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Dog Owner Problem


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#1 Steve Heard

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 06:22 PM

I live on a cul-de-sac. My neighbor has a dog, in fact, many of my neighbors have dogs. Every now and then they will bark, which I'm pretty sure is a normal thing.

 

None of them are nuisances, as far as I'm concerned. There used to be one that barked for hours when the parents weren't home, and one guy who used to go on vacation and put his dog in the yard, and had someone drop off food and check on him. He would bark all night sometimes.

 

Other than that, normal dog barking.

 

So, about a year ago someone moved in to a property a couple of lots behind my neighbor. They both have large pie shaped lots at the end of their courts, and the homes are a considerable distance apart. Everyone on my court is closer to my neighbor than the new guy.

 

A couple of weeks after the new guy moved in, he sent my neighbor a letter introducing himself and saying he wanted to keep peace in the neighborhood, but he preferred it to be quiet from 7pm to 7am, and asked that he not allow his dogs to bark after 7pm or before 7am.

 

No one else in the neighborhood has complained about my neighbor's dogs, and we do occasionally hear other dogs barking. My neighbor wants to be a good one, but dogs do bark sometimes, and 7pm doesn't seem reasonable, and the dogs aren't particularly loud. One of them is 12 years old and nearly deaf, so he rarely barks at anything. 

 

They sleep in the house, so aren't out barking late at night. 

 

My neighbor has been more conscientious and aware, promised to keep the dogs quiet as much as possible, and if the dogs do bark he does bring them in or otherwise attempt to shut them up, but they are dogs and do have dog voices, and 7pm doesn't seem reasonable. I am 2 houses away, much closer than the other guy, and I haven't heard a peep out of them in weeks. 

 

The complainer, on the other hand, has sent threatening emails, waited until after midnight once to call and wake him to 'let him know what it feels like', and now has filed a complaint with the city. 

 

Any suggestions? 

 

 

 


Steve Heard

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#2 2 Aces

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 06:42 PM

In other words, maestro's brother lives near you?

Sounds like it.



#3 tony

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Posted 24 May 2017 - 09:03 AM

I would let him complain.  Code enforcement will come out, observe, and conclude that there is no violation of the municipal code, which states:

7.04.060 Excessive noise or barking prohibited.sm-share-en.gif

No person owning or harboring any animal shall permit or allow the animal to make loud or disturbing noises without provocation so as to constitute a nuisance, including, but not limited to, chronic howling, yowling, barking, whining, or other utterances. 

You might preemptively call code enforcement and let them know you are NOT bothered by the noise.

 

And, in general, the provisions of the noise ordinance (with certain exceptions like construction (6pm, 5pm on weekends) and yard maintenance (dusk)) apply between 10 pm and 7 am. So the 7pm "deadline" imposed by the neighbor is unreasonable.

 

I am both a dog owner and often very annoyed by a neighbors dogs (she somewhat frequently leaves her scotty's out in the fenced front yard and forgets to bring them in at night; they aren't loud, but they whine and yap at the door all night long, typically in 5 to 10 minute intervals, which is just frequently enough to keep me from falling asleep some nights. Complicating life is the fact that she is a very nice neighbor, but also very private, so I hate to ruin the few conversations we have by complaining about her dogs).



#4 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 24 May 2017 - 12:52 PM

my neighbors both have dogs, most of them do in the neighborhood, in fact.  they bark occasionally, including at night and early morning.  I don't even hear it any more and it doesn't bother me in the least.  Those dogs may even be protecting my house, for all I know, if they notice something odd going on at night.  I think the complainer is expecting perfection in the real world.  If it were disturbing his sleep, that's one thing, but I doubt he's sleeping 12 hours a day.  If someone left a dog out all night that howled or barked incessantly between 11 pm and 6 am, I would ask them if they could do something.  I would not call the city and complain.  


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#5 SCA

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Posted 25 May 2017 - 07:12 AM

I think Tony's suggestion to let code enforcement know you are not bothered by the occasional barking is a good one. We had a neighbor who would leave his three dogs out all day and night while he went out of town. They barked incessantly and it was truly a quality of life issue for us and our neighbors. Now we have another neighbor with one dog who will bark for hours on end but the owner is usually home by 9pm. What frustrates me the most is that I told both those owners to let us know if they would be gone for several hours as we would be happy to come over and play with the dogs for a bit to give them some exercise and relieve their boredom. Neither ever took us up on the offer. Your neighbor sounds like a responsible and conscientious pet owner. Obviously all dogs bark every now and then. And I agree with 4thgen, the occasional dog barking can be a good deterrent for anyone scouting out your neighborhood.

#6 The Average Joe

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Posted 25 May 2017 - 02:09 PM

The problem is that what is tolerable to one is often intolerable to others.  Yes, occasional barking is to be expected. However, I went through the barking ringer a year or two ago. My neighbor behind me was nearly deaf and his dogs barked from 6 am to 9 pm. I could hear them in every room in the house, and absolutely could not enjoy my backyard, whether for a float in the pool or a glass of wine on the patio or a grilling session. I spoke to them once, and it diminished for about a month, then it was back to constant barking. He never said a word to the dogs. Finally, I had to get rather pointed and let him know that the situation was unacceptable and would be forwarded to animal control if no steps were taken. The situation resolved when he sold his house shortly thereafter. I like animal and I like kids...however, I do not like when parents/owners that take no responsibility in the bad behavior of those they are responsible for. Those that don't enjoy frequent barking are just as much in the right as those that have dogs that bark.  A little consideration by the dog owners goes a long way to keeping things smooth.  After all, it is not the non-pet owner that is creating the root of the issue.


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#7 Steve Heard

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Posted 25 May 2017 - 08:11 PM

The problem is that what is tolerable to one is often intolerable to others.  Yes, occasional barking is to be expected. However, I went through the barking ringer a year or two ago. My neighbor behind me was nearly deaf and his dogs barked from 6 am to 9 pm. I could hear them in every room in the house, and absolutely could not enjoy my backyard, whether for a float in the pool or a glass of wine on the patio or a grilling session. I spoke to them once, and it diminished for about a month, then it was back to constant barking. He never said a word to the dogs. Finally, I had to get rather pointed and let him know that the situation was unacceptable and would be forwarded to animal control if no steps were taken. The situation resolved when he sold his house shortly thereafter. I like animal and I like kids...however, I do not like when parents/owners that take no responsibility in the bad behavior of those they are responsible for. Those that don't enjoy frequent barking are just as much in the right as those that have dogs that bark.  A little consideration by the dog owners goes a long way to keeping things smooth.  After all, it is not the non-pet owner that is creating the root of the issue.

 

I agree, and if there was constant barking, or even frequent barking, I'd understand the neighbor's point of view. 

 

Since the neighbors closest to him don't complain, and since the guy notified him when he moved in that he likes it quiet after 7pm, he seems unreasonable. 


Steve Heard

Folsom Real Estate Specialist

EXP Realty

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Owner - MyFolsom.com

916 718 9577 


#8 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 26 May 2017 - 07:29 PM

"The complainer, on the other hand, has sent threatening emails, waited until after midnight once to call and wake him to 'let him know what it feels like', and now has filed a complaint with the city." 

 

​I'm glad i don't live next to him......


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