Neighbor’s Dog Won’t Stop Barking? Been There, Lost Sleep Over That!

But I didn't get the t-shirt...

The neighbor's dog kept us up for a good part of the night last night.  Before you jump, know this:  we are dog lovers.  Shannon and I have 4 dogs, 2 of which are rescues.  Tucker, Lil' Bit, Mannie, and Violet:

The biggest part of owning dogs has to do with responsibility:  it's your dog, your responsibility.  If your dog chews up your neighbor's fence, it's your responsibility.  If your dog runs out into the street and causes an accident, it's your responsibility.  If your dog keeps the neighbors up all night from incessant barking, IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!  (I guess, by now, you see where this post is going.)

It happened last night.  One of our neighbors' dogs barked for a good part of the night.  As a matter of fact, I am typing this at 7:48am, and the dog is STILL barking.  Look, here's a picture of the dog.

Now, before I go too far, I want to preface with this:  I will not take my frustration out on the dog, for this is not the dog's fault.  Without proper training, the dog may bark all night.  With proper training, the dog, without provocation, will not bark all night.  (7:50am, still barking)

Logical possibilities:  My neighbors might not be home.  They may have gone on vacation and are having a friend come over to feed the dog twice a day.  They may be working the night shift and have no clue that their dog is barking.  They may have had a family emergency and had to leave in a hurry.  It's possible that their bedroom is in a part of the home protected from the barking.  It's possible that they have house-sitters who don't know to bring the dog inside at night.  It's possible that they are laying in different parts of the house, shot to death.  (My imagination is active this early in the morning, especially after a lack of rest.)  (7:55, still barking)  There are plenty of logical reasons the dog had to stay out last night.

I am going to hope that it's a temporary problem, remedied by a pleasant visit with the owners of the dog.  I will also offer tips on how to keep their dog from barking.   Wish me luck.

Oh, by the way, Bing shows that there are plenty of sites online that deal with this subject. Most of the 'civil' suggestions follow the same process:

5 Steps to dealing with barking neighbors:

1. An anonymous note, explaining the problem, taped to the dog owners' door.  Also, begin to keep a log/recording of the barking (dates, times, etc...)  If that doesn't work -
2. Print the local ordinance or city code against barking dogs, printed, taped to the door (anonymously).  Continue to keep a log.  No results?  Read on -
3. Call the city/municipality authorities.  The police, sheriff,  animal control, whoever is in charge of enforcing the ordinance, present a copy of your evidence, and ask them to help.   This MAY require you to no longer remain anonymous.  Still no results? - (8:15am, finally!  No barking!)
4. Get in touch with the mayor or your municipality representative.  Ask them to look into the situation.   STILL no results?? -
5. Set up a sound system near your mayor or municipality representative's bedroom window, and begin play-back of the recordings at 2am.  Set the audio player on "Loop".

Of course, with number 5, I am just kidding!

When I first got Tucker, I was given a book called "Good Owners, Great Dogs".  I read the book through, twice, before I started utilizing it on Tucker.  I would recommend this book to ANYONE thinking about getting a dog, or even to current dog owners (it's NOT too late to train your dog, regardless of it's age).  If there is ONE thing about training/raising a dog that I think is MOST important (other than feeding/watering), it's kennel training.  (8:31am, barking again)

Bottom line is this:   Dog ownership is a huge responsibility.  If your dog is disruptive to the neighbors, it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, not the dog's.