Princeton board again delays action on nuisance dog
Excerpt: Selectmen voted unanimously last night to continue until Oct. 22 a barking dog hearing that began on Feb. 14, 2011.
At the meeting next month, the board will assess progress to date on curbing the dog’s barking.
The dog, a 6-year-old rescue hound named [Loudmouth] has been the subject of a dispute between its owners, [call them the Clueless People], and neighbors [the Suffering People], who made the initial complaint, and [Another Neighbor Who's Been Subjected to the Din].
Based on last night’s recommendation by Animal Control Officer [Somebody] , the owners will be expected to buy and use a new citronella collar, to consult with a behavioral veterinarian and to provide additional exercise for the dog.
On and on this story goes. You won't be at all surprised to learn that the citro-collar order has been disregarded. After all, this is a RESCUE dog, and how dare we interfere with its non-stop self expression? Because RESCUE dogs are the most perfect and wonderful dogs ever.
County barking dog complaints down compared to 2011
Excerpt: From May 28 through Sept. 2, 26 reports of barking dogs were called into the Park County Sheriff’s Office. That’s a 16 percent decrease from the total of 31 complaints for the same period a year ago.
Tip: This story is open for comments. Follow the above link to add yours.
Barking Dogs Disrupt Otherwise Peaceful Tranquility Of New York City
Excerpt: There is a dog that lives across the street from my apartment building. I can’t see this dog, and I have no idea what it looks like, and despite this, the dog and I have a very intimate relationship. Every time a truck rumbles by, or a police siren wails, or thunder crashes, this invisible dog barks incessantly for the next 45 minutes. In the back of mind I always wondered if this was the worst dog in existence, but now I know that he is not.
Tip: This opinion piece is open for comments. Follow the above link to add yours.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Okay, so I took another swipe at the misuse of the word "rescue." But, in the context of purchasing a dog from a shelter, the word "rescue" is a bit of a stretch. It doesn't rise to the level of heroism as, say, carrying a child out of a burning building. Or saving a blind man from drowning in a river, which a youthful Ronald Reagan did while he was a lifeguard in Illinois.
Looking for more ways to put self-important dog owners in their place? Head over to my QuietBarkingDogs store. More bark-snark than you can shake a stick at!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
This Week's Barking News Roundup - 09/20/12
Editor's Note: In this edition of the Barking News Roundup, we're going to take a special look at that oft-repeated advice to talk to the owners of barking dogs. Public officials and law enforcement are especially fond of offering it. Read on, and you'll quickly see how useless such advice really is.
Question: Why would killing neighbors barking dogs be considered illegal?
Excerpt: Polite requests from all surrounding neighbors have been ignored and laughed at by morons with caged dogs in back yard. These dogs bark ALL NIGHT long. There is no dog control due to local political incompetence. At this point, we are all at the boiling point. ALL local law enforcement ignores our complaints. I'm about to just take these dogs out.
Tip: This question awaits your response. And be advised that the question's creator says, "[T]o all you self-righteous responders just shut up the pie-hole. Also, we've all tried the useless dog bark stoppers on the market."
Question: Drug Dealer Neighbors With Barking Dogs
Excerpt: My neighbor's dogs wake me up at all hours of the night barking. It is taking its toll on my well being and capacity to work. It's actually a big big problem that is not fixed by ear plugs and multiple sources of white noise. I am literally surrounded by white noise. The big problem? I'm fairly certain they are drug dealers. I have tried to handle the noise in a low key straightforward manner, acting as if they wer not drug dealers. Someone tipped off the landlord though about the barking and they blame me for "tattling".
Tip: Another question that you can respond to. Have at it!
New research: playing classical music in kennels stops dogs barking
My suggestion: Cue up the 1812 Overture and aim it at the neighbors with the barking dogs. Or how about Ride of the Valkyries?
No dog control ordinance for Oxford Twp.
Excerpt: [A Township Supervisor] noted that normally, he doesn't believe in creating "excessive ordinances," but he can "empathize" with people disturbed by barking dogs because he has some personal experience with the issue. "I am bothered a lot by barking dogs," he said.
Barking dogs in Brooklyn fined by city
Excerpt: It's rare for New York City to issue citations over a barking dog. But two dogs in Marine Park, Brooklyn, were so loud that an inspector did act.
Both dogs fined live right next door to each other. Owners say the dogs egg each other on.
Hint to New York City: You're overlooking a cash cow that's just waiting to be milked. Start levying those fines. Your taxpaying, peace and quiet-loving residents will thank you.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Well, this sure is the Barking News Roundup that has it all. A neighbor driven to the point of contemplating the final solution to barking noise. Do-nothing law enforcement and clueless public officials. And a city that's missing out on a huge revenue opportunity. While Your Quiet Neighbor does not endorse violence against barking dogs or their owners, I do recommend a trip to the QuietBarkingDogs store. You'll find a nice, quiet array of tee shirts and bumper stickers that get our point across.
Question: Why would killing neighbors barking dogs be considered illegal?
Excerpt: Polite requests from all surrounding neighbors have been ignored and laughed at by morons with caged dogs in back yard. These dogs bark ALL NIGHT long. There is no dog control due to local political incompetence. At this point, we are all at the boiling point. ALL local law enforcement ignores our complaints. I'm about to just take these dogs out.
Tip: This question awaits your response. And be advised that the question's creator says, "[T]o all you self-righteous responders just shut up the pie-hole. Also, we've all tried the useless dog bark stoppers on the market."
Question: Drug Dealer Neighbors With Barking Dogs
Excerpt: My neighbor's dogs wake me up at all hours of the night barking. It is taking its toll on my well being and capacity to work. It's actually a big big problem that is not fixed by ear plugs and multiple sources of white noise. I am literally surrounded by white noise. The big problem? I'm fairly certain they are drug dealers. I have tried to handle the noise in a low key straightforward manner, acting as if they wer not drug dealers. Someone tipped off the landlord though about the barking and they blame me for "tattling".
Tip: Another question that you can respond to. Have at it!
New research: playing classical music in kennels stops dogs barking
My suggestion: Cue up the 1812 Overture and aim it at the neighbors with the barking dogs. Or how about Ride of the Valkyries?
No dog control ordinance for Oxford Twp.
Excerpt: [A Township Supervisor] noted that normally, he doesn't believe in creating "excessive ordinances," but he can "empathize" with people disturbed by barking dogs because he has some personal experience with the issue. "I am bothered a lot by barking dogs," he said.
Barking dogs in Brooklyn fined by city
Excerpt: It's rare for New York City to issue citations over a barking dog. But two dogs in Marine Park, Brooklyn, were so loud that an inspector did act.
Both dogs fined live right next door to each other. Owners say the dogs egg each other on.
Hint to New York City: You're overlooking a cash cow that's just waiting to be milked. Start levying those fines. Your taxpaying, peace and quiet-loving residents will thank you.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Well, this sure is the Barking News Roundup that has it all. A neighbor driven to the point of contemplating the final solution to barking noise. Do-nothing law enforcement and clueless public officials. And a city that's missing out on a huge revenue opportunity. While Your Quiet Neighbor does not endorse violence against barking dogs or their owners, I do recommend a trip to the QuietBarkingDogs store. You'll find a nice, quiet array of tee shirts and bumper stickers that get our point across.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Pit Bull Attack in my Neighborhood!
On Wednesday evening, I was at a neighborhood meeting. Right before it ended, a lady living a couple of blocks away expressed concern about a loose pit bull. The dog had been chasing after bicyclists riding down the street. It has also stalked my neighbor in her yard.
A Tucson police officer was at the meeting, and my neighbor begged him to do something about this dog before someone got hurt. Well, sorry, there wasn't anything that this officer could do. He told my neighbor to call animal control.
Well, guess what happened this morning. The pit bull was loose again. And it attacked my neighbor's house guest while she was on her bicycle.
Call in the cavalry! Here come the police! The paramedics! Animal control!
Oh, did I mention that the dog owners hustled the pit bull into the back seat of their car and drove away? And that this evening, my neighbor and the house guest noticed a moving truck at the dog owners' house? Looks like they're trying to leave this area in a hurry. I can't imagine why.
As a favor to my neighbor, who is a longtime friend, I called the police again. I figured they'd want to know about the dog owners absconding and leaving my neighbor's house guest in the lurch. She's looking at a very painful series of rabies preventative injections, because we don't know if the dog was vaccinated or not.
The police dispatcher told me to call animal control. I did, and let me tell you, the animal control dispatcher couldn't have been any more blase if she tried. Never mind the fact that the owners of a vicious dog are ducking their responsibility and we have a bite victim who may be looking at some substantial bills in addition to her personal pain.
Oh, yes, the dispatcher said she'd notify the officer. But our neighborhood's experience with animal control leaves a great deal to be desired. Their response time is often measured in hours, if not days.
By the time they get here, our irresponsible pit bull owning neighbors will be long gone.
Oh, excuse me. My next door neighbor's pit bull is barking. Again. Same dog I tried to report to animal control a few months ago. I suspected that this dog was unlicensed. Which means that it may not be rabies vaccinated.
And animal control couldn't have cared less.
Refresh my memory: Why are we paying taxes to support animal control?
A Tucson police officer was at the meeting, and my neighbor begged him to do something about this dog before someone got hurt. Well, sorry, there wasn't anything that this officer could do. He told my neighbor to call animal control.
Well, guess what happened this morning. The pit bull was loose again. And it attacked my neighbor's house guest while she was on her bicycle.
Call in the cavalry! Here come the police! The paramedics! Animal control!
Oh, did I mention that the dog owners hustled the pit bull into the back seat of their car and drove away? And that this evening, my neighbor and the house guest noticed a moving truck at the dog owners' house? Looks like they're trying to leave this area in a hurry. I can't imagine why.
As a favor to my neighbor, who is a longtime friend, I called the police again. I figured they'd want to know about the dog owners absconding and leaving my neighbor's house guest in the lurch. She's looking at a very painful series of rabies preventative injections, because we don't know if the dog was vaccinated or not.
The police dispatcher told me to call animal control. I did, and let me tell you, the animal control dispatcher couldn't have been any more blase if she tried. Never mind the fact that the owners of a vicious dog are ducking their responsibility and we have a bite victim who may be looking at some substantial bills in addition to her personal pain.
Oh, yes, the dispatcher said she'd notify the officer. But our neighborhood's experience with animal control leaves a great deal to be desired. Their response time is often measured in hours, if not days.
By the time they get here, our irresponsible pit bull owning neighbors will be long gone.
Oh, excuse me. My next door neighbor's pit bull is barking. Again. Same dog I tried to report to animal control a few months ago. I suspected that this dog was unlicensed. Which means that it may not be rabies vaccinated.
And animal control couldn't have cared less.
Refresh my memory: Why are we paying taxes to support animal control?
Thursday, September 13, 2012
This Week's Barking News Roundup - 09/13/12
Ask A Cop: Can I Call the Police on a Barking Dog?
Question: When can a person call the cops on a neighbor's barking dog?
Answer: We don’t go out on barking dogs at all. It’s a nuisance complaint so we are not going to respond in person. If there is something else going on, like the person can see the dog and it doesn’t have food and water or it is tangled, that would be different. That would be a neglect call. But if it’s simply barking, we won’t respond in person.
Tip: This story is open for comments. A lot of commenters aren't too happy about how the police and animal control are handling this community's chronic barking noise. Follow the above link to share your experience.
Owner of Barking Dogs Receives Conditional Discharge
Excerpt: [That famously irresponsible Tonawanda dog owner] said she learned her lesson as she left Town of Tonawanda Court Wednesday night after a judge handed down a one year conditional discharge instead of sending the 77-year-old to jail for one day. Since 2009, she has been cited by town officials more than 30 times.
On a more positive note...
There are a few police departments that have a more enlightened approach than the one featured in this week's lead story. Here, for your reading pleasure, is the Canby, Oregon Police Department's Barking Dogs page.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Do you wish that your local officials would get a clue about the harm caused by barking dog noise? Well, head over to my QuietBarkingDogs store. It has tee shirts and bumper stickers that quietly and firmly get our point across.
Question: When can a person call the cops on a neighbor's barking dog?
Answer: We don’t go out on barking dogs at all. It’s a nuisance complaint so we are not going to respond in person. If there is something else going on, like the person can see the dog and it doesn’t have food and water or it is tangled, that would be different. That would be a neglect call. But if it’s simply barking, we won’t respond in person.
Tip: This story is open for comments. A lot of commenters aren't too happy about how the police and animal control are handling this community's chronic barking noise. Follow the above link to share your experience.
Owner of Barking Dogs Receives Conditional Discharge
Excerpt: [That famously irresponsible Tonawanda dog owner] said she learned her lesson as she left Town of Tonawanda Court Wednesday night after a judge handed down a one year conditional discharge instead of sending the 77-year-old to jail for one day. Since 2009, she has been cited by town officials more than 30 times.
On a more positive note...
There are a few police departments that have a more enlightened approach than the one featured in this week's lead story. Here, for your reading pleasure, is the Canby, Oregon Police Department's Barking Dogs page.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Do you wish that your local officials would get a clue about the harm caused by barking dog noise? Well, head over to my QuietBarkingDogs store. It has tee shirts and bumper stickers that quietly and firmly get our point across.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Protection From What?
Quite often, you'll hear the owners of barking dogs say that the dogs are there for protection. To which I say: Protection from what?
Around here, there are barking dogs that go ballistic at:
So, again, why all the noise? Is it a way of intimidating the rest of the neighborhood? Offering public proof of what a jerk you are?
To the dogs, I say that you're doing a great job. And the great job you're doing is preventing peace and quiet in the neighborhood.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. If you yearn to walk through your neighborhood without the non-stop barking assault, have I got a store for you! Check out the tee shirts and bumper stickers in my QuietBarkingDogs store.
Around here, there are barking dogs that go ballistic at:
- Joggers
- Walkers
- Bicyclists
- Children heading to or from the school bus stop
- Dogs being walked on leashes, and no, those dogs aren't barking
- People in wheelchairs and motorized scooters
- Families out for a stroll
So, again, why all the noise? Is it a way of intimidating the rest of the neighborhood? Offering public proof of what a jerk you are?
To the dogs, I say that you're doing a great job. And the great job you're doing is preventing peace and quiet in the neighborhood.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. If you yearn to walk through your neighborhood without the non-stop barking assault, have I got a store for you! Check out the tee shirts and bumper stickers in my QuietBarkingDogs store.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Putting Teeth in Dog Licensing Laws
Here in the United States, getting a dog license is easy. You simply pay a certain amount of money to some local governmental entity, and you're issued a tag to attach to your dog's collar.
In many areas, the issuance of a dog license is associated with the animal's rabies vaccination status. So, whenever you take your dog to the vet for that dreaded rabies shot, the license is updated.
Good idea, and it's one that has pretty well eliminated canine-borne rabies in the United States.
Unfortunately, our current system of dog licensing fails to solve another significant problem, and that is the competence of the owner. Far too many lousy dog owners out there.
I'm sure that you've experienced this first-hand.You try to talk to a neighbor about controlling his or her barking dog, and you're met with cluelessness, indifference, or downright hostility.
With education, some of these people could become responsible dog owners. Others? Let's just say that they have no business owning a dog.
I've heard that in other countries, dog licensing laws are much stricter. Take, for example, Switzerland. From what I've been told, you have to take a course at your own expense, then pass a written test, before you can get a dog license.
What's covered in the Swiss course, I don't know. Anyone care to enlighten me?
But it would be easy to include coverage of nuisance barking in a dog licensing course. Just put on a recording of non-stop barking and just let it play. Five minutes, 10 minutes, it doesn't matter. But I think that such a demonstration would make the point about barking dog noise. Then the course could cover the need for training dogs not to bark unnecessarily.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Is your neighborhood full of clueless dog owners? The indifferent types? Or the blatantly hostile? Give them a piece of your mind without raising your voice. Check out the bumper stickers and tee shirts in my QuietBarkingDogs store.
In many areas, the issuance of a dog license is associated with the animal's rabies vaccination status. So, whenever you take your dog to the vet for that dreaded rabies shot, the license is updated.
Good idea, and it's one that has pretty well eliminated canine-borne rabies in the United States.
Unfortunately, our current system of dog licensing fails to solve another significant problem, and that is the competence of the owner. Far too many lousy dog owners out there.
I'm sure that you've experienced this first-hand.You try to talk to a neighbor about controlling his or her barking dog, and you're met with cluelessness, indifference, or downright hostility.
With education, some of these people could become responsible dog owners. Others? Let's just say that they have no business owning a dog.
I've heard that in other countries, dog licensing laws are much stricter. Take, for example, Switzerland. From what I've been told, you have to take a course at your own expense, then pass a written test, before you can get a dog license.
What's covered in the Swiss course, I don't know. Anyone care to enlighten me?
But it would be easy to include coverage of nuisance barking in a dog licensing course. Just put on a recording of non-stop barking and just let it play. Five minutes, 10 minutes, it doesn't matter. But I think that such a demonstration would make the point about barking dog noise. Then the course could cover the need for training dogs not to bark unnecessarily.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. Is your neighborhood full of clueless dog owners? The indifferent types? Or the blatantly hostile? Give them a piece of your mind without raising your voice. Check out the bumper stickers and tee shirts in my QuietBarkingDogs store.
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