I pray that people realize the pain that barking dogs have on a person. My family personally agonized for over a year with a neighbors barking dog, and dogs on a number of occasions. Thankfully the dog the was a "temporary" resident. His temporary status was for that year. I was able to talk to the owner initially, but his leaving comment for me, after being apologetic at first, was, "Dogs Bark!"

Unfortunately, that is not a sufficient reason. Also, a dog, or dogs barking indefinitely infringes on our rights as American Citizens to enjoy the peace and serenity of our own home. It is understandable that dogs bark on occasion, but it is not acceptable for long durations.

I started my blog on one night simply to vent. It was for the most part the main reason for most of my posts. Thankfully, there is a big gap in posts because I currently don't have a nuisance dog problem. Although, I can hear dogs in my neighborhood that probably are, they do not bother me like a dog in my backyard. I was blessed to get a new job that allowed me to relocate. A must I was looking for in my new house was no backyard neighbors. I would rather have a road behind my house, then deal with a neighbor that doesn't care to take care of his/her own dog.

Having said all that, I still want to help the cause. My heart goes out to people experiencing problems with nuisance dogs. And here is a prime example. The below is from someone that posted a comment on my page. You can link to her profile here. I cringed when I watched:


We need to support each other. All persons experiencing nuisance neighbors and dogs, need to band together, and help support one another. I wish I could do more, and maybe we can. But we need to be heard as a common voice to be heard by the right people.

Dealing with nuisance sounds is like being beaten slowly. It's just plain torture to have to hear and deal with constant bombardment of sounds that are unwelcome. I found my poor wife in the bathroom curled up in a ball because of our neighbors dog. It's just not fair, and not right.

Good luck to the person above, I hope things work out, and the local government steps in and realizes the severity of the problem.

It's been a while since I've posted to my Bark Free Zone Blog. Here is a little history, to why it has been so long. The quick story:

I had a barking dog problem. It was my backyard neighbors dog, and then multiple dogs... all the same owner. I reported, and reported, and reported. They were fined, multiple times. They got fed up with the fines, and visited my home while I was away. To my dismay, the neighbor decided to confront my wife, who is a stay at home mom. She who was pregnant and was with my son (who at the time was less than 2 years old). This young punk decided to tell my wife we shouldn't keep complaining, and that "Dogs Bark!" To make matters worst, he told my wife that we should just move!

That's where the story gets short... I got a promotion, and we did move. Go figure. I was actually so upset with the situation, I had been working hard to get a promotion that would get us out of the town we were living in. So with the move, came the job of finding a new home. Because of our past experiences, we had very specific requirements for finding a home. One of the requirements was NO backyard neighbor! And, thank you God, we found a house with no back yard neighbor. We still hear the occasional barking dog, but it is a very distant sound. And only when our windows are open. The only fear I have is if we ever get new neighbors that might have a dog, or have a dog they do not control.

For now we live in peace, aside from a 2 year old that likes to push his boundaries, and a new addition coming very soon that will for sure keep us up with her crying. But I welcome the sound of children over the sound of a nuisance dog any day.

I do however, still feel for those that are agonizing over nuisance neighbors. And I plan to maintain this blog as a forum for open discussion. Please feel free to vent or discuss any problems you are having. I would love to one day see signs in neighborhoods saying "Bark Free Zone" so as to show that we all have the right to peace and civility in our own neighborhoods.

If it's not one - it's another!

What can I say, I'm glad the barking dog problem I've been having in my backyard is gone. But go figure, I have a neighbor who's house is near my front bedroom windows. Thankfully the dog has not been bad enough to start a log, but it sure does get annoying. My wife and I have decided to not actively engage this neighbor through reporting or other means. We were really hoping a nearer neighbor might get involved, and do their own reporting. I know the dog must be bothering nearby neighbors to the dog owner.

I'm still amazed at how awful and inconsiderate neighbors can be. I've got nothing else to vent about, I just would love to not hear the dogs barking, anywhere anymore. I've definitely been ruined by barking dogs, and have little patience when I start to hear a large dog barking. Not sure what options a person has in any neighborhood other than reporting.

Please, if you have a dog, be mindful of the dogs noise. It's amazing the ill affects a barking dog can have on a person. As I type this, I'm drained of my energy and any motivation, the dogs barking simply drains me.

Completely Helpless!

Just the other day, Animal Control made another visit to our neighbors house because our neighbors dog has started up with its persistent barking. I'm not sure what to do next, and have sent an email to Animal Control. I'm not sure what else to do, its a upsetting to not be able to trust a neighbor, or worry about what they might do.

Below is my letter to Animal Control:

Thanks again for all your help. I did want to fill you in on the events that transpired after your response. The neighbor came over to my house, while my wife and son were home alone. He was not kind, and was confrontational. He told my wife that we need to stop reporting them. He also told us if the its such a problem, then we should move. Of course, this is not an option, and I do not have that kind of money. I called Animal Control before calling the Police, just to make sure I was within my rights. I am very upset, and concerned. We did call the police, and they came and talked to my wife. The police did go over to the residence, but no one was home when he went over.

We have now been confined to one room in our home, that is away from our backyard. Today, the neighbor left their dog out all day. And now the dog has barked consistently for over 3 hours. It is a slow bark, but it is a constant bark for attention, or to go inside. I don't know what else to do, and am very fearful of what this might escalate too.

The fact that someone came to my house, while I wasn't home, truly is upsetting. I am not able to protect my family, and feel helpless.

We continue to document, but are at a lost of what to do next. Is there anything else you can suggest. My wife is now also pregnant with our second child, and I don't want her stressed while she is pregnant. 

Any suggestions? I'm upset primarily, because now I am worried for my families safety. People can do funny things, regardless of who thinks they are right. When a person is upset, it makes for unpredictable situations. I love my family, and I only want to provide from them, all that I can. That includes a peaceful home to enjoy our time together.

Awful Situation!

This has remained a very frustrating situation. I received a text from my wife that our neighbor came to our door to tell us to stop reporting them for the dogs barking. When my wife defended our position, he advised her to one: deal with it, since dogs bark! Two: Buy window treatments. Three: Stop reporting them. Four: To Move! This was all done towards my wife, with my little two year old just hanging out.

Of course, you can imagine, I was, and still am pretty upset. A grown man, comes to confront my wife, while I'm not home, all while he is angry and confrontational. I never felt so helpless. I was not be able to stand up for my family.

Here's the reality; We have been working through problems with our neighbors nuisance dog, for a long time now. It all started with myself going over to my neighbors house to discuss the problem. That encounter ended with the owner of the house acknowledging the problem, but letting me know "Dogs Bark!" Unfortunately, I'm not on board with this reasoning. And when a dog barks for more than 15 minutes straight, to over 1 hour or more of continuous barking, there is a problem. And from that day on, we made it a point to document all barking dog activity.

After much documenting, we were able to file complaints to Animal Control. We actually had two formal complaints that ended in violations tickets issued. The last violation seemed to have remedied the situation.

Fast forward to warmer weather, and the neighbors have reverted back to leaving the dog out all day with no attention. The other day, I came home, and my wife was in tears. The dog had been barking on and off all day. Whenever she would go outside to let our son play in our backyard, the dog would bark directly at her and my son. Also, we found the neighbors fence is falling over, and the dog is able to put is face through openings in the fence. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of a dog that has access to my son.

So comes my frustration, the neighbors adult son, made a trip to confront my wife. This was prompted because of Animal Controls prompt response to an email I sent to them the night before. My frustration had boiled over, and my only recourse was to let Animal Services know of the dog problem starting back up. I also asked if anything could be done about the fence, and their yard (the neighbors yard is littered with junk).

Any direct confrontation to discuss the matter is now a moot point. By the simple fact that the neighbors son would advise us to move, lets me know the type of person I have as a neighbor.

I am very upset, that we still have not completely been able to enjoy our beautiful home and yard. I pray for my patience and sanity, to maintain a calm disposition towards my neighbor if I see him. I pray that no confrontation comes of our neighbors seeing us anymore. I pray for just an enjoyable day, with considerate neighbors.

As a result of the neighbor coming over, we did call the police. My wife did feel threatened, and the neighbor did not come peacefully or with any good intentions. The police did come, and went over the their house, but no one answered. The police have advised my wife to call if any other altercation occurs, and report it immediately. I just hope this all blows over, and we can enjoy our summer.

What do you think? What would you do? (talking to neighbor is no longer an option)

Wish I could enjoy the warm weather!

Just want to enjoy the warm weather like everyone else. Unfortunately, when warm weather comes, that also means it's time to for neighbors to leave the dogs outside. And that means more barking. I wish it were easy to just pick up and move. The reality is, most people aren't able to afford moves. Especially when it involves a purchased home. I can be thankful for the winter. We were fortunate enough to not have a barking problem. But we also didn't spend anytime in our backyard. My wife and I actually were very hesitant of spending any time in our backyard, figuring why push our luck.

Well this afternoon, I took my son outside to enjoy the warmer weather. All seemed well, until he ran near the back of our yard. That's all it took. Our neighbors dog started barking at us immediately. I walked over to see where the dog was, and the dog was near the fence, and just barking directly at us. Not only was the dog barking a problem, but I noticed the fence was loose. Now I have a barking dog, with the potential of getting into our yard. Not a combination that I'm at all happy about. Thankfully, after my inspection of the fence, and a quick yell at the dog to stop, the neighbors came out and took the dog in.

I'm still frazzled that I'm still dealing with this issue. Animal Control has been great throughout all of my reporting, and has definitely had a huge impact on the barking problem. I'm just upset that, now I'm so programmed from the frustration of the barking that did occur, that my tolerance for a dog bark is very low. Had the owner addressed the barking sooner, I might have a higher tolerance for moderate barking.

Ideally, I'm hoping I can earn more in my career soon, and make a move that puts us in a better neighborhood, with more space between us and our neighbors hopefully. It's been over a year now since we've moved into our home. The barking problem has definitely made it very stressful for us living here. Even now that the barking is much less, it still has had a lasting impact on how we are able to enjoy our own home. It's not easy to forget the discomfort caused by the nuisance barking, and my wife and I are very wary of any activity in our backyard.

I hope the incident that we had today, is not the norm. We still plan on using our backyard, and letting our son enjoy running around and playing with all his toys. But we also plan on staying vigilante in our reporting of any dog barking nuisance.