Looking for Contributors

I started this blog many years ago as a sort of therapy. Living next to a nuisance dog, or in a neighborhood with nuisance dogs can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. It's not easy dealing with a nuisance dog, and its almost impossible to deal with the owners of a nuisance dog.

Thankfully, today I don't have nearly the issues I had in my past two homes. Additionally, I took my own advise and got to know one of my neighbors who has a "howler". Thanks to some good old fashioned relationship building, we were able to work out our issues with her dog. Also, I opted to buy a house without backyard neighbors to reduce the odds of having a dog in the backyard.

Now my story is ideal, and things did finally work out for me. But not everyone has the luxury of moving, or neighbors aren't always so accommodating either. So I've kept this blog open for people to have a place to learn about my experiences, and have a place to vent.

However, I have noticed that my blog gets plenty of traffic, even without me posting regularly. And that can mean only one thing ... there are people out there dealing with this same problem every day.

So I'd like to start posting and looking for additional contributors.

I'm hoping to start compiling:

• Horror Stories
• Success Stories
• Tips on dealing with barking dogs
• How to report barking dog problems in your area
• Reviews on the reporting process in your area
• Failures on the reporting process in your area
• Barking Device Reviews

And anything else, I'm open to any story to post.

If you have one post to contribute, or you want to be a regular contributor, just let me know.

Reply on this post, and we'll figure the details out from there.

Hoping to add a "Bark Map", so if you visit often, please keep checking in on this blog.

Pet Safe Basic Bark Control

In all the time I've posted on this blog, I only ever reviewed the Dog Silencer Pro. And I'll save you some time with that review. Basically, the concept works, but if there is any other noise that might set off the device it looses its affect. My overall experience with the Dog Silencer Pro was that it didn't solve my problem. There were also some design flaws that I won't get into, mainly it wasn't truly an outdoor product.

As for something that truly works, and that I can verify, up until recently I didn't have anything to recommend. But thank goodness something did work.

The short story:

My neighbors dog was becoming a real nuissance. I spoke to my neighbor and she was great. She agreed to work with me to help solve the problem. In the interim we exchanged phone numbers so we could text her if the dog was a problem. This was the best solution that no device could every accomplish...or maybe that would be a cool device, one that texts the owners when the dog barks... I digress. To help with the problem I gave her my Dog Silencer Pro to give the device a fighting chance, and put it in her backyard. That did not work, if anything it might have aggrevated the dog (which they say it will do, but who really wants to deal with additional aggrevation when it comes to a barking dog). Finally, my neighbor went out on her own and bought the Pet Safe Basic Bark Control collar. Eureka, problem solved, almost immediately.

So there you go, a simple but effective device and problem solved. The only problem, or challenge is convincing the owners of the dog you might have a problem with, is to get them to put a collar on their dog. But if you can, its a great way to gain back peace and quiet.

There are good neighbors!

Sometimes just having a good neighbor is all you need when you have an issue that needs to be resolved.

Our neighbors dog recently started barking and howling. For over a year the dog was not a problem. But for some unknown reason, in the last 3 weeks, the dog has started becoming a problem. The dog had wasn't barking for long durations, but it was barking when my would be putting out kids down for bed, or worse yet, when they were in bed. 

Enter great neighbor. As I went out to place our Dog Silencer Pro, I saw our neighbor outside trying to get the dog to stop. I took that as an opportunity to ask about the change in the dogs behaviour. She told me what we had observed, which was this was a new characteristic of her dog. But unlike other neighbors I've dealt with, she showed genuine concern about her dogs new routine. 

The conversation ended with me letting her borrow our Dog Silencer Pro so it had a more direct line to give it a better chance at correcting the dogs behaviour. More importantly, she gave us her phone number to call if it were ever an issue.

My wife and I had not wanted to complain to her up to this point because we did like this person as a neighbor, and didn't want to ruin what relationship we had already started. But she proved to be a sincere person, and we are now working together to help resolve her dogs new barking behaviour.

Verdict is out on the Dog Silencer Pro, but today there was no barking. I'll see with my neighbor if she attributes it to using the device.

How to deal with a Barking Dog owner

It never fails, late in the evening, a quiet afternoon, time with the family in the yard, and your enjoyment is ruined by the neighbor’s dog. The peace and delight that you would expect to experience, suddenly ends. And that is where the nightmare begins.

Thankfully, I don't live the nightmare scenario that I briefly mentioned above, but I know that so many people in this world do. To the point they are suffering. And if you are anything like me, you looked to the internet to solve the problem, and find other people that might have experienced the same thing. Also, you look for solutions; Stop Barking products and such. In your search, you are just hoping to read about a solution that fixes a barking dog problem

I wish it were that easy.

When I started this blog over a year ago, I started it completely out of frustration. I just needed a place to put my thoughts, and calm down. More or less, it became a diary. I found that I was passionate about my frustration, and needed to find a solution. So many nights were spent scouring the internet looking for ways to stop the dogs in my neighbor’s yard from barking.

Here is one online suggestion I tried, but I feel it backfired:

Confront the dog owner – The basic idea is that it is best to try and work things out with a dog owner before reporting. Some states require you try to work out any problems between yourselves before involving any city intervention. But from personal experience, this method is flawed.

I did this twice in two different homes I lived in. Both of my “discussions” ended poorly. If anything confronting my neighbor only strained any relationship I had with the neighbor, and made it unsafe for my family. The last house I owned, I spoke to the owner, and thought maybe he was going to remedy the problem. But time told the true story of their inconsideration. The answer you will hear from a dog owner, or dog sympathizer is, "Dogs bark! Deal with it" Unfortunately, that is not a good answer, nor is it fair to neighbors.

The reality is yes, dogs bark, but they bark for a reason, and usually it is because the dog owner isn't giving the dog the attention required.

When I confronted the dog owner, and my complaints to Animal Control persisted, the dog owner decided to come to my house. This ended poorly, with the dog owner verbally accosting my wife, while my baby boy stood by her side. I had called the cops to report the incident, but the dog owner made himself unavailable when the cop went to question him.

So my suggestion to people’s suggestion to confront the dog owner, I say no! This is not a good approach. If you have a family, or are not ready to strain your neighborhood relationship, then I would suggest not confronting the dog owner.

Unfortunately, in many places, City Governments require an effort to remedy the problem as neighbors before action is brought against them. The sad fact though is most neighbors resort to retaliatory behavior, and it is terrifying. I would not recommend putting your family at risk to talk to a neighbor that has a nuisance dog.

My recommendation to this suggestion:

If you have time and patience, I would suggest building a real relationship with the neighbor. Become friends with them, real friends. Get to know them personally. Have them over, and visit at their home. Befriend your neighbors, and truly mean it. If you go into trying to befriend them with ulterior motives, the sincerity is lost.

Now you may be thinking, What the Wha! But I truly believe in this approach over any other approach, and I can explain why. In my two instances where I confronted the neighbor, they didn't know me from any other Joe. And if anything, it was threatening for them to have me come to their door and complain to them about their pet. However, if I had instead tried to get to know them, I would have been able to show them who I was, and that I mean no harm or malice towards them.

Of course, this approach will not immediately fix the barking dog problem, but it can lead to the solution, and hopefully a new friendship. Better yet, you would know a neighbor that would be looking out for yourself and your house too.

The reason I believe this approach is a good one, is because it worked for me. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that is what happened, but looking back, I do see how beneficial it was to have befriended my neighbor.

The neighbor I became good friends with was my next door neighbor. He had a German Shepard. I loved that dog. It was well behaved, and protective of my neighbor’s family, and me. He needed no leash, and would stay right by my side or my friends. All in all, it was a good dog. And unbenounced to myself, I had become friends with the owner of a dog that eventually would become a problem.

Not long after I purchased the house, I got married. Before my wife, I would go to work in the morning, and be home a little after 6pm every day. My neighbor had a similar schedule. And life was good. But there was something I didn't know that was happening every day. Until my wife was living with me, the neighborhood we lived in seemed like a perfectly quiet place. She found out in a bad way that wasn’t the case. It turned out that the neighbor’s dog would bark all day, while we were at work. The dog would be left on a leash during the day with no attention. So it would just bark, and bark, and bark. Needless to say, I found out pretty quick about the problem.

But because of the relationship I had built with my neighbor, I was able to simply call him up, and let him know his dog was barking all day. And guess what happened, he fixed the problem. And our friendship went on as if there were ever a barking problem.

Inevitably, when dealing with a barking dog problem, there is no quick solution, short of an illegal one. But there are some creative solutions. I would hope that someone reading this might be able to take some simple suggestions, and use them themselves in the midst of their frustrations.

Mckinney TX - Reporting a Barking Dog

FYI to any resident of Mckinney TX, if you need to report a problem with a barking dog, here is the information I found on reporting. Thank goodness, Mckinney has an anonymous policy for the first and second report. However, after that, you will more and likely need to file a complaint that makes your personal information available to the owner.

Personally, I'm just happy that they allow residents to report without divulging personal information.

And here it is:

Barking Dog in McKinney, TX


From their site:

Q:  What do I do if my neighbor's dog barks constantly?

A:  Notify Animal Control at (972) 547-7445 to file a complaint during normal business hours Monday - Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. If the complaint is outside normal business hours, notify the McKinney Police Department non-emergency number at 972-547-2700. 

I need to be rich!

Bark Free Zone was started out of frustration. I had a backyard neighbor who's dog was terrorizing us in our own home. Two houses later, and I think we ended up in a pretty nice house, without backyard neighbors. This seemed to fix most of the problem. However, it never fails to amaze me how inconsiderate neighbors can be.

I'm sitting in my front office right now, with the windows open, hoping to enjoy some fresh air, and all I am delighted with is nonstop barking of a little "yapper". I'm not completely upset about it, since, I don't spend much time in this room, and it is not very frequent. But I am reminded of how annoying, and inconsiderate neighbors can be.

This go around, my blood pressure has not boiled over much. But I am still perturbed. Hence why I have kept this blog up. It is my place to vent. Just know if you are out there, and you are dealing with an annoying neighbor or dog, I feel for you, and wish you only the best.

I feel the only solution in my future for a completely Bark Free Zone, is to eventually by a house with land and plenty of separation between me any my neighbors. It is unfortunate, that my family cannot enjoy a peaceful Sunday afternoon in our own home, without an hour or more of nonstop barking.

And don't be fooled by the suggestion of talking to a neighbor with a barking dog. Owners can get pretty nasty, and will cause more duress on you and your family if you were to start up any altercation. I personally feel local government should allow for anonomous complaints about barking dogs. This way, the problem can be addressed, and neighbors don't have to worry about retaliation. Trust me, "been there done that", and it is not pretty when the person knows you are the one complaining about their "beloved" pets.

About now, I am just going to have to close my window, and take a break from studying, There is no concentrating with a yapper like the one going on and on right now!

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.

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