Need advice, my dogs and neighbors.

B

Blessed

Well-known Member
I just had a not friendly discussion with the neighbors behind me. My big dog was outside. He was barking as dogs do. I had the back door open and I hear the guy screaming from the fence. So, I go out to bring the dog in, mind you it is 7:30 pm. I do not let the dogs just go nuts, but dogs must go out to potty, get fresh air and run.

I know the guy works nights. I have tried to adjust by keeping the dogs in during the day, now he does not want them to be out at all, he even objects to me calling them in because he hears that to. He says that they just need to go. As far as I am concerned he can just call the city. The dogs are allowed to be out, the noise ordinance is from 7AM to 10PM. My dogs are never out longer than 20 minutes and if they start up I bring them in.

He has shown up on my porch before, throwing a fit. This was just after I had a hip replacement. I am at the door, with a walker and he is just going off. He had a new baby and what/ who in the hell did I think I was. I am and older person who just had a major surgery. I am doing the best I can.

I have never had a complaint about my dogs. My dogs do react to my nextdoor neighbors dogs, they are hounds and howl/bark. They also have a doggie door that allows them to go in and out at will. Maybe some of the problem is from their dogs. I asked the neighbor if this person had come to her house and complained. No, so I think the guy thinks it is all my dogs, because he hears me calling them in.

Why do people think they get to tell others how to live their lives according to what they want? I follow the laws, I have lived here for 30 years and have a good relationship with my neighbors. I am thinking I should go down to the city offices and discuss it with them, see what my rights are and what his are. This yelling and intimidation is not appropriate or acceptable to me. I wonder how he would like it if I threw a fit when his children are older, running and screaming in their back yard. No, that is just a part of life, living in a neighborhood.
 

I'd probably make sure your screen door (if you have one) is locked, pepper spray also close to hand.

BEWARE, It's unlikely, but some pricks will put poison in meatballs Toss them in your yard to kill your dogs.

I'd also get a few cheap cameras to record the interaction and have them submitted to police. If he's making threats, that's enough for the cops.
 
Blessed said:
I just had a not friendly discussion with the neighbors behind me. My big dog was outside. He was barking as dogs do. I had the back door open and I hear the guy screaming from the fence. So, I go out to bring the dog in, mind you it is 7:30 pm. I do not let the dogs just go nuts, but dogs must go out to potty, get fresh air and run.

I know the guy works nights. I have tried to adjust by keeping the dogs in during the day, now he does not want them to be out at all, he even objects to me calling them in because he hears that to. He says that they just need to go. As far as I am concerned he can just call the city. The dogs are allowed to be out, the noise ordinance is from 7AM to 10PM. My dogs are never out longer than 20 minutes and if they start up I bring them in.

He has shown up on my porch before, throwing a fit. This was just after I had a hip replacement. I am at the door, with a walker and he is just going off. He had a new baby and what/ who in the hell did I think I was. I am and older person who just had a major surgery. I am doing the best I can.

I have never had a complaint about my dogs. My dogs do react to my nextdoor neighbors dogs, they are hounds and howl/bark. They also have a doggie door that allows them to go in and out at will. Maybe some of the problem is from their dogs. I asked the neighbor if this person had come to her house and complained. No, so I think the guy thinks it is all my dogs, because he hears me calling them in.

Why do people think they get to tell others how to live their lives according to what they want? I follow the laws, I have lived here for 30 years and have a good relationship with my neighbors. I am thinking I should go down to the city offices and discuss it with them, see what my rights are and what his are. This yelling and intimidation is not appropriate or acceptable to me. I wonder how he would like it if I threw a fit when his children are older, running and screaming in their back yard. No, that is just a part of life, living in a neighborhood.
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Best to go and get official advice on this. This guy is bullying you because you're older and alone.. and he can. Coward..! He has no right to tell you your dogs have to stay in during the day, much less gotten rid of.. it's not your problem he works unsociable hours, he should live far from anyone else if he needs to sleep during the day!
 

Disgustedman said:
I'd probably make sure your screen door (if you have one) is locked, pepper spray also close to hand.

BEWARE, It's unlikely, but some pricks will put poison in meatballs Toss them in your yard to kill your dogs.

I'd also get a few cheap cameras to record the interaction and have them submitted to police. If he's making threats, that's enough for the cops.
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Thanks, I know people who have done the horrible poisoning thing. I lost a dog a few years ago, one of the neighbors put out rat poison, not realizing, I that the rats would carry it somewhere else.

Yes, I agree, I should get some cameras and a cell phone so that I can record him going off on me. I told him to call the city if he wished. He says "you want me to do that"? I told him it was fine by me. He seems to think his wants come in front of others in the neighborhood. His word is law as they say. Funny enough, when I told him to call the city, his wife came out. She must have been listening. She knows he is out of line, knows he can easily get of control. If he wanted peace and quiet, he should have bought a house in the country, not pick on older people that are just living a normal life.
 
hollydolly said:
Best to go and get official advice on this. This guy is bullying you because you're older and alone.. and he can. Coward..! He has no right to tell you your dogs have to stay in during the day, much less gotten rid of.. it's not your problem he works unsociable hours, he should live far from anyone else if he needs to sleep during the day!
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Thank you, he is just a bully! He tells me he has a dog, and it doesn't bark. He also has a cat in the house. I have not seen an animal over there in the 2 years they have been in the house. I do think the best thing for me to do is go down to the city offices and make them aware of the situation in case anything happens.

@Disgustedman , as far as the pepper spray, no, I do not need that. I can just let go of the harness of the 90LB chow. Trust me, he can stun!! He knocks down normal visitors if I do not restrain him. Even when he is behind the gate in the house, people back up right quick. He is not mean, he does not bark when I answer the door, he just stands and looks, that is all it takes.
 
I agree that you should seek legal advice. Sounds like this guy is unreasonable and a bully.

If you are only letting your dogs out temporarily I don't see what he has to complain about. If they are out for extended periods of time, that would be another story.
 
We had the same problem with our Lab and our neighbors red bone hounds ( I think their called). We both bought bark collars off Amazon. They do have a shock setting but we used the beep and vibration settings and that cured all three of the dogs. Never used the shock. He doesn't wear it daily anymore....but he does need a reminder every few months. That in my experience will fix the barking. I don't think you can fix the crabby neighbor.
 
seadoug said:
I agree that you should seek legal advice. Sounds like this guy is unreasonable and a bully.

If you are only letting your dogs out temporarily I don't see what he has to complain about. If they are out for extended periods of time, that would be another story.
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No, they are not out extended periods of time. I leave the house one or two times a week but they are inside when I am not home. The longest would be like 15 or 20 minutes, that is when the weather is nice and they just want to lay on the patio in the sun. Often the next door neighbor dogs will start a rucus with mine if they come out.

They can see mine out and start up, then they are all at the fence line. The neighbors dogs get so worked up they can pull the boards off the wooden fence at the bottom. I have a few large flat rocks over there to keep them from coming through the fence. I am not scared of their dogs, they are just being the type of dogs they are. When my son comes over, I have him go nail the fence back. The boards are always pushed through to my side. There have been times they have gotten to my yard. They have come through a few times over the years. The neighbors always replaced anything their dogs tore up, chair cushions. dog begs. We have no ill feelings. When the fence needed to be replaced their son's did it and I took care of the cost of removal of the old fence.
 
I would call the cops (not 911 but just the local station) next time he decides to come onto your property and go off on you.
Tell the police he's been coming to your door and acting in a very threatening manner and you don't want him to come on your property again. Doesn't matter what his issue is, it's YOUR private property. He is not allowed to even set foot on your property without your permission; period, full-stop!

The police will (at least they should) go speak to him and advise him that if he comes onto your property again, he's trespassing and risks being charged as such.
 
I have NO sympathy with you whatsoever when it comes to inconsiderate neighbors and their infernal barking dogs!! I had that very same problem back in 2002. My family and I literally had to pack up and move and sell our home to escape this barking dog in the side yard right adjacent to us, a very emotionally disturbed pound rescue animal that was left outside 24-7. We spent big money putting in double pane glass windows and doors. Even that did not help the situation. The police and animal control authorities proved to be absolutely worthless. All they did was accentuate the neighbor dispute over the barking. Now, fortunately we don't live close enough to anyone to be an unwitting victim of infernal barking dogs. If you only knew just how upsetting this is to people like me who have hyperacusia, extremely sensitive hearing who become hapless victims of something they absolutely cannot control! Now go ahead and give me all the thumbs down you want!!. I don't effing care! But god help me and anyone who tries making me a victim once again of an infernal barking dog!
 
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Wigglestein said:
We had the same problem with our Lab and our neighbors red bone hounds ( I think their called). We both bought bark collars off Amazon. They do have a shock setting but we used the beep and vibration settings and that cured all three of the dogs. Never used the shock. He doesn't wear it daily anymore....but he does need a reminder every few months. That in my experience will fix the barking. I don't think you can fix the crabby neighbor.
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That might work with one of the small dogs, I have one but have not tried it on him yet. The smallest is about 12lbs., a cheewienie, she is not a big barker, she is old, so no, I won't put her through that. The big dog, being a chow, has a very thick fur around his neck, I don't think he would feel anything.
 
MrPants said:
I would call the cops (not 911 but just the local station) next time he decides to come onto your property and go off on you.
Tell the police he's been coming to your door and acting in a very threatening manner and you don't want him to come on your property again. Doesn't matter what his issue is, it's YOUR private property. He is not allowed to even set foot on your property without your permission; period, full-stop!

The police will (at least they should) go speak to him and advise him that if he comes onto your property again, he's trespassing and risks being charged as such.
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I will go down and speak to the city. I do not want any bad feelings but he needs to know I have rights too. Tonight, he was just yelling at me thru the back fence. I am sure if he does anything else, come to my door or scream thru the fence they will tell me to call. I just want him to understand that we all have rights, that he does not get to dictate his rules to anyone, any neighbor.
 
This is just a shot in the dark, but if it is your neighbor's dogs on the other side being let out at the same time that are causing your dogs to bark would it be possible to develop some sort of schedule for letting them out? Are you close enough to your other neighbors to share what you've been going through and develop a plan?
 
sch404 said:
I have NO sympathy with you whatsoever when it comes to inconsiderate neighbors and their infernal barking dogs!! I had that very same problem back in 2002. My family and I literally had to pack up and move and sell our home to escape this barking dog in the side yard right adjacent to us, a very emotionally disturbed pound rescue animal that was left outside 24-7. We spent big money putting in double pane glass windows and doors. Even that did not help the situation. The police and animal control authorities proved to be absolutely worthless. All they did was accentuate the neighbor dispute over the barking. Now, fortunately we don't live close enough to anyone to be an unwitting victim of infernal barking dogs. If you only knew just how upsetting this is to people like me who have hyperacusia, extremely sensitive hearing who become hapless victims of something they absolutely cannot control! Now go ahead and give me all the thumbs down you want!!. I don't effing care! But god help me and anyone who tries making me a victim once again of an infernal barking dog!
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I don't deny that barking dogs can be an absolute nightmare. When I was a kid, our next door neighbor had two Great Danes and left them outside in the back yard while they traveled. Their back yard was adjacent to my bedroom and that of my parents. We couldn't sleep. Another neighbor opened the gate and when our neighbors returned home they found the dogs miles away in another neighborhood. But I've long since gotten over it.

With that said, this situation seems very different. 20 minutes per day is not being inconsiderate. Also, not sure why you are still so angry.

Anger.jpeg
 
sch404 said:
I have NO sympathy with you whatsoever when it comes to inconsiderate neighbors and their infernal barking dogs!! I had that very same problem back in 2002. My family and I literally had to pack up and move and sell our home to escape this barking dog in the side yard right adjacent to us, a very emotionally disturbed pound rescue animal that was left outside 24-7. We spent big money putting in double pane glass windows and doors. Even that did not help the situation. The police and animal control authorities proved to be absolutely worthless. All they did was accentuate the neighbor dispute over the barking. Now, fortunately we don't live close enough to anyone to be an unwitting victim of infernal barking dogs. If you only knew just how upsetting this is to people like me who have hyperacusia, extremely sensitive hearing who become hapless victims of something they absolutely cannot control! Now go ahead and give me all the thumbs down you want!!. I don't effing care! But god help me and anyone who tries making me a victim once again of an infernal barking dog!
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I totally understand where you are coming from, that is the person I am not or want to be. We had one neighbor, behind us, catty corner. He ran his business from home. He was a carpenter, building custom pieces. His saws ran nonstop, all day long. We both were out of the house or working from home but awake. When my husband got sick with cancer, he would be home days in the bed after chemo. He could not rest/sleep due to the sounds. He knew this was this family's living, and no, he was not allowed by law to run a business like that from home. Did we file a complaint, no, my husband told me to go and get him earplugs. I am very aware of my dog's, I am a good pet owner, I keep them as quiet as possible.

My house was the gathering point for kids during my son's childhood. There was always a lot of noise around here. Should I have I have rehomed my son, treated any child badly? No, kids are kids, dogs are dogs. I am very proactive in taking care of my dogs, being that I have had serious illnesses in my own family. I do not want them to be a nuisance, to destroy anyone's life but I also am not going to rehome them. One of them, the big one, I did not choose to have. He belonged to a dear friend that died of a sudden heart attack. His last words, take care of Bear, I am doing that when no one else would.
 
Blessed said:
That might work with one of the small dogs, I have one but have not tried it on him yet. The smallest is about 12lbs., a cheewienie, she is not a big barker, she is old, so no, I won't put her through that. The big dog, being a chow, has a very thick fur around his neck, I don't think he would feel anything.
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The other thing we have is called the egg. Its made by sunbeam and emits a tone that humans can't hear but dogs can. We use it in our RV when we leave the dogs in there to dine or shop.
 
seadoug said:
This is just a shot in the dark, but if it is your neighbor's dogs on the other side being let out at the same time that are causing your dogs to bark would it be possible to develop some sort of schedule for letting them out? Are you close enough to your other neighbors to share what you've been going through and develop a plan?
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They are still very active, out and about all the time even though retired. That is why they have the dog door for theirs. I tried to tell the guy tonight that some of what he might be hearing are their dogs. I am not the only neighbor that has dogs. There is also one right next door to them. No, he had made up his mind it is only mine because he hears me calling mine in. Other neighbors don't call their dogs in, they just wait for the dust to settle, once mine are in the others quiet down as there is no one to fuss at thru the fence.

After his first confrontation, at my door, I have been afraid, I do not sleep at night anymore. I now sleep during the day, so the dogs are in. I hate it, it is an emotional thing to my mind. I have seen the doctor, been given many types of sleeping pills to help me get back to normal. The whole thing has got me so messed up I am sick over it.
 
Wigglestein said:
The other thing we have is called the egg. Its made by sunbeam and emits a tone that humans can't hear but dogs can. We use it in our RV when we leave the dogs in there to dine or shop.
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I will look it up and see if it something that be help, but again, I am home most of the time, I an aware what the dogs are doing. I keep the back door open when they are out so I can hear them if they are acting up so I can call them in.

Maybe it is my voice that is more annoying calling, than it is the dogs barking LOL
 
RadishRose said:
No, that's not a good idea. It's a risk to your dog physically and maybe legally.
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No, I would not do that, but if someone tries to physically push past the door without my permission I would do so. I do not keep a gun in the house but this dog is a source of protection. He is not of any danger as far as I know but he has never been put in the position to have to protect me. He sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed, the two littles sleep on the bed. One of the littles, I know he will bite if I am frightened. He has to be put away in a room if the plumber comes. The other little 12 lbs, will bark non stop if a stranger is in the house but will not bite. Someone will alert me if something is going on outside. At this point I have a 20lb terrier, I know will bite, the 90lb chow is just a physical deterrent, scary to look at, I don't think anyone outside would even go past the bark. That alone is frightening enough LOL. In truth, he is the gentle giant you want to own.
 
Since he does hear you from inside of his house, your voice can be an issue especially at night.
You could instead use an inexpensive dog clicker training device, and just click it to alert your dogs to come in.

Here's a chow chow barking. <-- This one's just a puppy. They are loud.
Also, chows can be quite unpredictable and dangerous so it's best to not let him get loose.
Due to it's historically dangerous nature, the chow chow is on 95% of insurance company's banned lists. <--

I've had two dogs, the first one a 70# black lab / rhodesian ridgeback mix, then after that one passed away a 35# short haired mix that I'm convinced was an angel. Both of them were outside 24/7 summer and winter. Neither one of them barked in the back yard at other dogs nor at the neighbors, because I trained them not to do that. Dogs are easy to train, but you need to know how to do it while being diligent and consistent.

If you can't take care of your pets responsibly without annoying the neighbors, then you shouldn't have pets.
 
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Blessed, unlike my 2002 neighbors, you sound like a decent enough person, but I suspect it is a fortunate thing that we are not next door neighbors. I hope you can work out a 'solution' with your 'crazy' neighbor. The only thing that may be separating me and him is I had the resources to sell our home and just move away. Your neighbor may not be in a position to do that. People who feel 'trapped' in an unpleasant inescapable situation may do all kinds of unpredictable desperate things, things that end up in the newspaper and on local TV news. As for me, I don't like to live dangerously. I don't like to cause other people misery and heartache. I prefer to live in harmony with the world. I definitely don't like ending up on the local TV news! Good luck to you in the meantime!
 

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