non-stop. My dad yelled, "Shut up" after a while because he could not take it anymore. And the neighbor let him have it. A tired of 15 minutes, every other word was "f***" -- when my parents told me this story, I realized that the BN was now viewing HERSELF as the victim. Unbelievable! She was being victimized and oppressed by people telling her to control her dog. It was EXACTLY like one of the articles I'd read on this forum. Now, two years later in total, my parents, the Good Neighbor, and yet another neighbor officially filed a complaint against Bad Neighbor. The third neighbor claimed he could not even be out in his yard because BN's dog would throw himself at his little dog, who was clearly traumatized. He would throw himself at the dog because BN does not ever put him on a leash the few and far between times she takes him on walks. BN dragged out the case by asking for delays 3 times. She had her lawyer subpoena half the neighborhood to come and "testify" on her behalf. She also brought her dad (keep in mind this is a 45 year old woman), her ex-husband, her current boyfriend, and took her daughter out of school so that she could witness the case as well. My parents' neighborhood has always beena tight-knit community. My parents have hosted, for the past 5 years, a holiday party at their house. Some of the neighbors who came to testify had been at my parents house for this party. My mom especially was so sad. She did not understand why so many people were willing to testify for BN. The worst part is that my parents and those who were on their side are the closest neighbors in proximity. When asked, the other neighbors said things like, Well, I can't really hear the dog, and when I do, it doesn't bother me so much. Why was it that when my parents and two other neighbors said the barking was incessant it did not matter? Why were their voices so much less important? BN was not fined but the judge told her to "Be careful, as you are clearly annoying your neighbors." She said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She was not fined because the verdit was 2 to 2 -- 2 guilty and 2 not-guilty counts. I guess that's the way the system works in Cook County. The barking has, to be fair, gotten better. But -- she still lets him be ouside without a leash while she is raking leaves. Yesterday, the dog ran at a woman who was walking her own little dog on a leash. The German shepherd was not on a leash. One of the neighbors who had been at court saw the incident, and my mom saw him go up to the lady whose dog was attacked and ask over and over again, "Are you ok?" This forum has been very helpful for me and my parents. We learned that the attitude of the dog is mostly, or all, a reflection of its owner. And that this owner took it VERY personally when she was asked to control her dog. So personally that she had a laywer subpoena the neighbors, divide a neighborhood that had once celebrated holiday parties together. And for what? To prove how right she is and how innocent her dog is? All of this trouble over a dog. All my parents and the two other neighbors wanted was that the dog be trained. That is all they asked. They were always kind and respectful -- perhaps too kind and respectful. I cannot believe the gall of a woman who would take her daughter out of school to witness that charade. What is she teaching her children? "If you do something wrong -- do not EVER take responsibility. Instead, blame everyone else. And then, lash out at the person who says you've done something wrong." Again, we are all very glad that the barking has gotten better. We are worried though... what if it gets bad again? And look at the way this has divided our neighborhood. Already, one neighbor who "testified" on Bad Neighbor's behalf feels very badly -- she was manipulated by Bad Neighbor, who told her that she could be "put into jail" because of this accusation. This was, of course, a lie, and when the neighbor who testified later found out that the WORST that could happen was a $150 fine, she approached my parents at church and asked if she could speak with them about the incident, because she felt so bad. My parents, gracious as always, told her to please stop by for a glass of wine anytime. What a drama! What a saga. Thanks for reading. Any comments and thoughts appreciated. (5 Comments |Comment on this)