This Week's Barking News Roundup - 10/25/13

Should dog barking really be a punishable crime?

Excerpt: [A]nimal control in League City says that her "children" are breaking the law by barking too loud!

To which I say: The dog owner needs to grow up. For one thing, her dogs are NOT children. They're dogs. Always have been. Always will be.

For another thing, dog ownership is a privilege, not a right. As part of this privilege, a dog owner must manage his/her dogs so that they are not a nuisance to others. That includes keeping the barking noise from becoming a public disturbance.

Can't handle these responsibilities? Then don't have a dog. It's that simple.

Barking dogs just beginning of the problem

Excerpt: I ask you then, if a dog barks loudly and obnoxiously for a few minutes at 2:30 a.m. and wakes up the neighborhood, is that a valid complaint that should trigger a violation? According to animal control, the answer is, probably not. I was told there should be “tolerance” on my part, and it seems like they make the decision as to what is tolerable.

To which I say: As long as animal control is funded by taxpaying humans, then humans should come first.

Fines for dog barking low in Brisbane City despite thousands of complaints

Excerpt: BARKING dogs are driving thousands of complaints across Brisbane but just three infringement notices have been issued last financial year by Brisbane City Council.

Woman faces losing barking dog

Excerpt: Three nearby neighbours have complained to council saying the dog barks for more than 30 minutes at a time between midnight and 5.30am, causing disruption to their sleep.

I’m Calling About a Barking Dog

Excerpt: In those dark predawn hours the delicate stillness of our treasured sanctuary would often be replaced by the shrill continual barking of a small dog, quickly followed by an angry chorus of shouts and threats by abruptly awakened neighbors. This boisterous interchange between man and dog would continue for upward of 45 nerve-shattering minutes.

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