Ok, This May Be A Stretch, But...

In my humble garden, I have a menagerie of wildlife, insects, and you name it, but it often seems that my biggest Garden Foe is the 2 legged Homo Sapiens - the Rudis cultivar. Don't get me wrong, I love people and am convinced that most are good, but the hand full of bad ones can make a lot of trouble...

I work in a stressful profession (who doesn't). My garden is my paradise. It's a place where I can exercise my body, relax my mind, breath fresh air, absorb a little sunshine, and enjoy the wonders of nature. But now my sanctuary has been invaded...

Incredibly, my neighbors have decided to tie their dog up in the backyard and, I don't believe that he has stopped barking since. I live in the "city" (not Miami standards, of course). Lots here average 1/4 to 1/2 acre, so their backyard and their endlessly barking dog are practically IN my garden. It feels like he's barking directly in my ear. And, no kidding, he barks the whole time I'm in my garden, endlessly...for hours and hours and painful hours...And he's one of those little dogs with the shrill, high pitch, ear shattering bark.

I don't want to start a feud, but I think it is awfully rude of them to leave their barking dog outside to ruin the serenity of the neighborhood, and, frankly, I know that I can't possibly listen to that sound all summer. What to do?

Did you try talking to the neighbors ? Maybe they do not know the dog is annoying, some folks are clueless. If they do not care do you have an home owners association ? If you do maybe your deed restrictions have a clause in them or the deed enforcers can do something .
Or maybe your town or county has laws about nuisance barking ? If none of the above and the dog has the ability to move around the side of the house you could do what I had to do once.
Buy an ultrasonic noise generator. Here's the one I used
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=RB1
Some might say its mean because it hurts dogs ears so they will move away from it. In my case the dog moved to the side of the house where his barking was not as annoying to me. If this dog has no place to hide from the noise do not do this as you would be torturing the dog.

I would definitely look into your municipal bylaw situation. Most have noise regulations, regardless of the source (animals, cars, sound equipment, yelling...) In my city, they have established noise levels and times of day, and when these are exceeded there is an infraction. They even have devices to measure the decibel level of the noise.

But I would certainly talk nicely to your neighbours first, as kwetz wisely suggests. Good luck!

PS A friend of mine has a cottage on a river in a remote area near here, a haven in nature, that was recently noise-invaded by people who bought a nearby farmhouse and sit outside drinking beer with a huge sound system pounding out heavy metal all day and into the night. He's thinking of moving :-(

Thank you kwetz and andycdn for your support and suggestions. You are both right. Each time I try to brainstorm solutions to this problem, I keep coming back to the same realization - even though talking to them directly is the most difficult and risky solution, it is the right place to start. I know that if I were doing something to annoy my neighbors I would hope that they would tell me directly 1st, and give me a chance to fix it.

Still it's very hard for me to go over and talk with them about it. I don't want to make them angry. We don't "hang out together" or anything, but they have been very good neighbors. After my knee surgery they started doing little things to help out: bringing my trash can back from the curb, edging my front yard periodically, and even mowing the lawn a few times. They never called attention to what they were doing; they just did it and left - like elves had come by in the night. I was in SO much pain, and it was so heart-warming to walk out and find my front lawn pristine and manicured, edged to perfection. Having the lawn done was worth a million, having neighbors who cared enough to do it was priceless.

When I mentioned rudeness in the opening post, I was mostly venting. My dog stays indoors, but when we are outside, I never let him bark because I don't want him to annoy the neighbors. So it's hard for me to understand that other people may not realize that a barking dog is potentially annoying. But you are right; we all have different values and different views of what is and isn't problematic. Oh, and the dog IS EVEN bothering THEM. Last Saturday they slammed the door shut angrily after listening to hours of barking.

I had thought about the HOA and city ordinance but knew that (in my situation) it would be wrong to take such action without talking to them 1st - and I'm afraid to do that so ...I keep going around the same circle.

BTW, when I say the dog is barking constantly, I'm serious. I have never, ever seen anything like it. He doesn't stop for a single 5min period of silence. (They take him in at night, but that doesn't help me much; I have good insulation and can't hear him from inside.)

kwetz, your idea about the "sound" device peaked my interest, but the dog is tied to a stake in the center of the backyard.

andycdn, my heart goes out to your friend with the cottage. That is so aweful. When faced with the prospect of listening to the dog bark for the entire summer, I have even thought about moving - but then I realize that's an extreme place to start.

At this point, I'm willing to offer to BUY them a "barking" collar for the dog. I just want the solitude of my garden restored. I spend so much time out there that I can tell from sound alone when a cardinal or a chickadee or a hummer is nearby. The chickadees are easy. The cardinal's are my newest realization; they make a clicking sound. I do so enjoy that part of the gardening experience.

Thanks again for your support

Something to consider. The barking of dogs is often from separation anxiety. Dogs are pack animals and they need the owner (pack) around all the time. When they are left behind it is a true panic attack to some. Video tape and leave the video on the porch with a note asking them to help their dog with his "panic" that happens when ever they leave. Direct their effort to "assisting" their dog to recovery. IE veterinarian, Anxiety drugs, Crate training,Separation training. The best most effective is to get another dog. Can that dog play with yours? would you let him be in your yard. Is it fenced. Become his friend and he will stop barking.

Hi Soferdig,

Your idea has great merit and shows both creative problem solving and concern for animals. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of those very well meaning families who acquire a dog because the kids "want" it, and then the kids quickly loose interest. The dog is a Shitzu mix. They don't train him at all, and he is vicious. He snarls menacingly, teeth bared, fangs showing, everytime he gets near me, and I don't doubt that he would bite me if he got the chance.

They have another dog who stays outside, too (a pit bull which, ironically, is friendly and quiet). Most of the time when the Shitzu is barking, someone IS home. I'm pretty sure he's barking because he wants to be let back inside with them (where he is accustomed to being).He can't come over and be friends with me and play with my dog because he lacks social skills, hates me and my dog, and is generally quite vicious. (I don't blame him, however; I understand that he is that way largely because no one teaches him how to behave.)

Luckily, today (for a change) he spent most of the day inside. Ahh, sweet silence restored.

Pitbulls are often wonderful dogs. I love most of them to pieces. German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, and Huskies/Malamutes/Samoyeds I'm generally not too keen on but I have run into a few I liked. I've got kids here and as a rule of thumb, I'd take in 5 Pitbulls before I'd take in one German Shepherd.

I've been watching this thread and have been very thankful that my one neighbor who routinely leaves her five barking dogs outside... only does so for about an hour at a stretch on and off through out the day when we normally aren't home. Her dogs are very loud and very annoying and they sometimes get so riled up they fight amongst themselves. At least once a year I run over through the understory with the tops of my garbage cans to create a distraction to stop her dogs from fighting and... she always thanks me. I don't say anything because first off- her dogs are all good with people and kids. They have drawn blood on each other and she has had to have a few of her dogs treated for abscesses BUT.... they've never shown aggression toward people. Saving grace for her because her one dog can scale the fence and comes all the way over here to say 'Hi" a few times a year. It's some sort of a real expensive black water dog with a white patch on its chest thingie that she shows for obedience of all things.

These are nice dogs, obnoxiously loud but nice. If there was a situation where their dogs were outside all the time, I'd go talk to them and if they didn't change their ways we have ordinances here and most people get real cooperative after a few visits and associated fines.

Your situation is different. Sofer will correct me if I am wrong but, I believe they are actually making the dog worse by leaving it on a chain all day long. I am relatively sure I know myself well enough to know that I would have gone out and bought a no-bark collar to give to them but... you don't have a decent dog next door. What you wrote about the dog changes the whole game plan in my opinion. I guess with what you've said, I'd go over and talk to them and ask them to either put up a fence (if this is allowed by your HO association) or to please keep the dog inside whenever you are out and about working outside. I would talk to them about it. They have to know the dog is out there barking its fool head off all day long and they have to know it has some aggressive tendencies.

Although I am probably going to get jumped for this, some dogs are just no good and need to be humanely destroyed and you might just have one next door. I've seen the most docile dogs go absolutely psycho when someone tried to take a chew toy away from them or got their hand too close to their bowl. I’ve seen people get bit trying to separate fighting dogs and I’ve seen other people rushing in to help someone who got bit get bitten themselves. Dogs like that have no place in a home with human beings- they are the equivalent of leaving a loaded gun on a coffee table in the family room. Evidently these owners aren't willing to have their dog evaluated or take the dog to any training classes and years will go by with this dog being chained up outside and one day... the chain will give or the owner will be in a rush and not realize the collar isn't connected to the chain and somebody is going to get hurt. That dog will get loose; it's only a matter of time. You don't really have a barking dog problem here which most people will put up with, you have safety concerns here and those generally aren't negotiable in my humble opinion. If I could put up a fence, I’d go that route first to avoid having issues with a neighbor. If a fence was not feasible, I’d have to go and lay it out on the line for them and let them know that the dog obviously hates you and that you are worried. Best for you to go and talk to them now. If they don't cooperate, send your husband/wife over there to talk to them. If that doesn't work, send them something in the mail outlining your concerns and send it registered mail as well as common carrier and cc your City and animal control. Create a paper trail. I must admit that neighbor or no neighbor, if I had that next door to me and my kids I'd be contacting the police if they did not cooperate and I wouldn't particularly care about "appearances" or being neighborly. Bringing in your garbage cans and cutting your lawn a few times shouldn't give that dog "immunity".

Hi Equlibrium,

They don't seem to know that dogs can be told what to do. I'm serious. They never tell the Shitzu to be quiet. The pit bull literally drags them down the street when they walk him, and they think it's just because he has so much energy. A few times they've walked the Shitzu over on a leash when I'm in the front yard. When he threatens to rip me apart they laugh and say something about how cute he is. He has "little dog syndrome". Because he is so small and furry and cute, they don't seem to think he is a real threat to anyone. Oh, and when I say he hates everyone - he hates the pit bull, too. They have to be kept apart, not because of the pit bull, but because of the Shitzu.

I've never had any dealing with pit bulls before, so I was influenced by all the negative press they get. At 1st I was afraid of the pit bull, but have now learned that he is big teddy bear. I speak to him when I'm working near "his" area. The biggest problem with the pit bull is (again no training at all) he's SO hungry for affection and so powerful, he all but knocks me down trying to give me a big sloppy "kiss". To me this is ironic because the Shitzu "looks" like the teddy bear and the pit bull looks like the one that would rip my limbs off.

My cottage garden where I spend most of my quality gardening time is behind a privacy fence; however, I do have 100's of plants in the side and front yards where I am exposed while working.

Thanks for all the support. If this persists (yesterday they took the barking dog inside), I will have to speak with them about it. When it comes to polite, assertive confrontation I am spineless. (I can be cordial with friends, and I can aggressively attack enemies, but I have trouble with anything between the 2 extremes.)

I'm pretty milktoast too so don't feel bad. I will avoid "polite assertive conversation" in favor of taking any action I can take myself if at all possible because ultimately there will exist hard feelings. The only time I have the capacity to go jugular would be over a situation that could potentially threaten my kids or my pets. I didn't used to be that way but I guess becoming a parent changes us all.

I think you know where you stand with them-

Sorry scuttler but I'd start the process of nipping this in the bud before somebody gets hurt. A home is one of those things that has doors with people coming and going. What are you going to do when that Shitzu slips out by accident and high tails it over to your place to confront you or your dog? Remember, it's been on a leash and now has some barrier issues that it would probably like to address. How fast can you run with that recent knee surgery? What are you going to do if it goes after your dog, stand there with tears streaming down your face? I've had a neighbor's little "drop kick"/"toilet bowl scrubber without a handle" dog stick hundreds of stitches in one of mine in my own back yard while I was standing there and my dog was in the tri-pod position trying to go poop. That thing got my dog in the throat and wouldn't let go in my own back yard. I should have never ignored the warning signs. They were pretty good about not letting their dog out when we had ours out to do their duty but one day there was an accident and she must not have seen me out there with my dog. My dog was well over 100 pounds but was non aggressive. She didn't even know what hit her when she was attacked. Something to consider, accidents happen. I'm sure your neighbors are nice people and all but they sure are acting irresponsibly by not getting that dog some training and by leaving it out to become even more crazed as time goes on. That dog is an accident waiting to happen and don't underestimate the damage those teeth in that little dog can do.

My last comments are this: People bred the dogs that created this type of dog. (probably inbred) People brought home someone that they chose not to care for, People chose to chain an animal, who is altered in its mind, with the chain. I would befriend and train the dog with, 1.every time you come out he gets a treat, 2.maybe play classical music, 3.pray for the dog to have release from his imprisionment. Can you imagine being a veterinarian who has to deal with this kind of person every day. The animal suffers too often.
And because of that you suffer also. I'm sorry.

The sad reality is that scuttler's neighbors will not change and I would stake odds they certainly won't go out of their way to attempt to work with that dog. It ain't gonna happen. Their vet could talk to them until he is blue in the face about getting that dog off that leash and how that dog needs to be "socialized" and they won't expend the time or the energy to do anything but continue linking it up outside. So I suppose scuttler could "train" the dog by playing light rock or classical music and toss goodies out to the dog every time he/she goes outside but.... will the next person have goodies to throw at the dog? Will the dog begin associating doggie cookies as rewards for aggressive behavior add negative attention seeking behaviors to its current repertoire in the hopes of getting even more cookies? If the cookie does work, will the next person who is forced to interact with this dog such as a little kid on his skateboard on the sidewalk out side the front of their home have a cookie to throw at it? How about the elderly couple talking a walk at dusk or how about the mom with the human infant in the stroller right at face level with this little dog if it ever gets loose? Will they have cookies to throw at the dog? Training needs to be reinforced on a regular basis and the neighbors don't strike me as being the type to "reinforce" anything. It's too easy to chain it up outside- out of sight... out of mind.

People brought home a dog (not a someone) that they see no need to care for other than to feed it and give it lots of fresh air. Care??? Does that involve more than feeding an animal, giving it water, and taking it to a vet every once in a while??? Now there's a concept, care does involve more than feeding and watering a dog and taking it to the vet every once in a while. I don't think scuttler's neighbors will ever grasp the concept that it was their responsibility to meet all of this dogs needs. These people choose to chain that animal most probably because they want it out of their house because they can't put up with the incessant barking and they do now have a need to keep their two dogs separated. The chain has made this animal far more aggressive and I suspect the damage is irreversible and sooner or later someone will get hurt.

I don't think it so much matters how this dog came to be the way it is and it most certainly is not the dog's fault whether it be the result of inbreeding or not but the fact remains that the dog is on a leash and is being alienated from its family while the other dog is inside and it can't currently get to what it wants to chew up (scuttler and the Pittbull) and this is a very bad situation. Barrier issues are some of the worst to address and they result in some of the nastiest injuries to humans and the humans who get nailed are generally little kids who think a dog like that is oh so cute and chomp... they get bit right in the face or the backs of their legs when they try to run away. When dogs come in to the shelters like this they were often moved to foster homes to better determine if they would ever be adoptable or not.

And, sofer is right. His job sucks when he has to deal with irresponsible animal owners because it will ultimately be the dog that suffers for a long time before it pays... with its life.

Amen. Equil

Can't you insist that such dogs be muzzled during their Dr's visits?

BTW, I think you guys must be talking to my neighbors. Since my 1st post of this thread, the dog has spent almost no time outside. Furthermore, lately, if I go outside (and stay) while he is out there, they take him in (and restore the wonderful quiet I love so much).

Ok, fess up, who's been talking to the neighbors?

Maybe you could somehow thank them for being so considerate and kind of slip in that you were somewhat terified of the dog? It's always a good thing to positively reinforce good behavior whether it be in a dog or in a child or.... in a Y chromosome (sorry sofer had to slip that in). I suspect that one of your neighbors got fed up and told them they were going to shoot the dog if they didn't shut it up. On the other hand, the possibility exists that they are keeping a tight rein on it because it bit somebody and it's on rabies watch. Now isn't that a cheerful thought. Say, any chance your husband got fed up and went over and talked to her husband and said something to the effect of "enough's enough"? That would be something my husband would do if provided with an opportunity.

No, I'm pretty sure no one from this house said anything. But they do have another family on the other side who also spend a fair amount of time outside on the weekends. Anyhow, I LIKE your idea about taking advantage of the opportunity to get the point across with a compliment. Smooth. :)

Let me know how it goes. Since you are very grateful that they are keeping the dog out of your face, I suspect your sincereness will show through when you compliment them so all should go smooth.

the power of prayer Scutler. Thank you friend in the heavens.

Tell them to watch "The Dog Whisperer" lol. its a great show. I understand what you are going thru-My next door neighbor had a dog that constantly barked at a squirrel-for 4 hours straight right next to out property line. Everyday, and they did nothing. It was awful because I was outside working all the time, and I hate the sound of a dog barking a lot anyway. I have 2 dogs and they only get to bark to let me know someone is here, and thats it. One neighbor moved away because of that dog- and I heard another yell " Shut that f...ing dog up one Sunday afternoon.
Anyway, they killed the dog . One of the kids put him in a van thinking they were going in that car, and they took another car, and it was a hot summer day and the dog died. It was freaky-as much as I hated hearing that dog, it was upsetting to think of him in there all day.
Some people shouldn't have dogs, or perhaps they should learn more about who is in charge.
Now they have a jack russell that chases cars and has already gotten hit once, and she just stands there and watches him do it. What can you do??

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. Spring is here and the garden is growing in leaps and bounds - as are the weeds. I can't keep up.

I've mentioned the Dog Whisperer (LOVE that show) several time to no avail. I can tell from the bored look I get that it's not going to happen.

Thankfully, they haven't been leaving the little Horror outside lately. It's probably too hot.

I started a new thread today regarding a frightful incident: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/595340/
It relates in some ways to this thread - same players. And, Equilibrium, if you are out there please check it out. It tells of the very events you foretold above - and I must add that I thought unlikely, but I was wrong.

Scutler
I wish you best of luck..last year we had a neigbor with a boxer that had the same issues as the little dog you mentioned..then they got another one...but unlike the older one, I was at least able to befriend the puppy and was able to comfort/correct her when she got lonely..as can only be expected when chained out for 10+ hours a day. With this kind of history, I'd say these people are clueless, and while I would agree that pit bulls are what you make them, not mindless killers, I would be afraid that these people wouldn't know how to even recognize, let alone correct budding aggressiveness..I would certainly contact animal control at this point..that dog was on YOUR property, and the level of concern shown (from what I read in your other post) was lacking any responsibility...shame that the dog that will probably lose out is the pit, who sounds like he just needs some obedience and not the pint-sized terror.
BTW, I learned that where we lived wasn't in city limits, and there was nothing short of civil court that I could do for the noise. best of luck to you...

Thanks, artemiss, I'm wrestling with what to do but know that I cannot ignore this. I do live in city limits. I'm taking my dog to the vet today and will talk with the vet about the issue for guidance on what to do. The vet's office has advised that I call and discuss with animal control also.