My Story

I live in the City of Monroe (Union County), NC.

I began this blog because one year my neighbors got a barking puppy. They couldn't house train the puppy and so eventually he ended up in the yard 24/7, barking most of the day and night. I could hear the dog barking in every room of my house, and the barking was so loud and shrill that I couldn't spend any quality time my yard. Then they got a second puppy thinking this addition would help the first dog to not bark so much. It didn't work, and eventually the second dog began barking almost as much as the first dog. This barking had a profoundly negative effect on my whole life, and I suffered severe sleep deprivatoin, great stress and tension, and I had all kinds of crazy thoughts and constantly tried to figure out how I could get away from them. I finally sent a detailed email to the Mayor and City Council, and less than an hour later the Mayor called me and promised to have it taken care of. Even after a visit that day from both the animal control officer and a police captain, my neighbors continuted to let their dogs bark and a week later my neighbors were cited for violating the City's noise ordinance. and they still continued to let the dogs bark. I documented the whole thing in writing and video/sound recording. In court they were reprimanded by the judge and fined $100 plus court costs, and were also told that any future citations for the same violation would cost them $500...

Update #3: On November 9, 2011, just before 3:30 a.m., I called the police. The "Loud One" had awakened me around 2 a.m., and continued to have loud barking fits at frequent intervals (every 5-7 minutes) for the next hour and a half. As soon as the police officer arrived, I saw the dogs run to the back door and to inside...the officer later told me that he had heard the barking before he pulled into the driveway, but that no one would answer the door. Since the weather has cooled down, for the last few weeks the "Loud One" has often been in the yard barking, not as much as before but enough to cause me to be anxious and tense.

Update #2: On Febrary 23, 2011, a second citation was issued to my neighbors because they just couldn't...or wouldn't...keep their dog quiet. Court was on April 7. My neighbor pleaded guilty, we all told our stories...to sum it up, the judge (not the same judge as the first time), also a dog owner, fined my neighbor $100 plus court fees and told them to keep the dogs in the house between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and to supervise the dogs if they are outside. My neighbor wanted to keep the dogs on the screened porch, but the judge said no, they are going in the house. He added that, if this continued to be a problem the court would consider taking the dogs away...or sending them to training classes (and I know none of them want to take those dogs to training classes; it would be a disaster, knowing my neighbors and the dogs).

The first couple of weeks after court they kept both dogs inside at night and I rarely heard a woof or two during the day. It was a great relief, although I must admit it was weird and it took a bit of getting used to being able to relax in the house and go into the yard without that constant yakking. I was still on edge, fearing that at any moment the barking would begin, but that was what I had lived for the last few years and it was awhile before I could sleep longer than a couple of hours without waking up in a panic. I continued to hear barking in my sleep and would awaken but all would be quiet.

After the first few weeks I noticed that the "Quiet One" was in the yard at night between the forbidden hours, but she wasn't barking, or I'd occasionally hear a couple of woofs here and there, but I wasn't going to sweat that. Of course, if we ended up in court again I'd certainly bring it up.

Seven months later, I still fear that the barking will again become a problem, but I am sleeping better now.

Update #1: On January 13, 2011 my neighbors appeared in court for the citation they were finally issued for violation of the City's noise ordinance as pertains to animals. Initially, they wished to plead "not guilty" and asked for a public defender to represent them. They were denied this request. Why? Because the public defender's office has more important things to defend than irresponsible dog owners and their barking dogs. Mrs. Barking Dog wanted to retain a private attorney, but in the end they ended up pleading guilty. After the judge heard the statements from the Animal Control Officer and my statements, he asked my neighbor what had been done to remedy the situation, to which Mr. Barking Dog replied, "we got a bark collar." The judge asked him when, and he said 1 week ago. The judge looked at me, I referred to my logs and told the judge that I'd been awakened 5 times in the last week.

In the end, my neighbors were fined $100, which is the City of Monroe ordinances state is the fine for the 1st citation for the violation that my neighbors are guilty of, and they also had to pay court costs which made the total over $200. He also told my neighbors that the Animal Control Officer could have issued a misdemeanor warrant rather than a citation, which would mean immediate arrest. The judge said he didn't believe in putting people in jail for barking dogs...but he had no problem with taking their money, and informed my neighbors that the fine for a 2nd citation, and every citation there after, would be $500 (plus court costs).

But it hasn't ended there...while the barking has been reduced considerably, I'm still being awakened at night and early in the morning several times per week, sometimes twice in one night. After suffering for 2+ years from severe sleep deprivation which has caused a serious inability to sleep properly, from the intense stress from the almost continual noise of their barking dog, I need to be able to sleep regluarly without being awakened to regain my mental and physical health. My barking dog neighbors tell people I'm crazy, but what is so crazy about a human being wanting to get the proper sleep and relaxating that is required to maintain good health?

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The Whole Story...
Let me begin by first saying that living next door to this barking dog and his owners is absolutely, without a doubt, the most horrific experience I've ever had in my entire life, anywhere I've ever lived, worked and visited. This dog's barking is so loud and shrill that it makes my ears ring when I was outside, and it can be heard in every corner of my large house, and his owners, my neighbors, allowed him to bark night and day and he would quite often bark for hours at a time without hardly a pause. I have never lived any place that I dreaded coming home to, or that I hated so much. Ever.

2007

During one of their summer trips to the beach, my neighbors purchased a 4 month old puppy, which they bought from a backyard breeder (I gathered from what they described). He was barking the day they brought home...and has not stopped. My neighbor did not stop his barking that day, and only feeble attempts have been made since. In fact, they don't think there is anything wrong with his barking because, after all, he is a dog...

When this dog was a small puppy he was usually in the house, but if he was outside everyone in the vacinity knew it unless they were completely deaf. His bark is extremely loud and shrill and there were many times he barked on and on with such force I was surprised that he didn't kill himself with his own barking. His barking echoes across our yard, across the chruch parking lot next to our yard, bounces off the church and bounces back and forth like this and seems to get louder as it travels. This dog's bark is so loud that if I was in the middle of my yard it hurt my ears and made them ring. My neighbors could not house train the dog and he was destructive so as he got older he spent more and more time in the yard, and more and more time barking.

2008

This year, things went from bad to worse. The only good thing about 2008 was that The Barker was still allowed in the house at night...

• but was often outside from morning to night because he caused so much trouble in the house (re: Mrs. Barking Dog Neighbor) and they didn't want to deal with him;
• If I tried to go outside, he'd rush to the fence and start barking as soon as he heard my door open and continue to bark as long as I was outside, even if he coudn't see me.
• He barked at anyone and everyone that was in my yard, and he is so loud and incessant that conversation was impossible even at the opposite side of our yard;
• I had to quit working in my yard. Normally, from spring until winter, I work almost every day in my yard. However, in 2008 I did not plant the usual annuals, weeds started to take over, and the shrubs did not get pruned;
• When no one was outside he always found something else to bark about;
• We could hear the barking in every room of our house which made doing anything that required concentration very difficult;
• Sometime during 2008 I quit reading because I couldn't concentrate on what I'd read and had to keep going back;
• I began having serious headaches that sometimes lasted for 3 days;
• During this year my neighbors got another dog, a female puppy, in the hopes that she would make The Barker stop barking so much. It didn't work, but fortunately the new puppy was a quiet dog...back then anyway;
• Mrs. Barking Dog Neighbor complained that the dogs were not house trained and that the girl dog was chewing on everything. I suggested more than once that they consult with a professional dog trainer and hinted that it would also reduce that barking. I also suggested some doggie chew toys, since my neighbors hadn't thought of that...

2009

Things went from bad to worse in 2008, but in 2009 the serious annoyance of the past became a serious threat to my health...

• In the early spring of 2009 both dogs were put outside for good. My neighbors no longer wanted them in the house because they were both not house trained and out of control (re: both Mr. & Mrs Barking Dog Owner).
• So now The Barker was then in the yard 24/7, barking day and night;
• I could hardly stand to even go outside to start up the lawn mower (which was one of the only things that could block out the barking), and all I did in the yard this year was mow the grass when I absolutely had to;
• I had to sneak out of the house to take the trash out, but The Barker always heard me and rushed to the fence and barked the whole time I was out, so often I'd just leave the bag of trash sitting by the door until I felt up to getting barked at;
• I quite recycling for the same reason; I also quit composting.
• Quite often just as I was falling asleep at night The Barker would start barking, and sometimes this would go on for an hour or longer and preventing me from going to sleep;
• I was also often awakened at least once, often twice, and sometimes 3 times by The Barker's barking during the night and early morning.
• Quite often the barking would continue on for hours. I rarely got to sleep in, if ever, and I doubt that I ever got more than 2 hours sleep at a time, if even that.
• Sometimes it felt like I got no sleep at all;
• I began sleeping in the living room, which is the room farthest from the barking, but I was also awakened in the living room;
• I often tried to take a nap during the afternoon, but I was also awakened from my naps;
• strong>I quickly began suffering from severe sleep deprivation;
• It was so loud in my kitchen that I could hardly stand to be in the kitchen;
• . I used to always prepare fresh, healthy meals but now I'd just grab whatever was fastest to prepare and get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible;
• I was so tense that I developed a pain so bad it felt like I had a knife in my neck;
• I began clenching my teeth and my jaw ached and the muscles at the sides of my throat and neck were so tense they felt like they would snap;
• I continued having headaches that would usually last 3 days, and nothing would ease the pain;
• I told my husband that I could no longer tolerate the barking and lack of sleep, and that we had to move;
• We had many arguments. I wanted to call the police and he thought we should remain civil so I demanded that he tell them to stop the barking;
• He talked to the neighbors 3 times about the barking;
• He offered to pay for dog training;
• I began calling the neighbors late at night when the dog was barking and telling them to make it stop;
• Mr. Barking Dog neighbor aske me what he was supposed to do with the dog, and I said put him in the house but he said he didn't want him in the house, so I said I didn't care what he did with the dog as long as the barking stopped. They'd stop the barking but only temporarily, and before long the dog would be barking again;
• I was in so much physical pain and mental anguish that I thought I had a terminal disease, like cancer...
• I began paying for health insurance;
• I began seeing a chiropractor at least once a week, sometimes twice, hoping to get relief from the neck pain, but it didn't help;
• I also began having theraputic massages before my chiropractic adjustments, but they did little good;
• The dog was usually barking when I went to my car, as I was driving away, and as soon as I returned he'd bark at me until I got into my house;
• I found barkingdogs.net and realized I was suffering from noise trauma;

2010

• Early in 2010, despite my husband I began calling the police and animal control;
• The police and both animal control officers heard the barking and agreed that it was a nuisance. They were all very sympathetic but my neighbors did not receive a citation for violating the Animal Noise ordiance;
• The barking continued and I kept calling the police and animal control;
• On many occasions as soon as the police/animal control would pull into the driveway the neighbors would rush out and stop the barking before the officers even got out of their car;
• I was given misinformation as to how to handle an Animal Noise ordinance violation;
• The neighbors began putting the dogs on the screened in porch at night...usually, but some nights they would conveniently forget, I guess, and I was kept up or awakened;
• However, quite often the dogs were not put on the screened porch until very late at night, and were often let out very early in the morning;
• Some of the day barking subsided because my neighbor's son was often in the yard, and he gave the dogs direction and attention;
• Some days one of the neighbors (the husband) was in the yard so the dog did not bark; however when he went in, the dog would usually resume barking;
• Other days, when no one was in the yard, the barking was as frequent & intolerable as ever;
• I went to Charleston twice within 3 weeks, for 5-6 days each time, and during this time my other neighbor, who was taking care of my cats, said she heard no barking at all;
• A few days after I came home from my last trip to Charleston, the barking work me up before 6:30 a.m.; all 3 dogs, including the 2 usually "quiet" dogs, were standing at the fence barking less than 50 ft. from my bedroom window;
• The following Saturday I was again awakened by horrendous barking. All 3 dogs were standing at the fence barking, and I caught one of my neighbors (the wife) on the screened in porch while all 3 dogs were barking up a storm. She was making some sort of noise that seemed to be provoking the barking;
• The wife responded to my presence that morning with hostility, beligerance, and accusations. She said I was a bad neighbor for calling the police...
• Despite the continued barking, it had lessened slightly and I was able to get some yard work done thoughout the summer/fall;
• Toward the end of the year, the barking began to escalate again, and now the second dog, The Formerly "Quiet" Dog, was barking almost as much as The Barker;
• By the beginning of Dec. I was again being awakened quite often between 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.
• During this time I was also kept awake until late at night;
• They were no longer putting the dogs on the screened in porch at night, or so it seemed;
• I was still suffering from serious sleep deprivation;
• And I was again being barked at when I went into my yard;
• I sent an email to the Mayor, City Council members and the Police Chief describing the last 3-4 years and included links to the barking videos I've been making;
• The Mayor responded immediately with a call to me, and within a short time a police captain and animal control officer were at my door; the dogs barked the whole time they were here;
• They gave my neighbors one last verbal warning;
• The dogs were barking the whole day after the last verbal warning was issued;
• The barking continued through the week, and I called the police captain and told her that the barking had continued and I was still being awakened early in the morning;
• The Animal Control officer came out and issued the citation on December 20, 2010. Finally...
• But the barking continued...on Christmas morning I was awakened between 4:00-4:30 a.m., and had to listen to barking most of Christmas Day until after 8 that evening;
• The barking did not stop, and after the citation was issued I continue to be awakend late at night, early in the morning, and during naps...

2011

• January 10, 2011 - Since the citation was issued on December 20, 2010, I've been awakened approximately 25 times...during the night, early morning and during the day when I've tried to nap...
• The barking continued right up to the night before court on Jan. 13, 2011...
• To be continued...