Protection Dogs

It's 3:21 a.m. and here I am at the computer.

Why? Same dogs as two nights ago. They're barking their heads off. Again.

I don't know their owners, and, quite frankly, I don't want to. Why not? Because they're probably going to tell me that they have the robo-barkers for protection.

And you know what? Those dogs are doing a great job! They're preventing the following:

1. Peace and quiet
2. A good night's sleep for the neighbors

Protection, my ass.

Oh, if those dogs were barking at a prowler, hell, that crook left the neighborhood an hour ago.

And the barking continues.

Soundtrack for Another Night of Ruined Sleep

Live! From the neighbors' yard! Here it is!

Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark! Bark-bark!

I might add that it has been a rainy night in Tucson. Which has been made worse by the neighbors' inability to open the door and let their dogs back into the house.

Goodbye and Good Riddance to Mediation!

Our local newspaper just shared this wonderful news:

Pima Animal Care drops barking dog mediation contract

Quoting from the story:

“Reviewing five years of ‘barking’ complaints we could demonstrate no decrease in the number of complaints or related citations that correlated in any way with our contract expenditures in this area,” Health Department Director Dr. Francisco Garcia wrote in a July 8 letter.

So, there you have it. The health department director is admitting that barking dog mediation was a waste of taxpayer dollars. Here's hoping that other jurisdictions come to the same conclusion.

Not that I'm against mediation. It does work when both parties are interested in achieving a positive result. For barking dog disputes? Uh-uh.

In these cases, the mediation involves a perpetrator (owner of the robo-barking dog) and a victim (the neighbor who's on the receiving end of the noise).

In other words, it's bullying.

And you can't mediate with bullies. You need to use the power of law enforcement -- and civil and criminal penalties -- to get the bullying to stop.

My previous posts on this topic:

1. Mediation: The Non-Solution
2. The Futility of Mediation

Barking Dogs and Lawsuits

Speak to any personal injury lawyer, and you'll learn that dog bite cases are their bread and butter.

Barking dog cases? They're pretty rare.

However, that may be changing. Here's a case from Illinois:

Barking Dog Drove Up Sleep-Deprived Old Lady’s Blood Pressure: Lawsuit

Quoting from the story:

[The plaintiff] "has a right to the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of her condominium,” the suit said, but the barking dog is depriving her of that. So she wants at least $50,000."

I hope she wins.