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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.