Started this day with the sound of barking during the 4 a.m. hour. Memo to the neighbors who left their dogs out: Did it ever occur to you that other people might be trying to sleep? Just sayin'...
White Sulphur Council puts a leash on barking dog ordinance
Excerpt: [A council member] said she has concerns about the clarity of the new ordinance’s wording, citing its failure to define what constitutes an acceptable level of noise or to place a time limit on dogs’ vocalizations.
[The council member] also noted that in looking at similar ordinances from other municipalities, she had discovered that some require written complaints from multiple sources to avoid the possibility of a person with a grudge using the law to harass a neighbor.
To which I say: Here we go again. The grudge meme. It's about time that this one received the proper burial that it richly deserves.
Why? Because I know of very few cases where a neighbor has a grudge, and then decides to complain about the barking.
Most of the time, it's a matter of having barking force-fed into your residence, you try to talk to your neighbor about the problem, the neighbor does nothing, and you turn to the law for help. And the law is of no help.
The grudge meme and the multiple household rule is just another way in which officialdom dodges the responsibility of protecting their constituents from the negative effects of unwanted noise.
Want an ordinance that works? Here's what Dr. Craig Mixon, creator of the BarkingDogs.net website, has to say on this subject.
The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion.
Got clueless officials in your town? Help them see the point of our movement via the shirts and stickers in the QuietBarkingDogs store.
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