Barking Dog Lawsuits

Key point from my county's animal noise complaint process page:

"Complainants may also pursue civil action of their own."

Which raises the question: Can one be successful with such an action? Answer: YES!  

Here are two recent examples from the Pacific Northwest:

1. Disgruntled couple awarded $240,000 from neighbor in DOG BARKING lawsuit after claiming the Tibetan mastiffs caused them a decade of unrest
2. Seattle family may lose house over barking dog

In order to win in civil court, you must prove that you have suffered some sort of harm. Take, for example, your health.

If the barking has caused you to lose sleep to the point where you've become ill, you may be able to recover damages. Here's an Illinois case where that is being attempted.

And here's a Colorado case that's even more egregious. Unfortunately, this man had ineffective legal counsel. Beware of that.

Then there's the financial angle. Has the barking caused you to suffer monetary loss? Is it affecting your ability to do business? You may be able to recover damages.

If you don't think that your barking issue rises to the level of a civil court trial, consider small claims court. This book may be helpful.