Neighbours Dogs Barking Advice

Pops451

Our neighbour works nights and has a few dogs. When our neighbour is not there the dogs go a little mad and can go through periods at night time of non stop barking. We are in a semi-d and it can get very loud and wake up the whole house.

This morning at 6am the barker non-stop for almost 15 minutes and woke the whole house up, this happened a number of times during the night.

This has been happening for a long time now and we have said it once to our neighbour but they did not really recognise there’s an issue and didn’t offer to do anything.

We have a young child and are committed to the house so we have to stay there. We cannot keep this up for much longer, this is becoming a nightly thing every time our neighbour is working or away and it’s very frustrating.

Part of us wonders is it fair on the dogs to be on their own so much, one time our neighbour went away for a weekend and dogs literally barked non stop the whole weeekend, they only stopped when a person, a relation/ friend of the neighbour, called in to feed them a couple of times.

Has anyone encountered such an issue before and have advice? We do not want to fight with our neighbour but it’s got to the stage where we need to do something.

Salary Negotiator

This is the nuclear option but it is an option.

Maybe show this page to your neighbour so she is aware that this is where it’s heading and give her a chance to do something about the barking.

Start keeping a log as well if days, times and duration of the barking, it’ll help if it does go to court. Recordings too if you can manage it.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/animal_welfare_and_control/control_of_dogs.html

Fann Linn

You will have to fight with your neighbour if she is ignoring your requests.
Firstly, if you are genuinely concerned of an animal welfare issue I'd get onto ISPCA or local dog warden.
Secondly, I'd buy a diary, note everytime the dog is barking, day or night, ring the local garda station everytime and get it logged and get the name of the garda you're dealing with.
After a while I'd get in touch with the local council, or the local courts office or google it yourself and find out how to take a noise pollution case. It cost about €50 max when I did it years ago.
Then go to court, be prepared to sit around all day and then finally present your case.
I had no solicitor, just myself and my diary and problem resolved in about 20 minutes.
Yes, the other party did show up and yes you will have to summons them. The court clerk or admin officer will go through all the paperwork when you chat to them.
Good luck.

kevcos

Keeping three dogs in a semi-d is ridiculous.
Reading that is enough to know that thoses dog will not stop barking and your neighbour is the self centred type and does not even consider the nuisance let alone will do anything about it.

It also sounds like you may be far too polite OP.

Tackle this robustly and head on, or your frustration will fester.

D3V!L

Sounds identical to a problem we have. Same attitude from the owner who also works nights.

We have spoke to the DSPCA several times about it and if the dog has a kennel then there is nothing they are willing to do.

Samuel T. Cogley

Only thing you can do is initiate proceedings in the District Court, google for the specific form for dogs. No one else will give a **** its extremely frustrating.

Pops451

Thanks everyone, we are starting to keep a log and also put recordings on our phone to match entries. Using the diary is a great idea for putting structure on it, thanks.

The preference would be to demonstrate to our neighbour the nuisance this is causing us by showing the log with recordings. It’s so loud at times we wonder about contacting the unattached neighbour on the other side too.

perhaps the next step is to start contacting the guards, can they certify entries or do they just take note in their records of a complaint?

Dav010

If she lives alone, those dogs are the closest thing she has to family, it won’t matter what you say or do, she will choose them over you.

Pops451

Dav010 wrote: »

If she lives alone, those dogs are the closest thing she has to family, it won’t matter what you say or do, she will choose them over you.

Yeah we understand this and that is why we want to see can we come to an amicable solution, we do not want an outcome that takes the dogs away.

at one time we were thinking of offering to go in and feed the dogs when our neighbour is away or even just check on them to see if we can calm them down, this however is not practical at night time.

It is a sensitive issue.

Pops451

Fann Linn wrote: »

You will have to fight with your neighbour if she is ignoring your requests.
Firstly, if you are genuinely concerned of an animal welfare issue I'd get onto ISPCA or local dog warden.
Secondly, I'd buy a diary, note everytime the dog is barking, day or night, ring the local garda station everytime and get it logged and get the name of the garda you're dealing with.
After a while I'd get in touch with the local council, or the local courts office or google it yourself and find out how to take a noise pollution case. It cost about €50 max when I did it years ago.
Then go to court, be prepared to sit around all day and then finally present your case.
I had no solicitor, just myself and my diary and problem resolved in about 20 minutes.
Yes, the other party did show up and yes you will have to summons them. The court clerk or admin officer will go through all the paperwork when you chat to them.
Good luck.

Did you come to a reasonable solution?

Diceicle

I have been in your shoes.
My previous neighbour had 2 dogs in the end. The main cuplprit, a black lab, would bark almost constantly, for up to 3 hours. No joke.
She would go away for the night and leave them in. Where they would then go up to the bedroom adjacent to ours and bark at (presumably) perceived threats - such as leaves, the wind and clouds.
We went into her a number of times and it did subside....partly because she took some minor action but mainly because the biggest a-hole dog got old and died.
From her perspective (and possibly your neighbours) she didn't see her dogs as a problem because they weren't barking for hours on end when she was there - and if they were barking it must be at something like a person walking by the house. This might be the justification / head in the sand you will encounter.

I did get in touch with the council, and spoke to someone who was sympathetic to my concerns at the time. They were willing to send a letter to the house stating that there is a concern over noise from a neighbour and reminding the dog-owner of their responsibilities and consequences for them if the dogs are a nuisance. They've no real power in this matter but it might serve to focus the mind. I never did need to action that letter thankfully.
I have also heard recently, on a radio talk show, of someone who sent a fake letter from the council to their neighbour about their dogs. Thats probably not the best approach to take though.

If I were to do it all over again, the approach I would take would be to get one of those 1080p security cameras from Amazon for about €40 - and use that to collect evidence of the regularity and scale of the barking problem.

For ages afterwards, even when the black lab was dead, I would get stressed when the dog barked. Its like a reflex. Once the dog starts barking you don't know when it will actually stop. 30 seconds? 30 minutes?

Between noisey dogs like these and the ornamental bags of poo decorating the hedge rows across the country it seems more than a few people can't be trusted with proper care of these animals.

corks finest

Pops451 wrote: »

Our neighbour works nights and has a few dogs. When our neighbour is not there the dogs go a little mad and can go through periods at night time of non stop barking. We are in a semi-d and it can get very loud and wake up the whole house.

This morning at 6am the barker non-stop for almost 15 minutes and woke the whole house up, this happened a number of times during the night.

This has been happening for a long time now and we have said it once to our neighbour but they did not really recognise there’s an issue and didn’t offer to do anything.

We have a young child and are committed to the house so we have to stay there. We cannot keep this up for much longer, this is becoming a nightly thing every time our neighbour is working or away and it’s very frustrating.

Part of us wonders is it fair on the dogs to be on their own so much, one time our neighbour went away for a weekend and dogs literally barked non stop the whole weeekend, they only stopped when a person, a relation/ friend of the neighbour, called in to feed them a couple of times.

Has anyone encountered such an issue before and have advice? We do not want to fight with our neighbour but it’s got to the stage where we need to do something.

Went through it for years,no option but to confront dog owners,I tried the roaring out the window- contacted dog warden- etc etc, still have it occasionally but not near as bad, regularly at 11 o c night's for 5/ 15 m , they've copped on,but TBH no place for dogs or cats in a built up area unless owners are responsible,most are bit at minimum 20 percent aren't

Mrs OBumble

Pops451 wrote: »

Yeah we understand this and that is why we want to see can we come to an amicable solution, we do not want an outcome that takes the dogs away.

What kind of solution do you foresee? Is there a night time doggy-daycare in your area?

corks finest

Diceicle wrote: »

I have been in your shoes.
My previous neighbour had 2 dogs in the end. The main cuplprit, a black lab, would bark almost constantly, for up to 3 hours. No joke.
She would go away for the night and leave them in. Where they would then go up to the bedroom adjacent to ours and bark at (presumably) perceived threats - such as leaves, the wind and clouds.
We went into her a number of times and it did subside....partly because she took some minor action but mainly because the biggest a-hole dog got old and died.
From her perspective (and possibly your neighbours) she didn't see her dogs as a problem because they weren't barking for hours on end when she was there - and if they were barking it must be at something like a person walking by the house. This might be the justification / head in the sand you will encounter.

I did get in touch with the council, and spoke to someone who was sympathetic to my concerns at the time. They were willing to send a letter to the house stating that there is a concern over noise from a neighbour and reminding the dog-owner of their responsibilities and consequences for them if the dogs are a nuisance. They've no real power in this matter but it might serve to focus the mind. I never did need to action that letter thankfully.
I have also heard recently, on a radio talk show, of someone who sent a fake letter from the council to their neighbour about their dogs. Thats probably not the best approach to take though.

If I were to do it all over again, the approach I would take would be to get one of those 1080p security cameras from Amazon for about €40 - and use that to collect evidence of the regularity and scale of the barking problem.

For ages afterwards, even when the black lab was dead, I would get stressed when the dog barked. Its like a reflex. Once the dog starts barking you don't know when it will actually stop. 30 seconds? 30 minutes?

Between noisey dogs like these and the ornamental bags of poo decorating the hedge rows across the country it seems more than a few people can't be trusted with proper care of these animals.

Great points

Pops451

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What kind of solution do you foresee? Is there a night time doggy-daycare in your area?

It is hard to know, on weekends if the person is not at home (sometimes they go away to the UK or somewhere) we could offer to go in and feed the dogs and check on them and see if that can help.

At the night time, we could ask can the person to keep the dogs somewhere else in the house or as you suggest is there a night time care option?

At the end of the day there are at least 3 dogs who are on their own for large periods of every night/ day in a 3 bed semi-d and probably restricted to one or two rooms. I do not think that is very fair on the dogs, especially when it happens on the odd weekend.

It would be great if we could work with the neighbour on trying to find a way as oppose to stonewalling us and we having to get the local guard involved.

But to be honest, i am unsure if an easy solution exists.

Tabnabs

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What kind of solution do you foresee? Is there a night time doggy-daycare in your area?

Plenty of dog sitters and the option to have someone take them overnight should be actively looked at by the owner.

Fann Linn

Pops451 wrote: »

Did you come to a reasonable solution?

I went to court, gave my evidence and then the judge called the other party. He put my allegations to them and they couldn't deny.

In my case he bound them to the peace for three months and then requested that both I and the other gang show at a date then and I was to give him an update on their behaviour. He put them on notice that if they went off track he would jail them. He also told the sgt or super who was sitting at the front of the court that if they did get a report from me during that time regarding them that they were to act on same.
In those three months we never heard a peep from them and I stated that. They moved on about a year later and since that day its been great. A young couple bought their house and in fairness they are great.

The reason I rang the gardai was I knew they wouldn't bother coming out to a civil dispute, but I let them know from day one that this would end up in court and so I was presenting a case for that. Regardless of the time, day or night, bank holiday etc I would ring the local station, make them aware of my problem and seek the name of the garda involved. In court then I just read from my diary eg, 'Judge, on the 4/01/13. @ 02.00 there were dogs barking and loud music being played at address, co. Galway. I spoke to Gda. J. Doe at 02.05 by phone at Tuam Gda station and reported same.'
I had about 6 months of entries as per the above and I just listed them out. The judge then asked to have a look at the diary and put some questions to other party and that was that.
Bliss!

everlast75

kevcos wrote: »

Keeping three dogs in a semi-d is ridiculous.
Reading that is enough to know that thoses dog will not stop barking and your neighbour is the self centred type and does not even consider the nuisance let alone will do anything about it.

It also sounds like you may be far too polite OP.

Tackle this robustly and head on, or your frustration will fester.

To be fair, I think you could keep three dogs in a semi-d.

If the house was detached, with a large garden, they could behave in the same way. I see no reason why not.

The issue in most cases I have come across is that the owners do not exercise the dogs. They sit on their holes and watch tv before they go to work and afterwards. I walk mine every day and see people like this all the time. The furthest they go for their dogs is to get up off their ass, walk to the front door and stand there while the dogs run around ****ting where they wish. A lot of the time, the dogs then run at mine while the owners shuffle off to grab the rarely used leads and try call them back.

Anyhoo - TL:DR - if they walked the dogs before and after work, there would probably not be an issue

Diceicle

Pops451 wrote: »

It is hard to know, on weekends if the person is not at home (sometimes they go away to the UK or somewhere) we could offer to go in and feed the dogs and check on them and see if that can help.

At the night time, we could ask can the person to keep the dogs somewhere else in the house or as you suggest is there a night time care option?

At the end of the day there are at least 3 dogs who are on their own for large periods of every night/ day in a 3 bed semi-d and probably restricted to one or two rooms. I do not think that is very fair on the dogs, especially when it happens on the odd weekend.

It would be great if we could work with the neighbour on trying to find a way as oppose to stonewalling us and we having to get the local guard involved.

But to be honest, i am unsure if an easy solution exists.

You don't need to provide solutions. Thats your neighbours responsibility. If he wants to have a friend or family member stay over to keep the dogs quiet - or hire a dog walker to come at some stupid hour of the morning to walk them. Thats their prerogative. Your role as I see it is to highlight the problem.

Folks had this problem,
went to court,scumbag neighbor wouldn't do anything still.
After 6 months he fitted a shock collar and that was the end of it.
In reality the dog should have been taken away.
husky on a 2m chain ALL DAY and night,howling .

charlietheminxx

It really bothers me that some dog owners are so irresponsible It's horrible to leave a dog alone so much, no wonder it's stressed out and barking! I really feel for you OP. They need to hire a dog-sitter if they are going away.

amadangomor

Have a similar problem with the neighbours dogs but not to the extent as the OP and is usually during the day so doesn't keep us awake. The dogs are never walked and the house has 4 adults and a teenager!

Possible solution maybe to have some sort of dog owner awareness/responsibility course before people can obtain a dog licence. Amazing how many people are clueless in this regard.

I would love to have a dog but wouldn't as it would be alone for most of the day so I adult up and accept this.

gmisk

Tabnabs wrote: »

Plenty of dog sitters and the option to have someone take them overnight should be actively looked at by the owner.

There are pretty much free/cheap options like borrow my doggy

gmisk

BrownFinger wrote: »

Folks had this problem,
went to court,scumbag neighbor wouldn't do anything still.
After 6 months he fitted a shock collar and that was the end of it.
In reality the dog should have been taken away.
husky on a 2m chain ALL DAY and night,howling .

Shock collars are horrible, the poor dog should have been taken away

gmisk

gmisk wrote: »

Shock collars are horrible, the poor dog should have been taken away

They offered to bring the dog to daycare if my parents paid for it .

gmisk

BrownFinger wrote: »

They offered to bring the dog to daycare if my parents paid for it .

Jesus Christ...that was big of them!

Graces7

I lived once across from a field where the farmer left a dog chained up at night, in the open, far enough from the house that they could not hear it barking.

In gales etc that dog would howl in terror all night long.

I knew who the owners were; tried talking to them to no avail

A formal letter, informing that I was preparing to take court action worked fully; dog was moved to the shed near the house.

Seems to be the only thing that avails. It is after all the dog that matters!