Yoong

Read the book by the dog whisperer ,he has good tips in handling
unfriendly dog and you can borrow it from the library.
http://cesarmillaninc.com/dpc/
I guess you could try out dog psychology on this one to make your life
less stressful . Good luck
Yoong

Purley

Thanks Dingbat. When will you be arriving? I know you are joking, but honestly I think the dog would probably be happier in lala land!

windward

In their position I'd be resentful, but only because someone was pointing out how lazy and neglectful I was being.

It is a difficult position to have to be in, but it seems like you're going to have to continue being the 'bad guy' to get some peace and quiet back and hopefully get that creature the attention it deserves.

Just sucks when people can't be bothered to be considerate. Stay polite though, if they're anything approaching reasonable they should understand where you're coming from surely? As you say, Summer is fast approaching. They'll want their windows open too and if it's barking all night it's not just you that will have to put up with it.

Butch Cassidy

The mian point here is not if Liz is suffering or the neighbours are offended. The point is the dog is being neglected and for that reason alone Liz I think you should document the barking etc and keep hassling both the neighbours and the authorities.

(Despite the above paragraph I do feel for you having to suffer the barking day and night.)

Purley

Unfortunately, they have air conditioning. We do not. Even before they had the dog they were hardly ever outside.

I have often wondered why people bother with gardens when they have air conditioning - slightly off topic, but my friend had a house backing onto a lake. Everyone had gorgeous yards but they all obviously had air conditioning because you never saw a soul outside!

I am going to keep track. I agree with Butch. In my books if a dog only gets food and water shoved out once a day and has a dog house to go into in bad weather - that is not "caring" for a dog. All dogs are social animals. They like to be with people. I feel quite bad when I can see it sitting there all the time looking through the fence at my dogs fooling around.

Last fall I had a bit of a brainstorm and I was going to steal the dog (puppy then) out of their yard and take it out to a friend's farm. However, I decided that stealing a dog was not worth the trouble and that I could not go around rescuing all the dogs that I considered were being mistreated.

Wendy E

Don't think that one bad mongrel makes all mongrels bad. We have 2 and we would never get a pedigree of any kind. That all said I have noticed that people in Canada (or at least where we are ) tend to leave their dogs outside far more than I saw in the UK, but we are in a rural area where houses are a long way apart.
Many dogs have a kennel and a fenced in run and never seem to be allowed in the house or taken out for a walk.
Some Canadian friends seem a little shocked sometimes when they come round, go to sit on the sofa to find a dog or 2 there.
If you live in a more urban area where houses are close together then chances are that you are not the only sufferers here and a deputation of neighbours might be more effective than just you confronting the problem.
Good luck!

Piff Poff

Liz

I really feel for you, we have neighbours who have a Rotti and a Shepherd cross who bark whenever someone walks past their house - even if I come out of my house (they live diagonally opposite). Now some other of our neighbours complained and were told that there had to be a minimum of 3 complaints before they could do anything. Over the winter the barking stopped and we all thought YAY! But sadly the barking has started again now the weather is slightly warmer.

I am a 1st time dog owner. Henry isn't allowed to woof more than his baby woof that says let me in (when we haven't heard him crash into the door). His poops have built up over the winter as they got covered by yet more snow, but as soon as it melted we cleared it. This is called being a sensible dog owner. It annoys me when I see dogs that are not walked and cared for, it's not fair on the dog and it's not fair on the people that have to put up with the laziness of careless dog owners. If I were you I would be making a formal complaint ot you will end up ill from the stress of it all.

good luck Liz

Iain Mc

Saw this posted on another (similar) thread, might be of use as it's something that can be done on the sly without your neighbor noticing. Just put it up against your fence, apparently works like a charm!

Bark Stop

I presume it's reasonably humane or you wouldn't be able to buy it, I guess it zaps back dog frequency white noise whenever the mutt barks (can be set for x number of barks before activation) which is a dissuasion to repeat the offence.

Of course, I guess it's not the poor thing's fault, it's just bored, but it might save your sanity.

Cheers, Iain

Purley

Just a quick comment about mongrels. I did not say that mongrels were bad. I did not say that mongrels were any worse behaved than purebred dogs - I just said that I would not have a mongrel. That is because I belong to the kennel club and used to show dogs and that is my interest - purebred - i.e. registered with the Kennel Club - dogs.

I'll check that bark thing - thanks.

sixofus!

probably gonna get flamed for this, but how about taking him somewhere and telling then hes as a stray while they are out (lol)

Do everyone inc the dog a favour

Piff Poff

My daughters friends parents did something similar, I have mentioned their poor dog before - always left outside, always barking, always running away,always being zapped with the no bark collar. They have been fined for the dogs behaviour - not the dogs fault, anyway last time it ran away, when the SPCA called them to see if it was their dog (no licence/collar on it) they just said 'Oh no our dog is in the yard, thanks for calling.'

The worst thing is their dog was a beagle and we all know they need walking, now their thinking in a little while, of getting either a dalmation or a retreiver, they couldn't be bothered to care for a beagle, let alone anything bigger. I just hope they see sense and that the beagle has found a loving home, because she could have been a lovely dog if treated right.

(I don't agree with what these people have done.)

Purley

If you read one of my earlier posts Sixofus - you will see that I gave the idea careful consideration. I had it all planned out. I would take the dog to Moose Jaw Humane Society and leave it there. Then a friend pointed out that it was really stealing - so I had a change of heart.

The trouble with still having an English accent - or at least so far as Canadians are concerned I have an English accent - is that it's hard to be anonomous. I can't even phone them in the middle of the night and tell them to shut their dog up - because they would recognize my voice! That is the reason I would take the dog to Moose Jaw, but even then I thought they might phone there and I was afraid the Humane Society would say "Yes we have a dog like that - a lady with an English accent brought it in and said it was a stray!"

(However, I do have a friend with a Canadian accent who has offered to help - and she owed me big time for favours I have done in the past -hmmm - but she has dark skin - I just need someone neutral looking with brown hair -- any volunteers!!!)

sixofus!

PHherhaps time for a willing canadian friend to help out, or drive to a shelter a long long long way away so they wont check there(and pretend u lost your voice!)

(bet they would be secretly pleased anyway that the descison wasnt there one and was made for them )


Sorry couldnt be moe help
If im your way anytime soon , id offer to go yell at them for you !

Purley

Hey couldya go in the back alley with a hammer - it would be easy to get those fence boards off and if you praps dropped some bits of old hot dogs in a trail - the dog would follow them and praps get lost eh??