It's still polution!

In a day that being "green" has become hip, and environmentalism has become popular. It's scary to think that one pollution is looked at as not being at all important. One that affects millions of people everyday, some without any knowledge of the ill affects it has on them. A pollution so blatantly obvious, but so easily dismissed.

I'm speaking of noise pollution. Of course noise pollution comes in so many forms, including, vehicles, people, excessively loud music (especially bass), and my least favorite, nuisance barking dogs. As detrimental to a persons health, as noise pollution is, it is not taken as seriously as other forms of pollution. But if it were to be taken more seriously, I believe it could have an amazing impact on society. People naturally are less stressful in more peaceful surroundings. With reduced, or no noise pollution, people are able to think more clearly, and be more creative. There is just more enjoyment in life, one that comes only with some silence.

Unfortunately for myself, I don't live in that world. I have just came inside from listening to my neighborhoods dogs, barking at nothing. No robbers, no trespassers, no noises, aside from other dogs barking. Also, no owners around to get their dogs to stop barking.

Thankfully for now, our close proximity barking dog nuisance has been lessened. But the neighborhood is still full of nuisance dogs. As I listened in horror to the dogs, I thought; am I the only one that cares, do any of the other neighbors go crazy from hearing the dogs bark non-stop. I hope not.

I just pray to have a more quiet peaceful home in the near future. One without so many inconsiderate neighbors. Probably one without neighbors would be better. I guess I can just hope and pray.

Response from Animal Services

I received a promising response from my local animal services. The person I have been working with, has been very good about responding to my emails. She also makes it a point to confirm receipt of any complaints. It gives me some solace thinking that the person I am working with, at animal services, cares about my situation.

It's easy to dismiss noise pollution, or in this instance a barking dog, as a minor problem. But it is so far from a minor problem. When my wife, locks herself in the bathroom, with the fan on high in tears, because of the constant barking, I think there is a major problem. You would think that this type of emotional response might be reserved for traumatic experiences, like a terrifying storm, or maybe a prowler in the neighborhood. The reality is, nuisance noise can drive a person to go crazy, literally. My wife and I are now at the point, that when we hear a dog bark anywhere, we physically cringe. It's upsetting to know, a dog, has conditioned us to respond to barking in such a way.

I've been reaching out to the online community, and am finding more and more horror stories every day. As I have been reaching out, I thought, "How many of us, would it take, to make some change in how nuisance dog barking were taking more seriously". The only number I could come up with was 1 million. It seems to be a magic number. The million man march, 1 million dollars, and in this case, I believe 1 million of us that are fighting for the rights of humans, might be enough to have an impact on this problem.

Of course reaching 1 million people that are all in agreement with my cause, might be far fetched, but I figure it's a goal none the less. So I plan on starting small, and hopefully one day hit that number of followers, willing to stand up for this cause. So for now, my goal is to get 100 followers to my blog. These followers would constitute the population of people willing to fight for our rights to a quiet neighborhood. Free from nuisance dog barking.

Thankfully I'm not alone

I'm sorely glad, that I have found other people with the same problems my family has faced with nuisance neighbors barking dog. Lately I have been scouring the internet of stories, of nuisance neighbors and their dogs or other activities. My stories seem to pale in comparison to so many, but the end result remains the same. We live in what we would hope to be a quiet and peaceful place, and a thoughtless neighbor takes away our peace by allowing their dog to bark with no consequence. It's actually a terrifying examination of human nature, learning about these neighbors and the horror stories of how the neighbors react, to otherwise polite attempts to resolve the situation. I am glad though to find, I am not alone, and that their is some civility out there. I truly wish everyone to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and that includes ones own home, and the peace and quiet we should all expect to experience there.

Today I was thinking about what goes into licensing a pet. And I believe it is merely a formality by local government to keep track of animals and their dwellings. But then I thought, what a great opportunity to qualify an owner, to be a competent dog/pet owner. Wouldn't that just make sense. Not that I want to take away from dog ownership, but improperly raised dogs cause problems for the owners and the public. Unfortunately, I believe many people own dogs merely as a novelty. They like the company of the dog when it is convenient to them. But dogs require constant interaction and attention. With proper caring and training a dog is definitely a great companion to have. But without that caring and training, a dog is left to be a nuisance to the owner and others. Also, as a dog/pet owner, additional requirements might include, specific verbiage by local government holding the owners responsible for keeping their dogs from nuisance barking or nuisance behavior. Stipulations like this, might deter a person from owning a dog and truly consider all the ramifications of owning a pet.

I'm hoping to stay consistent now with what I started with my site, BarkFreeZone.com . It all started as a way to vent, but now I see it can be used to reach out and unite people looking for some relief from what is already a hectic world we're all part of.

It's hard to love thy Neighbor!

I've sat at my window thinking, "God, do you really want me to love this person, this person who cares nothing for his own animal? That they just leave it outside, and bring it in when it suits them. Do I really care to love my neighbor, since they show no regard to myself? The same neighbor who shows no consideration for anyone else, by having a yard full of junk. God, how do I love any neighbor in that case?"

I think many people have to, at some point, realize that one of our greatest commandments, is almost impossible for us to embrace. We would rather skip over this commandment, in hopes that it won't matter so much in the end. My only option to show any love for my neighbor is to pray for them. I know we all have our struggles, and I can pray for their lives, and peace on them. I think God asks us to be selfless, and learn to love like God loves. It's what makes us human though, and flawed.

I will keep trying to "Love" my neighbor, but when we aren't able to find silence, because of their nuisance dog, I feel only malice towards them, for not being considerate. I'll keep trying, and in the meantime, I'll pray for us all, because we're all here together, trying to just get by sometimes.

Almost a year of Nuisance Dog Barking!

I started this blog as a way to vent about our neighbors nuisance dog. I stayed pretty consistent for a couple of months, but then I faded. Not because the dog stopped barking, but because I think I was giving up. But I realized today, that I need to keep up with my posts. Nuisance dogs are a problem. I should really say, nuisance dog owners are the problem. My wife and I have been trying to enjoy our Holiday weekend, sitting around the fire, decorating the tree, and just enjoying family time. But our neighbor has managed to make it impossible to enjoy our own home. The neighbors dog had barked most of the day for extremely long durations. At one point the dog barked for over an hour straight, just because we were in the backyard. We tried the Dog Silencer Pro, but I don't think we had the patience to keep the dog barker on the full 2 weeks or more for it to become effective. One problem using the Dog Silencer Pro, or probably any other dog silencing device, is that there is an initial "Training Period" which means the dog will probably bark much more than before the device. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't handle the additional barking that the Dog Silencing device created.

My wife had to leave the house twice to get away and relax. She had to leave her own beautiful home to relax! On top of our attempts to use a dog silencing device, we've also stopped using our backyard. My son is almost two, and loves to be outside. But because of this dog, we have been unable to enjoy backyard time together as a family. We primarily play in the front yard, or he helps me in the garage. I love my family, and as a husband, I only want whats best for them. I feel helpless when dealing with a neighbors nuisance dog.

On top of our attempts at dog silencing products, we have numerous complaints in to our local animal control services. Including 2 citations. My last email to our animal control was more of a desperate plea. I'm posting a video this time, of the dog that has ruined our otherwise beautiful home. This is the dog barking for over a minute pretty much non-stop. This video shows what the dog does for very long durations, with no response from the owners. If anyone else has any suggestions, please, please offer them. Aside from trying legally to have the nuisance dog dealt with, we plan on putting in a privacy hedge next year. We'll see what happens, this week we plan on filing another formal complaint, which will make this the 3rd citation.

Never ending

My biggest concern with complaining about nuisance dogs, is the reaction the people might have when you say you have a barking problem. I believe, most people don't think barking dogs are much of a problem. The other day, I was at my dads house, and I couldn't help but notice every dog that barked in the neighborhood. He seemed oblivious to the dogs. But ever since our problem began, I became more and more sensitive to dogs barking. The affects that the noise of a constantly barking dog, makes a person cringe, blood pressure raise, and just hampers any sanity you might have. Pavlov's law has worked number on my wife and I, and now just a single bark instantly raises our blood pressure. As for why my Dad doesn't seem affected, I'm not sure. Maybe it's all the years he had worked on Jet Engines. Or maybe his life is less stressful, so he's less inclined to notice. Whatever it is that makes some people less affected by a nuisance dog, and some more, I'm not sure. What I do know, is it does affect me. So I'll keep my blog alive, and maybe one day someone will notice me on here and want to help with the cause.

Was it a Full Moon?!

I started this blog primarily because I was, and still am frustrated with nuisance dogs. As I was outside this weekend, I was uspet to hear many dogs in the neighborhood that were barking non-stop. The only saving grace was most the dogs were far enough from our house, that when my wife and I went inside it wasn't so bothersome. But it made me think. Are other neighbors annoyed? Are they reporting these dogs? Are they doing anything? But I actually stumbled on something that made me realize, I must not be the only one. I always keep track of the visits to the blog, even though I haven't had any comments, I am getting traffic. Normally I have 10-15 unique visitors. That means people are searching for solutions to nuisance dogs. I sure don't have the end all solution, but I'm hoping to help people come up with some. This weekend I noticed a spike in searches for "silencing dogs" or nuisance dogs. Surprisingly this coincided with an increase in dog barking in my neighborhood. Coincidence or not, it made me realize people are suffering from peoples inability to take care of their novelty pets. I love dogs and animals just as much as the next, but if a person isn't able to keep their dog quiet, they shouldn't be allowed to have one.

If you are on the fence about reporting a nuisance dog to Animal Control or the appropriate authorities, I urge you to follow thru and report. It is important to report incidences of nuisance dogs to animal control. Part of their responsibilty is to educate people of properly handling a dog. That also includes educating pet owners of the real reason a dog barks.

Coming soon, I will start posting the contact information of your local Animal Control. If you know your local Animal control contact information, please let me know. I would like to compile a complete list of Animal Controls across the US and the proper procedures for reporting.

Letter to Animal Control for assistance:

My heart rate is up again, it's 9:30 pm, and my wife is trying to get baby down. Unfortunately, our neighbors dog is wide awake and left with no answer to it's plead for attention. We have already submitted our formal letter of complaint to Animal Services, but since it has only been a week, we're not sure if they have taken any formal action. I'm kind of upset...it is very frustrating. So to see if Animal Services can assist me in any way, here is my email/letter to them pleading for some help:


Hello Animal Services,

My wife and I recently filed our formal complaint with regards to address: Anywhere USA. We documented 3 months of activity. We continue to document. Is there any other steps we should follow moving forward. The yard is not very "tidy" either and for such a large dog, there really is no activity for it in there backyard. It is very frustrating especially in the evening. We have made it a point to leave our house most days after work, so not to be bothered. My wife and I are very upset that we live in such a great neighborhood yet we are not able to completely enjoy our own home.

Thank you for past assistance with regards to my original inquiry last year. The dog at the address you originally assisted with has not been a problem since. We grately appreciate the efforts of the Animal Services for that event.

Thank you again for any help you can be.

Frustrated Homeowner

I have received my Dog Silencer Pro back repaired. But I have not put it back up since we contacted Animal Services. I am waiting a week before putting it back up to see if Animal Services is able to remedy the problem. 

I plead to people, please own dogs responsibly. They are a huge responsibility and should not be taken in just because they are cute. They require much attention and care. And are full of energy that needs to be utilized. If not you end up with a dog with no way of expressing itself healthily, aside from damaging property or barking instantly 

Nuisance dog stays consistent

As a neighbor your only desire is to have other neighbors that share your same wants for the neighborhood. Pride in ownership can help a neighborhood increase in value, and it would only seem like a shared responsibility of a neighborhood to value their own property enough as an example to other neighbors that they want the same. For the most part, I am happy with my neighbors, I love waiving to them and walking out on an afternoon to have small talk with my neighbors about our lawns and how beautiful the day turned out.

But all it takes is one neighbor to ruin a neighborhood. I started this blog primarily because of my neighbors barking dog. The dog is a bonnified nuisance, and we have the documentation to prove it. My wife and I have logged as many times as we are home for times that the neighbors dog has been barking non-stop, or for durations. Sometimes for over an hour with only brief pauses. We can look over into our neighbors yard and see that the dog is begging to go in. Their sliding glass door is covered in dog prints from the Lab trying to get anyones attention. The poor dog aimlessly paces with no one giving the dog any attention. I'm not even sure if the dog gets properly walked.

For the most part, my wife and I had a great afternoon after I came home from work. I love to see my family, and when my wife is happy, I'm happy. But about 845pm tonight the neighbors dog started barking. While I type, the dog is still barking every minute to 5 minutes.

Our log of the nuisance barking is from beginning of May to mid August. We are without our Dog Silencer Pro. Our replacement has shipped, and we are hoping to get it any day now. Even if the device doesn't work, we like to know that something is "yelling" back at the dog. We have made up to 3 calls to animal control and myself 2 emails. These are informal complaints, but they do tell us that they send someone out whenever a complaint is made, formal or informal. They also remind us the proper channels to filing a complaint, which we have been putting off for a very long time, in hopes that the dog would either stop, the owners would come to their senses, or the dog leaves (the owner advised me the dog is there only temporarily....hasn't been so temporary though). I love my wife very much, and It PAINS me to see her so upset. I'm just as upset, but I try to hide my emotions to try and calm my wife down. Even though inside I just want to yell at the dog to just "Shut Up!!!". We have a 17 month old, and with the dog barking tonight we had a difficult time getting him to go to sleep.

So back to Animal Control. We have finally decided to submit the proper paperwork to Animal Control for our formal complaint. Though we struggled with the decision to formally complain, we felt for our own sanity, it was the only legal option. My wife and I are curious of what will actually happen. The owners back yard is a wreck. It is filled with abandoned "things" and some of the trash is spilling under the fence into our yard. I hope that Animal Control sees that this is no place for a LARGE Golden Lab to be living. There is no room for the dog to run, only plenty of stuff in its way.

I hope for a amicable solution, where the owner realizes that the dog has caused a problem. If their yard is addressed also, that would just be a bonus.

Anyone reading this know, you are not alone if you are dealing with a problem neighbor and nuisance dog or noise. Of course you probably already know that from googling all the horror stories. What I hope to accomplish one day, is make it easier and more effective to report and handle nuisance dogs. Some people should not legally be aloud to have a dog. They are a big responsibility, and to often than not, most people do not have the time or energy to put into keeping or raising a dog.

Letting a dog bark with no attention is cruelity to an animal!

My wife has broken down in tears twice this week over the sound of our neighbors nuisance dog. As a husband, I can't bear to see my wife our son hurt. Yet I feel helpless in dealing with the problem. I have been trying out a couple "Dog Silencing Products" have called Animal Control, and before trying any of the previous, I even talked to my neighbor about the problem (which is not easy). The first attempt at curbing or stopping the dog abuse, by talking to the neighbor didn't really accomplish anything. Animal control had been effective in the past with a different dog, but this time, we haven't seen relief. Lastly, we had tried the "dog silencing products", but I still have to tweak a few things on how I'm placing the devices before I can truly say they don't work.

The next step of course is to file a formal complaint with Animal Services. To this point I have only resorted to calls to Animal Services. But after 3 months of documenting barking times, it's about time I submit the appropriate paperwork.

It is truly upsetting, to not be able to enjoy your own home. I found an article that really speaks my feelings and concerns. The reality is, nuisance dogs are the result of owners being abusive by not taking proper care of their animals. This link is a great article that does a great job explaining the cruelty that owners of nuisance dogs are truly putting on the dog and other people:

http://www.democraticwings.com/democraticwings/archives/civil_liberties/3085.php

The more of us that band together to fight for our rights to a peaceful neighborhood, the more likely we can help people that are facing these problems....that could include yourself one day.

It just never ends with this dog!

Currently we are without any "Dog Silencing" products. If they work or not is still up for debate. But knowing that we had a device in our backyard fighting back against our nuisance neighbors dog, was somewhat comforting. But for now, we returned the product we got from Petsmart, and are waiting for our repaired or replaced product from Good Life, the makers of Dog Silencer Pro. We mailed out our Dog Silencer Pro on Monday, and we are eager to have it back and operational. This time when I re-install it in my yard I plan on positioninig it higher, and more directed towards the dog. Also, I plan on building a bird house for it to truly protect it from the elements. The plastic "weather proof cover" is a joke. When you put it on, it also muffles the sound that the product produces. I think without the cheap plastic bag they give you, the device can reach it's full potential.

Note on my return/replacement, Good Life makes you pay for all shipping costs.

Finally someone got back to me!

Well I would like to say, once I finally got someone over at Good Life (the maker of the Dog Silencer Pro) the person was very friendly and helpful. The rep has sent me the return label via email. Now we'll see how fast it take for them to return new item to me.

Still waiting for Dog Silencer Pro to come thru with their Warranty!

I'm big on customer service. With over 15 years of customer service background, I have high expectations when I have a shopping experience. And with so many competitors out there vying for our money, it only makes sense that companies try to maintain a high level of customer service. So here I am, still waiting for a response from the company Good Life (the company that sells the Dog Silencer Pro) to respond to my request for a replacement or repair of my product. A simple response would make me happy right now, even if they told me it would take a little while to receive my repaired product, I might be okay with that. But no response makes me question their ability to honor any guarantee they offer. I have only tried contacting them via there contact page so far. I'm not able to make many calls during the day at work, so I try to do most my work in the evening or late at night. So for a web based company to respond to my simple request via email seems reasonable.

Let's hope they respond to my request this time. I see on there site that you can call 24/7...I think I might try that, because being out over $100 for something I just bought is really getting on me.....here goes, I'll let you know how it goes.............

........Just got off the phone with a rep with Good Life. After 3 calls and 2 disconnects, I finally got a rep on the line. The after hour service is only for ordering, and is a contracted company separate from the Good Life. They primarily handle taking orders over the phone. When I finally did get someone on the line he was courteous and friendly. He advised me he would forward my request to the company, and they should recieve a response around 6 am. So to this point, the tally is as follows: 2 contacts via their website, 2 calls disconnected, 1 call completed, 1 rep forwarding my request to be addressed in the morning. Of course this isn't a lot of work on my part, just a minor inconvenience. But it doesn't bode well to me on the company.

My complete and final review will come after I've had all my experiences with the Good Life resolved. I still pray that everyone can enjoy a quiet neighborhood where you can relax from the stresses of our lives.

Dog Silencer Pro, on 1 year warranty...

First things first. Our Dog Silencer Pro has been inoperative now for over 3 weeks. I have been busy, and finally sent in a request to the company for a replacement. I am well outside of the 30 day guarantee. I wish I would have tested their 30 day guarantee, but I thought I would like to keep the product for times if the dog acts up. Thankfully, can't really say thanks to the Dog Silencer Pro for sure,but the dogs barking has been curbed. As for the dogs less barking, this happened well after the product stopped working. As for the inoperative device I have now, I am still waiting a response from the company. The website says they will replace or repair product within one year. I sent the request Sunday night. They say to wait 1-2 business days. It's 10:31 pm Tuesday, and I'm pretty sure that makes it the end of the business day....still no response. I'll wait until tomorrow to see if they finally respond.

One reason I wish I had just returned the product, is in the time we haven't had the Dog Silencer Pro, my wife decided she needed something to curb the dog one day (my wife is a stay at home mom, and hears most of the barking when everyone is gone, and dogs are left out all day). So she went to Pet Smart and bought another dog silencing device. I'll post later on that one, don't have the specifications in front of me. I already like the design much more, even with the shorter range. It's built like a bird house, and because of that, is less susceptible to the rain damage. The Dog Silencer Pro only came with a cheap plastic cover they call a rain cover. From what I can see, it just does a good job of muffling the sound, and traps moisture so it stays trapped inside the plastic. In the time the cheaper model has been up, we've noticed the dog barks, but with less frequency. Of course during the day I'm only going by my wife's reports, but judging by her mood, it seems less.

So to conclude my rambling, I'm not so thrilled by a couple of things with the Dog Silencer Pro. If they get back to me and follow thru with honouring their warranty, I might be a little less peeved. But for now my $100 plus has merely been for a failed experiment in dog silencing devices.

Dog Silencer Pro, partial Review...

Well, I've been meaning to do a complete review on the Dog Silencer Pro. With my schedule, I haven't really had the time to really put together all my thoughts on the product in an organized, informative, blog yet. I will give a brief review for now, to give someone finding this blog for the first time, something to base their buying decision on.

First, the Dog Silencer Pro, definetly does something. As to completely silencing a nuisance dog, still up for debate. What I found more effective, was a call to Animal Control (actually my wife made that call). Being that the neighbors are right behind us, and we can see right into their yard, and the dog barks "at" us, my wife was fed up. Even if the barking was curbed, the barking wasn't completely ended. She documented the dog barking for an hour one day, and gave in, and begged Animal Control to do something. Animal Control seems to be very effective in our area at convincing the neighbors to be better animal owners. The Dog Silencer Pro may have trained the dog slightly. We did notice less barking when we were outside. But we also haven't had the Dog Silencer Pro on for over two weeks. That's one of my gripes about the product (so much for being able to use outdoors!), it's primarily for outdoor use, but if you get it a little wet, forget about it! So right now I have a Dog Silencer Pro that's sitting on the counter doing nothing for me. We'll see how they are about getting me a new one.

As for their 30-day guarantee. I didn't get a chance to test that. I kind of want to keep the product, and make some modifications to how I set it up, and the direction and height of it. But I'll get into those details in another blog. I will be testing their 1 year warranty. I'll let you know how that goes.

So far so good!

For about 1 week, we have lived in a localized Bark Free Zone. When my family walks the neighborhood, we of course still hear dogs barking. But nothing more than background noise. I have found one house that the dogs are a little out of control, and wonder how those neighbors feel about the dogs. I understand a little barking, the kind to 1: Warn, or 2: Let the owner know it's time to be back inside or give some attention. But all in all I have enjoyed a week of comfortable afternoons relaxing on my front porch and enjoying the evening cool breeze.

That said, still not sure if the Dog Silencer Pro really accomplished what it said it would. Because up until we had to retire the device (it's currently not working, need to contact the company), the dog barked just as much as before the product. Part of me likes the fact that the device at least "yelled" back at the dog. The real reason the quiet has persisted, is the dog isn't there anymore. Or at least I hope it's gone. Originally when I talked to the owners of the problem, he told me it was his sons dog and they would be living with them temporarily. So I think the temporary has ended, and I'm praying that it stays this way.

I do plan on keeping the Dog Silencer Pro, as long as they give me a new one. I want it just in case, I might try different placement positions in the future. But just knowing I have something that might curb nuisance dog behavior leaves me partially re-assured.

Back to work, I hope if you are having a barking dog problem, you are finding some peace somehow!

Silence is Beautiful!

Nothing beats a clear night, the peace that comes from just relaxing and listening to the silence and enjoying all that God has given us. Tonight I was able to enjoy my backyard and the beautifulness that is silence and just find a moment to relax and enjoy the peace. For a moment, I had no schoolwork, no work to do, no deadlines to meet, and no dog barking. I pray for this every day and night, and I pray this for everyone that needs just a moment to reflect and relax. Everyone needs some time to just shut off the senses, and just enjoy the silence.

I will return to my review of the Dog Silencer Pro this week. But for now I'm just enjoying the silence. Not sure if I'm giving the Dog Silencer Pro credit, it hasn't been on for the past 3 days. I'll fill you in on my thoughts soon.

But for now, just enjoying a Bark Free Zone!

Dog not so bad today....fingers crossed!

Today was beautiful, and with beautiful days comes people out, kids playing, birds chirping, and bakring dogs. The latter not so welcome, especially when the dog doesn't know when to stop. So today I needed to get a lot of yard work done. My wife washed the car, I did all the yard work, and baby slept. That was pretty nice, if you have kids you know what I mean. I did all the yard work with my Ipod on. My new headsets block out almost all the noise, so even if the dog was barking I wouldn't have heard it. But I know my wife would have, so I kept waiting to see her come in the back yard to let me know. But surprisingly I got done with my entire yard without the dog getting started. Usually when I make it to the back fence the dog lets loose. So to push our luck further, after the yard was done, my wife was done, and the baby was up, we all jumped in the pool. That I thought of course would set off the dog. But he stayed pretty behaved the entire time we were out today. If only I can count on days like this again, I could finally start enjoying my beautiful backyard again.

Now there is a variable that changed that I must note. We have been testing the Dog Silencer Pro for the past 3-4 weeks. As I have mentioned in previous posts, we haven't had much of a chance to see if the Dog Silencer Pro has been doing it's job because of the rain. Well my wife went to check on it the other day (because the dog had been barking) and found that it had gotten wet. Per the instructions, we took it inside and laid it on its face to let it drain and dry. But that meant today we didn't have it out with us. Surprisingly it also meant, we had a quiet dog. Part of me was wondering if the Dog Silencer Pro had been going off inadvertently because of surrounding noises. This may have been alerting the dog, or annoying it. Whichever, a day without the Dog Silencer Pro and we had a pretty well behaved canine. As for giving credit to the Dog Silencer Pro. I'm not ready to give that verdict. Plus I have some gripes about the product I need to express in my review. I am happy however to have been able to enjoy an entire day with my family without the stress that comes with a nuisance barking dog.

Good luck to you out there with a barking dog problem. I only hope you find relief somehow. Soon I will start updating my website (still in the works) to have links to local Animal Controls and procedures on reporting dogs. For now, just cross your fingers, and pray that the dog just shuts up!

(any products promoted are strictly advertisements and are not endorsed or have they been reviewed by BarkFreeZone.com)

Nice Weather, Bad Dog!

Well in my previous post I commented on how our neighbors nuisance dog had been pretty subdued because of the weather. Well beautiful weather is back, and as we went out to clean up the pool, true to form our neighbors dog decided to greet us with an onslaught of continuous barking. As for the Dog Silencer Pro, review will be coming soon, and I have a lot to say about what you get for the money. As for my plan to set up a hedge is still in the planning stages. I truly wish we could afford full size plants to create an immediate border, but our budget prevails and we'll have to wait for mother nature to fill in the gap once we decide to plant it.

I could use some suggestions on the hedge. I've seen what I want, and it is a year round hedge that right now in most places lots of its leaves have red tips to it. It's normally used as a low hedge, but if left to grow tall can reach over 15 feet. I've added a picture of what it looks like in my Dad's backyard for anyone to let me know what it is. I also like it because it only grows in about a 2 and a half feet deep area, letting use keep most of our yard.

Dogs don't bark much when it's raining

It's a catch 22 with the weather we have been having in West Texas. At least for my household. When the weather is nice our neighbors dog is mainly left outside, and of course has been the main reason for me starting this blog and website. But when it's raining, there is not much activity outside, including dogs barking. So as for my review of the Dog Silencer Pro, it really has lost about a weeks worth of real testing because of the inconsistencies in the dogs patterns. However it may be, we have realized a significant decrease in the dogs barking. The other day though when the weather broke, my wife had to leave the house for a good part of the day because, once the weather was nice, the dog was out and barking.

We'll see, I still would like to maintain and help people by giving them the resources to report and stop nuisance barking dogs. I have spent countless nights reading posts by other horror stories, and also studies on the effect of this type of nuisance on a persons health. Eventually I would like to have as much information that could help with people suffering at the hands of inconsiderate neighbors, with handling them. Ideally our neighbors would realize the problem on their own and address it. Problem is most people maintain that if it bothers you so much move attitude. If only that option were so easy.

My wife and I would like more land eventually, but for now we plan on planting some hedges to help create a privacy and sound barrier. Limited as that might be, it might help if the dog can't always see us.

Certain days it's hard for dogs not to bark....

My wife has been really bummed this entire week because of the weather. When the sun isn't shining it really affects her mood. However that may be, I have been okay with it because with the rain, comes less barking. Apparently owners of nuisance dogs don't like to leave them in the rain. Which thankfully isn't a bad thing, for the dog and myself. I've noticed a dramatic decrease in the dog barking, but not the non-stop silence I would hope for every day. Our log (we keep a log of the barking dog) is still riddled with times when the dog is less than acceptable. But for the most part, the rain means more silence everywhere. Which is okay by me, I'll take rain and a movie with no barking dog any day!

Alas, the reason for my blog tonight. I have been hearing all the neighborhood dogs barking a little extra tonight, but no fault of their own. It is the Fourth of July weekend, and that means all the home grown pyrotechnics are in full swing. I'm guilty of enjoying a good backyard fireworks display myself, and because of this I just chock up these days leading up to the Fourth of July as a freebie for the dogs. Thankfully, like I said before, it has been limited by the weather...the dogs, not the fireworks.

As for my reviewing of the Dog Silencer Pro, I'm unable to really gauge it this week. With all the rain, there really hasn't been any chances to see if the dogs are barking, or barking less, or not at all. Monday marks week three of it's operation. I plan on giving it the full week to see if there is any significant improvement, based on the products request. The company offers a one month guarantee, and I plan on holding them to that. I think I will wait until the fourth week to complete my total review of the Dog Silencer Pro product.

Until then, I hope everyone has a safe Fourth of July, and a BarkFreeZone so you can enjoy your neighborhood!

Pavlov's Law, It worked....On me!

We've all heard of Pavlov and his famous experiments with dogs. In the 1800's he studied the behavioral responses of dogs to food. He would first ring a bell, and after which give the hungry dog a plate of food. His measurement was the amount of saliva produced after the bell was wrung. After numerous experiments the dog would respond to the bell by salivating regardless if the dog was given food or not. And today, most everyone knows of this neat little experiment. In high school you've probably done mini-experiments with fish and using tapping the glass of a fish tank to create the response in fishes when food was being served.

Well the law works on me just as well. Thanks to my neighbors dogs, and his dogs' constant reinforcement over the past year by barking at me every time I come to near to the back of my own yard, the dog has managed to create a physical response from me, even when I just think of going to my back yard. My blood pressure rises, and I have increased anxiety. And well it's just not right when you really think about it. For the past two days the dog has been much better. But that could be mainly because it has been raining the past week and the neighbors might have been keeping the dogs in. I was truly hoping my Bark Silencer Pro had been doing it's job, but I'm still not convinced it has completely worked.

I will be a happy man when I'm able to completely enjoy my backyard again. I have been debating putting in a hedge to help ad some privacy to my backyard, but the costs may be out of my budget for now. It's too bad, because it would be great to have a barrier from our neighbors yard. But I have to manage my families finances and maintain a balanced budget that keeps us within our financial means. So for now I would be happy just knowing we can go out at anytime, morning, day, night, and just enjoy hanging out. Without the anxiety of me thinking,"How long with the peacefulness last?"

Again I pray for everyone that is having a problem with nuisance noises, such as a dog uncontrolled. People have every right to enjoy what they have worked so hard to get. And in today's world, just a little serenity from the crazy world around us is what I think all of us need.

Thank you Cara!

I digress from my venting session to thank my Sister-in-Law Cara Joy Thornton. She is my first follower, and I'm pretty excited to have her following me. I can't say I know exactly what her major is(like most guys, I don't hear everything that's told to me), but I do know she has a strong foundation in writing, and to have her read even part of my blog is flattering. Of course she reads what I type by default only because I'm married to her sister, but none-the-less, I'm happy to have a follower.

So thank you Cara Joy, nothing beats logging onto my blog to see that someone clicked on the link to follow my blog. I'm just hoping that this blog isn't always about a problem I'm having with a barking dog. I'd rather be rallying other home owners to help me create a BarkFreeZone in all neighborhoods, so we can all enjoy what we all work so hard to obtain.

My next blog I go back to my venting :)

BarkFreeZone.com has a Logo!!!

Well there is one positive thing from having an annoying nuisance barking dog problem. It has allowed me to be a little creative and start thinking of things I can do with my skill-set. Eventually I will have a website dedicated to fighting for the rights of all home owners. In an ideal world we should be able to find resolution to annoying inconsiderate neighbors. My primary peeve is nuisance dogs. Hence this blog, and additionally my website, which is still growing in my mind. But for now I have created the logo for my site. I am a very part time Graphic Designer. I received my degree in Graphic Design over 10 years ago, and after a very upsetting job prospect that I lost after completing my degree program, I all but called it quits on Graphic Design. But now I have a cause, and I'm hoping to reach out to others in distress, so that we might band together and help each other beyond posts asking, "What do I do!?"

Please comment on my design, give me criticism, or better yet, tell me how much you like it! I still need recognition after all these years.

As for the nuisance dog...dogs...we realized the neighbors have decided that they are such great dog owners, they should get a puppy! So of course now there is a puppy left outside all day and night learning all the great habits of the adult dog.

I am a Christian, and I actually pray to God to help me find peace in the noise. My poor wife is home all day with the baby, and she gets no break. I pray for her more so that she can enjoy our beautiful home. Unfortunately for this summer, we've given up on enjoying our own pool.

Dog won't stop barking!!!

It's upsetting to be part of a neighborhood sometimes. Especially when there is no consideration for each other. My family is pretty quiet. Actually we could be seen as kind of boring. But what we enjoy is just relaxation, and that comes with soothing noises. Not nuisance noises produced by a dog not properly trained. I don't have anything against pets, so much as I have a problem with their owners. Dogs bark for a reason, if the reason is not valid, the owner needs to remedy the problem. Otherwise a dog just becomes the source of much anxiety to the neighbors.

Today I went out to do some yard work. I had my Ipod on, and couldn't really hear much else, other than my music. But when I shut off the lawn mower to come in for a break, my wife was in tears. Our neighbors dog, had been barking non-stop the entire time I was out mowing the yard. Even the sound of the lawn mower wasn't enough to drown out the nuisance noise produced by the dog. The dog barked for over 45 min, enough to bring my poor wife to tears, of helplessness. I told her to take the baby for a drive, to unwind. The sad thing is I had to ask my wife to leave her own home for peace and quiet. There is something horribly wrong when you have to leave your own home to find peace.

I am currently designing a website, BarkFreeZone.com, I'm hoping to bring to everyone's attention the proven emotional effects nuisance noises have on people. There are ordinances in place to address these problems, but I feel they need to be taken more seriously. Most of the actions you can take are limited, or require legal intercession, with no guarantee of a resolution. Plus, you make yourself vulnerable to your neighbor and any retaliation. If there is a legitimate documented problem of a nuisance dog there should be action taken to eliminate the problem.

Please chime in if you too are suffering from a barking dog or dogs. I encourage everyone to support a Bark Free Zone in all neighborhoods!

Week and a Half with Dog Silencer

Well can't say any great news about the Dog Silencer yet. But according to Pavlov's Law, the dog has conditioned my family to not go into the backyard. Also whenever we do go back there we get tense just knowing our quiet afternoon could so easily be ruined by our neighbors dog.

I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude and hope that this device will stop the dogs barking. However, the "training period" is painful. Per the instructions, we are to give the device 2-3 weeks to be effective. Also during that time frame, it is said there can be an increase in barking, due to the dog barking at the noise from the Dog Silencer Pro. It is very hard to think that this thing will ever work. My wife and I were very agitated by about an hours worth of constant barking.

When we are outside we turn on the audible function, mainly to confirm the device is functioning properly. My wife says through out the day she turns the audible function on, and she states it is more effective that way.

I'm hoping by Monday we can start to see results. It would be great to enjoy our backyard again.

Morning Swim, Limited Dog Barking!

Wife and I went for a morning dip in the pool. About 5 min into the swim, I heard the neighbors dog barking, but it was from inside their house. Figure the dog wanted outside, and about 2 minutes later, they let him out. He was pretty good for about 10 minutes, then he made a couple barks. But I must say, they were short lived. I went to see if the Dog silencer was blinking, and it was. Verdict is still not out on it's effectiveness. But I did enjoy my swim, and aside from a few yaps, it wasn't like it was before. Time will only tell.

Day 5 with Dog Silencer Pro

Fortunately for me, I work all day. So any barking by the dog can't annoy me. Not so much for my wife, who is a stay at home mom. But today she reported that the dog did not bark all day. Woo hoo!!! But I'm not holding my breath. The weekend will be a much better indicator. The neighbors usually leave for the weekend and leave the dog outside the entire time. I also plan on working out in my back yard near the fence. This usually provokes the dog into a frenzy. I just really pray that this device will do what it says. The more I think about the problem of nuisance dogs, or noises, the more angry I get with my neighbors and how they can disrupt the one place that I want to enjoy most. I love just sitting in my backyard enjoying watching my kid play. But ever since this problem started, I am very turned off from even stepping foot in my backyard. My blood pressure actually rises when I turn the knob to go into the backyard. And that's just now fair.

In the next few weeks I hope to start work on my website. My goal is to get any and all information to help people report nuisance noises and dogs. If you have an area that you would like me to research, just drop me a comment.

So after 5 days, the verdict is really not out for any positive or negative feedback on the Dog Silencer Pro. Per their instructions though, I will give it 2 to 3 weeks before I give a complete review with my praise or not.

4 Days of the Dog Silencer Pro

I wanted to document every day of the Dog Silencer Pro. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep up with all my responsibilities. So my blog is delayed. The first day we didn't put the Dog Silencer Pro out, because the weather was pretty bad. And I didn't want to risk damaging the product on the first day with no chance to see if the product even works at silencing the dog. Second day, we put the product out. Fortunately there wasn't much action from the dog. Wednesday, my wife was out with our baby, and my my sister-in-laws kids. She reported the dog was barking away. She wasn't sure how to work it, and kept switching it from audible to silent. She said the dog seemed less persistent when it was on silent. But he didn't actually stop. I reminded her that the product can actually make a dog bark more in the beginning stages.

For now the key is consistency. I have the product up on my pool deck. The rails are higher than the neighbors fence, so the Dog Silencer Pro shouldn't have anything blocking it.

I'm still apprehensive of the results, but look forward to a quiet backyard one day.

Dog Silencer Pro here tommorrow!!!

It's been a long week waiting for my Dog Silencer Pro. I'm a little nervous because of the expectations I have for the product. I have bet my sanity on the ability of this product to train this dog.

I was thinking today outside, as my wife and I were trying to enjoy our backyard, how sad it is that we are the ones trying to train our neighbors dog how to behave. When all is said and done, we will have put more effort and time into this dog than the owners do. I have documented the dog being out for more than 12 hours at a time. Part of me feels bad for the dog, because all the dog wants is some attention. I hear him panting to go inside and rarely see the family give the dog interaction. As much as people humanize animals, I think this treatment of a pet should be considered unlawful. If a person claims a pet to be part of the family, then the same care given to a child should be given to the pet.

Please post your thoughts on my topics. I started this blog to hopefully reach out to like minded people that have found distress in annoying noises from neighbors. Especially nuisance dogs. Dog owners too, please chime in. I too love animals, and love the reaction my son shows when he sees any animal. When we are more stable financially, and my son is a little older, we plan on getting a German Shepard. We also plan on making sure he/she is properly trained.

So I go to bed now excited to see if my Dog Silencer Pro holds up to it's companies claims. I will definitely be posting any changes in the dogs behavior and let anyone know of it's effectiveness.

Dog Silencer Pro shipped!

My Dog Silencer Pro shipped today. Estimated delivery date is June 14, 2010. In the meantime, I went into my backyard to jump in the pool, and the dog of course decided to bark at me. I decided to blow the dog whistle, and it seemed to have lessened his duration of barking. I won't be happy however until the dog has been trained to not bark unless there is truly a danger present. I have observed the dog outside for the entire day. It seems that the homeowner leaves the dog out all day. It's upsetting to see that some dog owners don't really care for their dogs, rather they just leave them outside until they want their attention. Dogs require a lot of attention and training. If an owner isn't ready to take on that responsibility, they shouldn't own one.

Of course the norm is to have a dog when it's convenient.

In addition to the Dog Silencer, I am looking to add a hedge or some type of natural barrier for my back fence to help create some privacy in our backyard. This is more for our own privacy, since our house sits higher than our backyard neighbor. But there is the added benefit of some noise reduction from the neighbors.

If you find my post, please post your own horror stories of nuisance barking dogs in your neighborhood.

Just Ordered: Dog Silencer Pro

This morning I decided to purchase the Dog Silencer Pro. I found it on Google doing a search for stop barking device. I had done this same search before and had found many devices that promised to solve the problem of a nuisance dog. This site promises it will work or you can have your money back after 30-days from the date of receipt. Now that's really not a lot of time when you take into consideration that the site also says, give 2-3 weeks to see any results. So for the sake of being able to return the product within their guarantee if the product doesn't work, I will be marking my calendar and setting an alarm on my phone to remind me to verify the results.

Of course I don't care about any return policy or guarantee. I just want to see results, and I will let you know when I receive it and keep you up to date on any progress made.

Side note, on Sunday, I picked up a dog whistle because I was hoping to try to stop the dog on my own. I definitely noticed a difference in the dog after a couple times of blowing the whistle at his barks. However, I ran out of breath a few times, and could not remain consistent. I decided, for the sake of consistency, I would wait to purchase a machine that could stay consistent.

Another place to vent for Annoyed Neighbors of Barking Dogs!

I am now suffering from physical pain. My body aches, I perspire from the stress, my heart has been racing, and I have a difficult time focusing. It's amazing what a barking dog can do to someones body, and ability to just relax. Especially in your own home. We now have 2 back yard neighbors with dogs that are left out barking with no attention. I spoke to one of the neighbors, and he seemed receptive, but after a week, it has proved ineffective. Second neighbor is 2 houses down, and I have reported that one to the Animal Control. That tactic works, but over time the neighbor forgets about any warnings received and they revert back to bad habits, and the dog barks again. I now must repeat the process with Animal Control and hopefully find peace with the second neighbors dog.

Either way, it has now become a part time job just managing my life and stress that has come from these nuisance dogs. My poor wife and I have been at each others throats because of the added stress that comes when you are unable to relax in your own home.

This blog is really just a place for me to vent for now. I would like to create a place to help people with reporting nuisance dogs or noise in a safe and anonymous way. One problem I found with current reporting methods is it requires you to divulge all your personal information to the authorities. Although I understand the reporting methods, it unfortunately prevents people from reporting problems because of the possible implications that come from "ratting" out your neighbor. The reality is, people are not so receptive to you if you are telling them, "I have a problem with...."

I would like to start a program that would allow us to report any noise problems related to loud people, music, dogs, etc. anonymously and with some effectiveness, while staying within the law.

With that said, please post all your stories of nuisance neighbors. If enough of us our out there, maybe we can make a change!