A: When she has a dog living next door who creates so much helplessness and anxiety that she feels she may lose her sanity.
Our new neighbours moved in in October last year. So basically, they and their fucking dog (it's the only thing I can call it) have been living next to us for my entire pregnancy. The first time I approached them about how often he is barking when they are out was early this year, February or March. I was inundated with apologies, visits from him and her at my front door to explain what new wonderful method they were going to try. These ranged from a zap collar (which I think they never even tried because the guy was already voicing how expensive they are) to the citronella spray canister which squirts into the dog's face every time it barks.
They apparently took the citronella collar back to the vet to say it wasn't working and the vets were amazed that they had run out of citronella already...... yes, they were stupid enough to divulge this to me. Like proud parents of their over-excelling fur-child.
I called the council in March. "What can be done about this?" I pleaded. They took details - mine and the fucking dog's - and said they would send out information to us (that we needed to keep a barking diary to document the disruption) and also send out a ranger to visit the neighbours. This was apparently, as I understood it, a first step.
I gave up on the barking diary. My bad. But still the fucking dog barked on. Steve and I have, over the past months since Easter, resorted to our own methods of getting him to shut the hell up. A deep gutteral growl is all it takes now and he will be quiet. Pity the neighbour's wife and daughter can't do the same. He barks when they are home, he only shuts up if the guy is there (or if someone lets him in). When they are home, he even ignores me. So I prefer them now to be out so I can growl at the shit head.
Problem is, Lolly ain't that forgiving anymore. It takes several minutes sometimes to get up and get to the door, by which time Murphy's Law has prevailed and he's stopped. So I stand at the door, exhausted from the effort, and then hope he DOES bark just so I can reprimand him! It's a bloody nightmare.
Called the council again yesterday and downloaded their new and improved "So your neighbours have a barking dog and you want to maim it" booklet. Turns out, no one ever did go next door, they were never sent any information - it all came to us.
Oh. Actually, it seems the onus is ALLLLLLL on us. I have to keep a barking diary for a fortnight. I have to round up other neighbours as witnesses to the barking. I have to prove I have attempted to resolve the issue through the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria..... before the council will even step in. And the icing on the cake? I then have to keep the barking diary of the fucking dog's habits for another month "to monitor if the barking continues or improves as the result of any further action being taken".
What the?! The fucking dog's own owners acknowledge he is a nuisance barker. There is no dispute to settle. JUST SHUT HIM THE HELL UP!!! Whatever it takes. Call a trainer to come to your home, people! Seriously, is it really that difficult? Yes, apparently it is, because heaven forbid they should spend any money to train him - ok, it seems unfair from their point of view as the dog is not disrupting them. But if you've bought a pet and it's turned out to be a nuisance animal, for whatever reason, you are responsible for fixing it! Despite the $$'s it may take. It seems that because they are out all day and don't have to listen to it, they're not putting any effort in at all now. He is an intelligent, bored, untrained dog. And they are irresponsible for owning him in this manner.
As Steve very aptly said, if we decided to turn up music full boar at 2am tomorrow morning, we would be reported and the police would be knocking on our door for disruption of the peace. But I ask you, how am I supposed to accurately keep a barking diary of the fucking dog's every bark when I am trying to work, trying to relax (pah, fat freakin' chance) and trying to prepare for birth???
Gahhhhhhhhhhd people shit me sometimes.
2 comments:
That really sucks. I hope it gets sorted before Lolly arrives! Or else he/she will not be a happy camper being woken up from naps all the time.
:(
That's a shitty situation. It sucks so much for you guys (been there done that with a couple of neighbours) AND it sucks for the poor pup him/herself. Don't spose you could print out some info about why dogs bark, training, boredom, environmental enrichment (Delta Soc website may help?) and force them to pay attention?
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