neighbours barking dog driving us mad.

LegacyUser

hi all.
need a bit of advice.
a neighbours dog is driving us mad. anytime he lets it out it constantly barks, well always barks. it's not so bad during the morning and daytime but ,most nights he lets it out to bark between 11pm and 12. last night was the final straw. we were just asleep and at 11.20pm he lets the dog out to bark. we've a young baby and it's really getting on our nerves. i dont take to this neighbour as i've had words with him before over something else. he's a westie type dog. i was on the verge of writing him an anonymous letter last night saying if he didn't keep his dong under control the guards would be called. during the mornings always let the dog out to bark at the postman,some kids passing have to walk out into the middle of the road when passing his house. i know there is a law regarding noise of this type at certain times of the night.
all advice greatly appreciated.

Ella

You could call the guards and ask them for advice. I'm sure they'd know the right direction to point you in.

Before calling the Guards, why not just tell the neighbour first? If he doesn't do something, then maybe go to them. At least try the civil route first - might make things less potentially complicated for you.

Ellsbells

You can complain to your local council and they should cOntact the owner. Do talk to the owner first and see if they sort it before going official

MJ23

Kidnap the dog, throw him in the car and drive about 10 miles away and let him out in a field somewhere.

bear_hunter

barkingdrivingmemad wrote: »

hi all.
need a bit of advice.
a neighbours dog is driving us mad. anytime he lets it out it constantly barks, well always barks. it's not so bad during the morning and daytime but ,most nights he lets it out to bark between 11pm and 12. last night was the final straw. we were just asleep and at 11.20pm he lets the dog out to bark. we've a young baby and it's really getting on our nerves. i dont take to this neighbour as i've had words with him before over something else. he's a westie type dog. i was on the verge of writing him an anonymous letter last night saying if he didn't keep his dong under control the guards would be called. during the mornings always let the dog out to bark at the postman,some kids passing have to walk out into the middle of the road when passing his house. i know there is a law regarding noise of this type at certain times of the night.
all advice greatly appreciated.

unfortunatley this is seen as a civil matter in the eyes of the law or at least a problem for the local authority to deal with , trust me , ive spoken to guards before about nuisance dogs

Taltos

MJ23 banned for a month for breach of our charter.
Muppetry is not tolerated here and as for suggestions about breaking the law or animal cruelty - none of that is acceptable in PI/RI.

Taltos

Valentina

The gardaí don't deal with barking dogs, it's a civil matter. You need to make a complaint to the local council but before you do this you have to inform the neighbour of your intention to do so.

There's some info on the citizens information website http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/animal_welfare_and_control/control_of_dogs.html

Teagwee

I really sympathise with your predicament OP - we have not one but two neighbours with barking dogs. One in particular frequently barks for HOURS right through the night. At this time of year in particular, I have to keep my bedroom window open for air and the barking seems to reverberate around the room.

Like you, I imagine, approaching the owner of the worst barker is not an option. Several members of this extended family live in the neighbourhood and they are not approachable for anything. Problems simply escalate if they are approached and we've all experienced this through the years.

The authorities are no help - as has already been said, you need to inform these people in advance that you are/will be taking action and you have to bring the case yourself. I know it's hard for some people to understand that the reasonable, talk-it-out route just will not work with some people and will actually make things worse.

We have a number of strategies that help to mitigate the almighty frustration at 3am when the nagging bark might as well be in your room (or your head):

*I have a natural sounds CD (the sea, wind, rain that kind of thing) which I play between the window and my bed - this works well. White noise is also an option, especially in the baby's room
* I hate wearing earplugs (and I know your baby can't wear them nor you if you have to attend him/her) but I keep them handy for emergencies
* I wrote an anonymous letter to my neighbour, which I haven't posted yet but keep ready for the 'next day' (always ahead of me). I spent days crafting it to make it sound nice and non-threatening but it was a catharsis writing it. In it, I explain about bark collars (with print out from the internet)and where to get one - even offering to buy one myself to train the dog if they would just use it.
* I also have information on a garden gadget which can be installed at the nearest point in my garden to theirs (to be hidden in a shrub) which does a similar thing and emits a high pitched sound that dogs don't like when a bark is registered. Desperation is a terrible thing, but knowing about this as a possible option takes some of my lack of control away in the frustrating dead of night.

I hope some of this is helpful for you to develop a strategy of your own. Know that I (and many others) sympathise. I wish you luck and a peaceful night's sleep ...

Mousewar

Had the same problem. Suffered for three months then went in next door and asked owner to take the dog in when he barked. She did so. No problems since.

Now my neighbour is quite nice so that helped but frankly, this what you have to do. Even if you go to the council about it, the neighbour still gets informed and it's not likely to be a mystery to them who's complaining. But that's the thing - there's nothing to be ashamed of in being annoyed at a dog barking.

If you're going to do it right you need to talk to the neighbour. Don't act annoyed, don't make threats about the guards. Just say something along the lines of 'Look, I wonder if you wouldn't mind taking your dog in when he barks, especially at night and early in the morning. It can be quite loud and it's hard to get the baby to sleep". Do it with a smile. Don't talk as if he has to do it - if you phrase it like he's doing you a favour he's more likely to oblige. Doing it this way gives you the best chance of the result you want - less barking and no feud with your neighbour. The guy would have to be extremely unreasonable to react badly to such an approach. If he does then you can at least satisfy yourself that you went about it the right way and make the steps vis a vis the council if necessary.

I know it's hard to do these things, especially for Irish people it seems, but you owe it to yourself and the situation to do it right.