Friday, February 22, 2013

This Week's Barking News Roundup - 02/22/13

Laws prohibit annoying, barking dogs

Excerpt: I moved to my present home last September. My next door neighbor, who seems very nice, has four rescue dogs that bark all day long. They bark at me, at passersby, or just bark at nothing. At first, it mildly bothered me but now it’s driving me crazy.

The advice given to this bark-beleaguered  person is typical. Talk to the neighbor. (Might as well talk to a brick wall.) Try mediation. (Equally useless.) Call the police at their non-emergency number. (Which means that you'll get a response when hell freezes over.)

 Want to offer your own advice? Click the above link to comment on the article.

Pretty short News Roundup this week. But, as far as people wishing to live in peace getting any sort of help, it's the same-old same-old. Had enough? Don't yell at the barking dogs. Or their owners. You'll just lose your voice and add more noise pollution to your neighborhood. Instead, why not try the tee shirts and bumper stickers in the QuietBarkingDogs store. They'll get your point across. Quietly.

Friday, February 15, 2013

This Week's Barking News Roundup - 02/15/13

Happy Day After Valentine's Day! My Day After started bright -n- early during the 3 a.m. hour. 

Special shout-out to those thoughtless neighbors who left their bellowing hounds out to awaken the whole neighborhood. How, pray tell, do you manage to sleep through the noise? Because we sure can't!

And, now, without any further ado, let's get to our weekly dose of barking idiocy...

Council asks owner to quiet barking dogs

Excerpt: [A neighbor] said the barking isn’t every day and isn’t all of the time, but he said he’d heard the dogs bark for 14 hours straight.

“We’re just asking for respect,” said another neighbor. “They bark constantly.”

To which I say: Sorry, neighbors, but expecting respect from officialdom and the dogs' owner is a vain hope. Because there's nothing more important than allowing dogs to pump their non-stop barking noise pollution into your homes.

Barking dogs annoy neighbors

Excerpt: I hope you can help me. We have a neighbor who raises beagles. I’ve called the authorities for the past three years about their barking. Apparently they don’t care.

Tip: This story is followed by the usual excuses from an animal non-control officer. And it's open for comments. Follow the above link to share yours.

In conclusion, I'd like to share my recent experience at the library:

I was bicycling across the parking lot and aiming toward the bike rack when a nasty-barking German Shepherd mix took umbrage to my presence. It was in the back of a pickup and didn't appear to be tied up. It also did the nasty barking thing at several people walking near -- but not next to -- the truck.

So, I locked my bike to the rack and went into the library. Told the front desk about the nasty-barker and the lady said she'd mention it to the security guard.

Well, I spotted the guard and I told him about the dog. Another patron pointed out the owner.

Guard went over and spoke to him, he wasn't happy about being told to restrain the dog, so he went outside and got in his truck and left.

Here's the good part: The guard came over and thanked me.

Why? Because dogs are not to be unattended on library property. I said that if the dog got out of the truck and attacked somebody, it would be Pima County's problem.*

He agreed.

_______________

*The ultimate liability for a dog attack would rest with us, the taxpayers of Pima County, Arizona.

Friday, February 8, 2013

This Week's Barking News Roundup - 02/08/13

Neighbors bring feud over barking dogs to City Hall

Excerpt: The neighbor, however, said his bedroom was only about 11 feet away from the family’s barking dogs. He said the dogs made more noise than the family admitted. He said he had post-traumatic stress disorder and the barking dogs had adversely affected his health, leading to more stress. His medication had to be increased, he said. “I can’t stand it,” he told the commission.

Tip: This news story is open for comments. Follow the above link to add yours.

Barking Dogs Put on Curfew


Excerpt: The dogs were declared a nuisance in June after several neighbors complained about barking.

Tip: This news story is open for comments via Facebook. Log in and give 'em a piece of your mind.

How to Handle Noisy Neighbors & Dogs

Excerpt: There is nothing more infuriating than to constantly have noise created by your neighbor or their dog(s) invade your home. It completely ruins a person’s ability to listen to music, watch a movie, read a book, meditate, study for a class, work on a speech, take a nap, and countless other things. If you are reading this because you are experiencing a noise problem right now, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Tip: This blog post includes PDF and Word versions of letters that you can send to the neighbors. Here's hoping that they will open and read them, and then apply their reading comprehension skills to solving the barking noise problem.

The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. In addition to sending letters, you can also send a message when you're out and about. Check out the QuietBarkingDogs store. Clothing and bumper stickers that quietly make your point.

Friday, February 1, 2013

This Week's Barking News Roundup - 02/01/13

Judge bars vet's barking service dog

Excerpt: A judge barred a combat veteran attending a trial from bringing his service dog into a Detroit courthouse after the miniature poodle barked at jurors.

You'll love this part of the story: "The dog, prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder, has been trained to bark when strangers approach."

Which means this poodle must be a non-stop yapping machine. After all, there are a lot of strangers out there.

From the TWBNR Advice Column Department, we have this question:

my neighbor has her dog tied up about 10 feet from my childs window. the stupid thing sits out there and barks 24/7..ive called the cops...they do nothing..left the neighbor notes...im at my wits end....any other suggestions?

Tip: This discussion is open for comments. Follow the above link to add yours.

The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. If you think that service dogs serve best when they don't engage in needless barking, check out the QuietBarkingDogs store. Clothing and bumper stickers that noiselessly get the point across.