Constantly barking dog - need advice

Richard Dower

I know dog lovers won't like what i have to say and tell me to get a life and what not, but i have a problem with a dog owned by someone living close to me.

I've been living here for just over three years and in that time this ONE particular dog has barked non stop, and i mean constantly...round the clock, day and night.

He never stops, and he's a known biter as well, he's normall tied up due to his biting tendencies. My neighbour had posession of this dog for two years and i complained a couple of times.

But nothing was done, when his wife had a new baby he gave the dog to another neighbour, right beside our houses a new estate is being built..and the new owner puts this dog in their when the workers finish to keep out trespassers etc. (apparently he got some deal going on with the builder)

But this dog goes at it constanly and TBH i am driven half mental from it, when i'm lying in bed at nite i can hear him, even with ear plugs. It goes through your head constantly, it really upsets and annoys me.

I approached the new owner and he literally told me to "f*** off" and said no other neighbours ever complained in his ten years of living in the area...he said to me if he had a dog that didn't bark he'd shoot him.

Basically our conversation was him insulting me and making out i had the problem and not the dog, that was several weeks back and nothing has changed.

I've contemplated taking radical steps, no need to spell it out...but i'm sure it would come back to me and the owner strikes me as the violent type. So from a legal standpoint what could i do?

I know folks will suggest, why not move?...get over it, turn your tv up, wear earplugs....get a life!

But do i not have more legal rights then some dog?, does my peace of mind and well being count for nothing?

The things is, there are alot of dogs living in this area, it's just this one dog...if i had mental health issues would i not be harping on about ALL dogs?
All i wanted from the owner was to move the dog away from where i am living, distance is the key...he's sooo close i hear him, if he was moved further away i would hear him or not as much/loudly.

Sorry for the long rant, advice and thoughts welcome

SuzyS1972

You are right - report the nasty owner to the local authority and to the SPCA in your area

What a creep - I have 3 dogs and beleive me I think there is nothing worse than that constant barking.
It's very cruel on the dog and very very unfair on the neighbours

Schlemm

This problem is a common one - we have a dog next door to us who is locked up all day and he barks non stop with boredom, and plus he's badly trained and the owners can't and/or don't know how to get him to stop. In our old house our neighbours there had an epidemic of cats and barking dogs,- one of their dogs was a very territorial dog who used to jump up and try and bite people's heads as they were walking by the wall between our house and theirs! The barking went non-stop too. With our old neighbours we had to put up extra fences on the wall, and make several complaints. We've complained to our current neighbours too but they're very stubborn and haven't done much about it. Their housekeeper is the one who minds the dogs: they seem more of an accessory than a proper pet and I feel really sorry for the dogs because they're kept locked up all day and it's very frustrating for them.

If your neighbours won't listen to you, the relevant legislation is contained within the Control of Dogs Act 1986. There is a section on nuisance from barking dogs and you can read it at http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA32Y1986.html
Obviously a solicitor would know more about the legal side of things but they should be keeping their dog under control. And obviously you'd want to be careful if your neighbour is a bit dodgy and aggressive too! It's a very awkward situation but good luck with it.