Warning!

Do not fall for this: http://www.barkender.com/ which I found by following a link from this web site: http://www.gotbarking.com

Those of us who have been tormented by barking dogs know the feeling of desperation very well, but paying for a letter to a barking dog owner is not necessary.

You can find samples of such letters here: http://www.guruhabits.com/noisy-neighbors/ and some good advice to follow when composing the letter. And if you need help composing your letter or finding your animal noise ordinances, I'm sure there are many people who are willing to help for free. Or you can leave a comment below this post and I'll help you.

Neighbor Speculates: barking dogs drove man to kill

While tragedies like the ones in the article below are never amusing or interesting, there was a comment made by some neighbors near one of the crimes that is relevant to our barking dog problems:

"In Phoenix on Saturday, a pharmacist described as paranoid, angry and depressed methodically shotgunned his next-door neighbors — a grandfather, his daughter, his son-in-law and his grandson — and then killed himself. The family's two dogs also were killed, and neighbors speculated that their incessant barking caused the disturbed man to kill."

The entire article itself is not about barking dogs. In fact, it's very sad and is more about the serious dysfunction of our society in general. But, if you wish to read it, here is a link to the entire article on MSN News:

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/making-sense-of-four-families-slain-in-four-days

Another Barking Dog Web Site

I haven't posted for quite awhile because of other problems I've had over the last year or so. My barking dog problem improved greatly after the 2nd citation/court hearing, and during the following 6 months I was eventually able to begin sleeping more hours at a time without waking up in a panic every hour or so, but it took several months to get to that stage. Then, unfortunately, the barking resumed again (I'll talk about that later) although not as bad as the first few years. However, it's still annoying, and the entire experience has left me very unhappy and hating my home. I no longer have any interest in my yard, which I'd worked diligently over the years to turn into something I could enjoy with many flowering plants, shrubs, trees...all being taken over by weeds now. And then, to top it off, like things couldn't get any worse, I had spray foam insulation installed in the house in the hopes of making it easier to cool the house during the summer and reduce our exorbitant utilities bills...and I was also hoping it would cut down on the noise that entered the house, but the spray foam made me very sick and so I had to move to an apartment until the problem with my house was resolved. So now my bills are even higher... Initially, living at the apartment was great, much quieter, no barking dogs....in my immediate vicinity, that is...until one of my quiet neighbors moved and was replaced by, yep, some folks with a little dog with a piercing voice that shrieked continually every time they left. The problem was resolved rather quickly as there were other neighbors who complained also, particularly the people who live downstairs under the dog, but it's amazing how the barking of a dog will so quickly send me into a panic now, and a sort of a regression back into the state of depression that was so deep during the years I had to listen to the horrific day and night barking at my house. Sigh. Actually, my nerves are totally shot from those years of terrible barking and no sleep, and my body does not handle even normal stress like it should, like it used to.

But anyway, here is another barking dog web site for you to check it out, if you haven't already seen it  http://www.anilak.com/barking-dogs/

Letter to My Barking Dog Neighbors...

Rather than go through the nightmare of having to listen further to that damn shrill fellow and taking the chance that it will again escalate into a traumatic affair, and of having to keep calling the police and animal control again, I've decided to send the following letter, or similar, to my neighbors:

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Barking Dog Owner, (of course I'll use their real names in the letter...)

During the 7 months following the 2nd time you were summoned to court for violating the animal noise ordinance, I rarely heard any barking from your dogs, and things had been very acceptable. I was finally able to begin getting proper sleep and also spend more time in my yard, not to mention just enjoy being at home again. If this had been my experience with your dogs from the beginning, we would never have had a problem.

However, over the last few weeks you have been allowing [The Loud One] to remain in the yard barking for extended periods, and I have been disturbed and annoyed to the point of having to call the police on November 9, 2011 at approximately 3:30 a.m., after having been awakened at approximately 2:00 a.m. and then having to endure his barking for the next 1 1/2 hours, until the police arrived at which time you quickly called the dogs in, but not soon enough because the officer had heard the barking before he pulled into the driveway. I also have several video/sound recordings, that I made from inside of my house, of [The Loud One] barking during the 1 1/2 hours before I called the police.

You have 2 choices here:

1. You can refrain from allowing your dogs to bark during the day, and keep them inside at night like the judge ordered at the last court hearing, or
2. You can let them bark at whatever time of the day or night you wish and I'll make sure you receive another citation for violating the animal noise ordinance (see attached) at which time I will tell the Court that you have not abided by the Judge's order to keep your dogs inside at night (and I have video/sound recording and witness statements to this effect). As a courtesy, I'll remind you that at the last court hearing the judge said he would consider taking the dogs away if a 3rd citation was issued for this same violation.

In addition to another citation, if you choose to keep letting your dogs annoy me so severely, I have the option of filing a Private Nuisance lawsuit against you at which time I could be awarded a monetary compensation, which you would have to pay, for the damages you have inflicted on me over the last few years. I have consulted with several advisers about this lawsuit, and with all of the video/sound recordings I have, the written logs I've kept, the witness statements from other neighbors, visitor and the police and animal control officers, my medical records and bills directly related to the problems I've suffered from being deprived of sleep, from the stress of having to continually listen to this horrendous noise in my house, and from not being able to use and enjoy my yard because of this noise...and the fact that you have twice admitted guilt to the courts, the financial damages to you could be considerable.

In addition to your negligence in this matter, I have several witnesses who will testify as to your malicious behavior, in other words that, after I asked you to stop the barking and then involved the law, you spitefully proceeded to make your dogs to bark at your command in order to annoy me further (harrassment).

Further more, if any of my cats disappear, are harmed, or die of anything other than natural causes, I will immediately bring a Private Nuisance lawsuit against you.

If these were my dogs I never would have allowed this to happen but since I have no control over your dogs, the choice is yours as it always has been. You decide which way you want this to go.

Sincerely,
Barking Mad in NC

(attachment)
City of Monroe Code of Ordinances
Title IX: General Regulations
Chapter 92: Noise Control

§ 92.07 ANIMALS. It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep or have in his possession, or harbor, any dog, other animal or bird(s) which, by frequent or habitually howling, yelping, barking, or otherwise cause loud noises, and produce seriously annoying disturbance to any person or to the neighborhood.

Here We Go Again...

Well, knowing my neighbors as I do, I should have known it wouldn't last.

I haven't written since my neighbors received their 2nd citation for violating the animal noise ordinance because since then there has been very little barking and I have been trying to recover and heal from the horrible noise trauma and sleep deprivation of the previous 2+ years of barking hell.

To sum up the last legal events at the 2nd court hearing on April 7, 2011...well, I won't go into the statements I made as you can pretty much guess all that, but Mr. Barking Dog had to face the court alone because he was again deserted by his wife (who was the one who wanted the barking dogs). To further spare you the gory details I'll sum it up by saying that he pleaded guilty, the judge once again fined him $100 (plus court fees), told him the dogs were to be inside the house...not on the screened porch (as I had told the judge that when I am in any room on that side of the house I can also hear them barking when they are in the screened porch), between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and also told him that if they received a 3rd citation the court would consider taking the dogs away, or sending them to training classes because we can't have people having their sleep and peace disturbed like this. Well, I'm certain none of them want to attend training classes with their unruly mutts, and I know at least Mrs. Barking Dog does not want the dogs taken away, and I also know that they really cannot afford to continue paying fines. Mr. Barking Dog was not happy that the dogs had to be inside (remember, they are not house trained...even though they've had both dogs since they were young pups). He wanted to leave them on the screened porch but the judge wasn't having it... thank you Your Honor.

Well, I'll tell you this: they did not keep both dogs in the house between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., but they did keep the shrill, chronic, yakker...The Loud One...inside at night and I heard very little from that obnoxious fellow. You have no idea what a relief this was...or unfortunately, maybe you do. Initially they also kept the other dog...The (Formerly) Quiet One...in the house at night, but then I began seeing her in the yard at night on her own. She would bark occasionally, which would immediately stir up anxiety, but it never lasted long and, I'll tell ya, if that's all the barking there ever had been all this time we would not have had a problems here.

Back to the present: for the last few weeks the Shrill One has been left in the yard for longer intervals and of course when this fellow is in the yard, he must bark. Remember, this idiot doesn't breath, he barks. If he just let out a few yaks now and then, it would be OK, but that's just not him and they are allowing him to go on and on...and the periods are becoming longer...the other day it was about 2 hours, and I finally went out and gave him a good blast with my water cannon. The sad thing is, besides the obvious noise, is that when both those dogs see me near the fence they run over wagging their tail, jumping up to get their heads scratched. I'll oblige The Quiet One with the reward, as she once again is living up to her name, and I feel sorry for her because both Mr. & Mrs. Barking Dog never really wanted her...but anyway all that is another issue totally.

To get back to the problem at hand, the other night beginning just before 2 a.m. and continuing on until I called the cops at about 3:30 a.m., The Loud One was outside yakking his head off. Initially I just tried to ignore it because I thought surely they would put a stop to the racket. But no, so I called the cops and, I'll be damned, no sooner had I gotten off the phone I saw the dog run to the back door wagging their tails, looking up at the door... Now what does that tell you? Well, one time the Animal Control officer said they might have a police scanner...hmmm...

At that point the police hadn't arrived yet, and the dogs were left outside but the barking had ceased so I thought..."oh, great...just what I need, for the cops to show up and there is no barking." But as luck would have it, the Loud One began yakking again just when I saw the police car cruising by, and as soon as they pulled into the driveway the dogs started barking. Just as quickly, however, I saw someone open the back door and the dogs ran inside. Later, when I talked with the responding officer...who I might add was very sympathetic because he'd had a barking dog problem with one of his neighbors...can you imagine someone allowing their barking dog to disturb a police officer in the middle of the night?...the officer told me he'd heard the barking when he first got their and that nobody would answer the door. I told him what had happened, the dogs being let inside right about the same time I saw him getting out of his car. I briefly, if you can believe that, told him the whole story, from beginning to end, and he said he would leave a report with the Animal Control officer to follow up.

I called the Animal Control officer later in the morning, but he was going in late that day and so had not yet seen any memos but he said he would follow up with a nice visit to my barking dog neighbors. I did not see him but he must have done so because that day and that night there were maybe only a dozen isolated barks.

Unfortunately, yesterday late afternoon the damn shrill yakker was out there for a couple of hours and i finally went out to blast him with my water cannon...this time laced with citronella...but as soon as I got out there he ran to the back door. What does that tell you? No, I'm not just paranoid. One of my other neighbors and a couple of friends are convinced they let or make that dog bark just to annoy me now. Well, I know it's true because I caught Mrs. Barking Dog doing exactly that in the past, a senior citizen in her mid 60s...such a rude and childish person. So, on to the next step with I will outline in my next posting...

The Barking Continues...sounds like a dog kennel out there...oh, and a booming car at 7 a.m.!

Well, knowing my neighbors as well as I do, I should have expected it but I was so relishing the peace and quiet after 3+ years of horrendous barking day & night. Then...

Less than 1 week after my neighbors were fined in court ($100 + court costs = over $200) for violating the animal noise ordinance (Title IX: General Regulations, Chapter 92: Noise Control, § 92.07), one of their dogs woke me up at 2:14 a.m. It wasn't the original shrill yapper, it was one of their other dogs who used to be a quiet dog but had begun barking a lot during the last few months of 2010. I could hear her barking as I was gradually awakened, which I don't think took very long because she was very near their fence, which is about 50 feet from my bedroom...and she is loud. So after 10 minutes I called the police, via the non-emergency 911 number.

The dog continued barking and after a few minutes I looked out of the window and saw a police car slowly cruising by the front of their house, then pulled into the driveway. The officer got out and the dog was barking the whole time. Later the responding officer called me, as I had requested, and he reported that he informed my neighbors that if they didn't stop the barking he'd have to issue a citation. The officer did not know they'd just been in court for the same violation until I informed him of this, and so he left a memo for the Animal Control officers to follow up the next day. AC came out the next day and was ready to issue another citation on the spot, but ...stupid me...what was I thinking...I said I thought a verbal warning would suffice. I think the AC officer thought I was out of my mind, knowing how long I'd been tolerating the awful noise, but he went over and had another talk with my neighbors about their barking dogs.

As soon as the AC left I kicked myself in the ass. Why was I giving them another chance after all the years of torment, the sleepless nights leading to severe sleep deprivation, being unable to even step into my yard  or drive into my driveway without being barked at, and being unable to do anything in my yard becaue the barking was so horrendously loud...all met with "that's too bad, you're just gonna have to get used to it" and threats to trap my cat who was usually inside...when I told my neighbor that her dog was keeping me up and I could not sleep? Well, being a peace loving, law abiding citizen who also doesn't understand the concept of continuing to violate laws when there is money at stake, I tend to forget that my neighbors have a few screws loose. So finally after 5-6 weeks of more sleep interruptions I called AC and asked him to come out again...and my neighbors were issued another citation. And since my neighbors still don't understand "I just want to be able to SLEEP because I haven't had a decent night of sleep in almost 3 years because of your barking dogs" I'm still being awakened ever couple of nights, sometimes twice in one night. Granted, the overall barking has decreased considerably...and you can't believe our sense of relief...but I REALLY need to be able to go to bed without feeling anxious about when...not if, but when...I'm going to be shocked awake in the middle of the night by their loud dogs.

To make matters worse, the folks behind me, who have even less of a clue about being responsible dog owners (another story), have a chained dog that has been barking for several hours the last few nights between midnight and 3:00 a.m. They have also recently acquired another dog, a cute puppy, that they also have chained out there...sheesh, what is wrong with people?...and it has been barking as well. Great! A barking puppy!


At this time the puppy is not very loud...but it is only a few months old... That makes 5 dogs in the last 15 months for them, but they only now have the one adult and the new puppy left...

Did I say I've called the police on them for neglecting their dogs, including not feeding/watering them regularly and not providing shelter for them, and that in Dec. 2009 I actually had to acquire dog houses because the sight and knowledge of those dogs being exposed to the snow and freezing rain drove me insane??? I'm not even a "dog person" but, come on folks, that's mean. These dogs are chained out approximately 275 feet from my house, but the adult dog is LOUD and I can hear her inside my bedroom with all the windows closed. I mean LOUD. However, in contrast to my other neighbors's dogs, at least when I call to her and she recognizes my voice she stops barking. My long time barking neighbors right next door can't recognize an intruder from a neighbor from a rabbit from a leaf dropping...

So 2 nights ago, the "formerly Quiet One "next door was barking, the chained dog and puppy behind me were barking...and when I opened my window to record some evidence of this racket this is what I heard..

...an entire bark fest!...must have been about a 1/2 dozen barking dogs, in addition to the "formerly Quiet One" next door and the poor chained dog behind me. COME ON, FOLKS. This is rediculous and surely I can't be the only person losing sleep over this horrendous racket. Why does it seem like I'm the only one calling the cops??? Wake up people. This is noise pollution...a health hazard...AND dog neglect...

Yeah, yeah...I know...dogs bark...the favorite patronizing line of dog lovers and irresponsible dog owners...so is that supposed to make me feel better about being robbed of my sleep and about knowing that most of those barking dogs are neglected in one way or another? Well, I hope you can sleep better at night knowing that "dogs bark" but it doesn't make me feel better about any of it, and what is worse is that the law actually allow people, irresponsible dog owners, to get away with both neglecting their dogs and trespassing into people's homes with this dangerous weapon...noise.

Anyway, to continue on, last night I finally got to sleep around 2:30 a.m. and was sleeping really well this morning...I mean I have a big sleep debt to make up...when I was awakened by the deep vibrating noise of a booming car...it was about 7:00 a.m. when I finally looked at the clock...

Thanks City of Monroe!

The Misery of the Barking Dog...

One thing I find extremely annoying, almost as annoying as a barking dog, is a dog owner who thinks everyone should like dogs just because they do. This is an absurd school of thought, and even "responsible" dog owners are guilty of this unfair assumption. I like cats but I know not everyone likes cats and, well, it is what it is. So what. Some people love sky diving but I'll be damned if I'm going to jump out of a perfectly good plane in flight and plunge toward the earth with only a piece of cloth and some strings between me and my demise, and no one is going to convince me that I should.

Even if you like dogs and understand how their neglect can contribute to their chronic barking, at some point during the barking nightmare the dog's own misery becomes irrelevant. What is important is your own survival and anyone who, after knowing that a person is in the midst of suffering from barking dogs and has been for several years, implies that the misery of the barking dog should be at all important is tactless and insensitive and especially so if the person making such a statement has also been the victim of heartless dog owners who allow their barking dogs to ruin other people's lives. One would think that they'd remember how utterly hopeless one feels, how fragile one become both physically and emotionally, and the unmentionable thoughts that go through one's mind when one is forced out of their yard, becomes conditioned by the barking to hate their own home, has panic attacks when nearing their home after being away, suffers from severe sleep deprivation and has anxiety at the mere thought of going to bed, suffers extreme stress, tension, depression...fears for their family's well being...because it seems like there will never be any relief from the awful noise of the barking dog...

I recently had this happen to me on a new barking dog forum that I thought was supposed to be, among other things, a support group for people who are suffering, or have suffered, through the nightmare of having their health and lives ruined from being forced to listen to the interminable, infernal barking of dogs. I was extremely offended by the statement, and what made it even worse was the reaction of the administrator of this new forum, who was also the founder of another online barking dog support group which had actually been a great help to me. Unfortunately that group is now defunct, and has been replaced by this new forum on which the administrator, it seems, does not want anyone to express their true feelings of despair and their fear of meeting their demise due to barking dog, unless they hide their feelings of despise toward the dog for fear of offending dog owners. All I can say is shame on you. I promptly deleted all my posts, deleted myself from the forum and also from the other support group as well as another social network page began by the same person.

Even some of us who like dogs and don't like to see them suffer can't help but feel a certain amount of animosity toward the creature that is causing us so much misery with the awful, unending noise it produces, even knowing that ultimately it is the dog's negligent owner that is responsible for allowing the behavioral problem to develop and continue on to become such a nuisance to everyone within hearing distance...especially those of us right next door.

I've had dogs in the past whose company I really enjoyed, and I know a number of really great dogs that belong to friends, but after having lived so long surrounded by neighbors whose dogs' barking has driven me out of my yard and home and out of my mind, and by the smell of dog feces left to accumulate in their yards that has made it impossible to enjoy my yard or even open doors and windows on a nice day, and having felt great despair at the suffering of some of my neighbors' neglected and abused dogs, I no longer wish to be around dogs, and at this point I feel that I will never want to share my home with another dog. I would never harm a dog, unless of course it was about to attack, and I'll still enjoy visiting my friend's good dogs, but I can no longer enjoy living around dogs. I know that it's not the dog's fault that it has been allowed to become such a negative force, but it is what it is...

"I have often lamented that we cannot close our ears
with as much ease as we can our eyes." 
~Richard Steele

One thing that is unfortunate about all this is I know that if I want to see changes made in the legislation that protects people from the products of irresponsible dog owners I'll have to mingle with people who only want the changes made for the welfare of the dogs and don't really give a crap about people. And this is where, I believe, they will loose support because the numbers would be much larger if dog people would acknowledge that not everyone likes dogs yet everyone can be negatively affected by irresponsible dog owners, weak and non existent laws, and slack law enforcement. But as it is, the dog welfare folks just mostly repell folks for whom dogs are not top priority, but who would also like to see changes made.

A 2nd Citation is Issued to My Barking Dog Neighbors on Feb. 23, 2011

A quick update: since court on Jan. 13, when my neighbors pled guilty and were fined for the citation they got on Dec. 20, 2010 for their violation of the animal noise ordinance, my neighbor's dogs have awakened me 19 times. Thus fed up with having my sleep interrupted I told the police and animal control that I wasn't going to tolerate it, and on Feb. 23, they were issued their 2nd citation because they can't keep their dogs quiet...even at night...and they don't respect other people's right to peace.

Six days after the first hearing on Jan. 13 I called the police when the barking woke me at 2:14 a.m. The responding officer heard the barking from down the block, and the dog barked the whole time he was here. He wouldn't have been here so long but he couldn't get my neighbors to the door. Apparently they didn't even hear the barking, but of course it was on this side of their house near my bedroom window, not on the other side of their house where their bedroom window is. The officer warned them that he'd issue a citation if they didn't stop the barking. At that point he didn't know that my neighbors had just been to court 6 days ago for this same noise. The Animal Control officer came out the following morning, and he has since been out on 2 other occasions when I called and complained about still being awakened at all hours by the barking.
The AC has basically just had more useless "talks" with my neighbors, until finally on Feb. 22 I called and told him that enough was enough, and I was not going to tolerate being awakened, regardless of how much the barking has decreased overall. I had been awakened 3 times in 3 days, including twice within 1/2 hour that very morning before 6:30 a.m. and I was in a foul mood, especially after having given my neighbors several more chances...which some folks I've talked to think they didn't deserve
.
So the following day he came out and gave them another citation. Court will be on April 7, so stay tuned...
This is all such a pain in the patootie, but the good news is...I've only heard 2 barks since the 2nd citation was issued, and NONE at night. Of course, after having been awakened so much during the last few years, I have great difficulty sleeping all night and continue to awaken in an anxious state, even when there is no barking...

It's a darn shame that I even have to go through all this when, with just a little responsible dog handling on my neighbors' part we could still be friendly neighbors. I really resent them for not only practically killing me with the barking noise, but for also making my life uncomfortable with their mean, hostile, and juvenile...remember they are a couple in their late 60s and early 70s...presence right next door to my home. I mean, sometimes I can't even avoid seeing their "if looks could kill" faces, and I'm always anxious because who knows what they will do next to teach me a lesson..."we'll show her..."

Barking Dog Court

On January 13, 2011 my barking dog owner neighbors appeared in court for the citation they were finally issued on December 20, 2010, 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, which would have been an absurd waste of money considering all the evidence against them...most importantly the statements of the Animal Control Officer...and I believe equally important were my statemets as to how many times I'd been awakened during this whole sordid affair...but in the end they 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 between the hours of midnight and 6:30 a.m.

In the end, my neighbors were fined $100, which 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 I guess 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). The judge told them he just can't be having people disturbing other people's peace & quiet in their homes, waking them up at all hours and depriving them the use of the enjoyment of their property and home.

It's been very peaceful since that day in court...well, at least in terms of dog barking...

My neighbors, being the hostile, immature and vindictive type, have begun starting their motorcyle up early in the morning, revving it up and letting it idle with the throttle on (thus making it quite loud) for a good long time, then shutting it off and never going anywhere...

Let me remind you that I'm talking about a woman in her late 60s and a man in his early 70s... people who should have long ago gone past the stage of immaturity and disregard for their fellow human beings... at least they can't keep that motorcycle running as long as they let their dogs bark on and on. If they tried to match the dog barking with their motorcycle, the motorcycle would surely die fairly quickly.

I never had a problem with my neighbor and his motorcycle...until after they got that citation. I can't prove it, but maybe they figured since I complained about their barking dogs and they were going to have to keep them quiet or it would cost them too much money in fines...they'd show me...

Sleep Deprivation Caused by Dog Barking

"Sleep deprivation refers to a lack of sleep due to something externally impacting your opportunity to sleep."

ShutEye.Com

Since I am chronically sleep derpived thanks to my neighbor's barking dog, I've decided to do some research on just how much harm my neighbors are inflicting on me by allowing their dogs to keep me up at night and/or wake me up at all hours. I could tell you the harm I'm experiencing without the research, but it always helps if you have data to back up your story, especially when talking to people who don't view the dog barking problem as being serious.

"At the very least, sleep deprivation is cruel, inhumane and degrading. If used for prolonged periods of time it is torture."

Nicole Bieske, Director and National President of Amnesty International Australia

As many of us know, the use of sleep deprivation has been used as a means of interrogation. Is this an effective means of getting someone to talk? Absolutely, but not if you want the truth. Hell, I'd say anything to get that dog to shut up so that I can sleep.

"Most commonly detainees are deprived of sleep. Although this leaves few physical signs, it can be very damaging psychologically. The European Court has declared it to be illegal."

Professor Richard J Aldrich, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick

The use of sleep deprivation as a method of interrogation has resulted in court trials over whether or not the method is a form of torture. Of course, they'd save a lot of time and money if they just surveyed those of us who have lived next to barking dogs but, well, you know how governments are.

"A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours of lost sleep for parents in the first year."

The National Sleep Research Project

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing babies to barking dogs, but anyone who has had a newborn is familiar with sleep deprivation. While I've heard of some people who are tortued by barking dogs that caused near total sleep deprivation, like that during interrogation and torture where the detainee is usually kept awake for days at a time, the sleep deprivation I experience because of my neighbors and their loud dogs is partial sleep deprivation and somewhat like when you have a newborn baby that wakes mulitple times during the night to be fed...but for 2-3 years or longer. The differences are, it was my choice to have the kid, the feeding/waking times are usually predictable with babies, with my kids I usually went back to sleep right away after the feeding, and they were usually sleeping through the night within 6 months. Although I've heard that some parents are often kept awake for hours with their newborns, I did not have this problem...but with the barking dogs I do.

"Even minor changes in sleep ... can impair a school kid's learning, memory, attention, concentration"

Professor Avi Sadeh, DSc, director of the Laboratory for Children's Sleep and Arousal Disorders at Tel Aviv University, at WebMD.

With my neighbors barking dogs one never knows when they will start barking or how long they will be barking...so the barking dogs are actually more like living in an abusive relationship (been there, done that...) where the abuser is unpredictable and one is always on guard, night and day, lest the abuser suddenly has a fit of hostility. It's no wonder children from abusive homes have behavioral and learning problems: not only does the abuse undermine their sense of security, it also causes them sleep deprivation...

"Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior."

Serendip, founded & supported by Bryn Mawr College

One, among many, of the things that freaks me out about my inconsiderate neighbors allowing their dogs to keep me awake is that I'm afraid to drive the next day because my brain is foggy, my attention on the road tends to waver and after a stressful night of prolonged barking I've even felt like I've fallen asleep at the wheel with my eyes open; apparently this is known as a microsleep. This is common among the sleep deprived, and microsleeps have apparently been the cause of some major disasters around the world. So, really, my barking dog neighbors are not only harming me but also putting others in harms way...

" ...researchers in Australia and New Zealand reported that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk."

2002 study published in the British Medical Journal

So the obvious effects of sleep deprivation that I've noticed in myself are difficulty concentrating, inability to form clear thoughts, decreased problem solving ability, slurred speech, forgetfullness (including mid sentence), mood swings, depression, behavioral changes, irritability, paranoia...there are probably more but I can't remember... And apparently this lack of sleep is also contributing to the amount of physical pain I now have...

Oh, of course, some might say that these symptoms are just a normal part of the aging process (hey, I'm only 54...I suppose I could be losing my mind already and it just coincides with the arrival of the barking dog next door...)...so does that mean I get younger when I get away from the barking for a few days and the symptoms subside?

Some of these symptoms I'm experiencing are similar to some of those that were observed (by Lt. Cmdr. John J. Ross of the U.S. Navy Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit in San Diego) in Randy Gardiner, a student...a foolish idiot...who purposely remained awake for 11 days to gain entrance in the Guiness Book of World Records...I guess I was an odd youth because I really valued my sleep, in fact it was the best part of the day, and I always got 8 hours at night and a 1 hour nap in the afternoon, like clockwork I was and never needed an alarm clock. I was so fond of my sleep that I even experimented with dreaming and could often make myself dream what I wanted to. Ahhh...fond memories of sleep...days long gone.

"...even healthy people's brains mimic certain pathological psychiatric patterns when deprived of sleep,"

Matthew Walker, assistant professor of psychology and director of UC Berkeley's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory, and former sleep researcher at Harvard Medical School

OK, I realize I'm suffering from cognitive deficits and a certain degree of what appears to be something similar to mental illness, thanks to my horrible neighbors and their awful barking dogs, but, even though I've felt rather "psycho" at times, I don't think I'm actually psychotic yet...would I even know that I was psychotic if I was psychotic? Which brings us to the really, really scary part: what effect is sleep deprivation having on me that I am not even aware of? Sleep deprivation apparently has the potential to cause a myriad of serious health problems including cardiovascualr (increases C-reactive protein which increases chance of heart attack), metabolic & endocrine (diabetes, thyroid, weight problems), weakens the immune system, increases inflammation...

"If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations and mood swings may develop."

Sleep: Understanding the Basics at eMedicineHealth

Well, if I wish to be hallucinating, I would choose hallucinogens over dog induced sleep deprivation.

More on Sleep Deprivation...

• Sleep-Wake Cycle: It's Physiology and Impact on Health - the National Sleep Foundation
• The Cumulative Cost of Additional Wakefulness - Van Dongen et al, SLEEP, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2003
• Sleep Deprivation, Psychosis & Mental Efficiancy by Dr. Stanley Coren, Ph.D.,  professor emeritus & former head of the Human Neuropsychology and Perception Laboratory (until 2007) of the psychology department of the University of British Columbia. Interestingly, Dr. Coren is also a dog enthusiast and has published a wide array of articles and books on dogs. His personal website is What Do Dogs Know?
• The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones & Metabolism - Eve Van Cauter, PhD; Kristen Knutson, PhD; Rachel Leproult, PhD; Karine Spiegel, PhD
• Exploring the Consequences of Sleep Loss - NeurologyReviews.Com
• Deep Into Sleep - Harvard Magazine
• How Lack of Sleep Affects Our Kids - Nurse.Com
• Your Child: Sleep Problems - University of Michigan Health Systems
• Signs of Sleep Deprivation in Children & Adults - Parenting Science

Merry Barking Christmas...

This was Christmas Day, less than 5 full days after my neighbors received a citation (FINALLY) for allowing their dog to be a barking nuisance. It began around 4 a.m...

But that wasn't the end of it...

The barking continued on throughout the day, until late afternoon when it became very cold and started snowing...thank god for lousy weather...

This is the 3rd year that I haven't been able to enjoy what used to be the quietest day of the year, because on Christmas Day there is very little traffic on our usually well traveled road. It is also the 3rd year that I haven't put up a tree or any decorations.

And they accused me of being a bad neighbor because I called the police.

Spread the Peace

December 23, 2010

Less than 1 week after my neighbors received a citation for allowing their dog to be a barking nuisance, they are letting their dog be a barking nuisance again. Oh, sure, not to the degree it was before...not yet. I've been through this before - the police or animal control comes out, there are a few days of relative and much needed peace, then the barking is slowly allowed to escalate back to the usual intolerable, interminable, incessant frequency and shrillness.

It's depressing how this barking can consume one's life. I mean, I've spent hours writing about the damn dog on this blog, reading and writing posts on the barking dog yahoo group, making videos with sound of him, putting them on YouTube, thinking about how to get the money to move, thinking about what I can do if I leave the house just to get away from the noise, dreading that he'll stop barking before the cops show up if I call the cops...when the barking invades every corner of your home, day & night, prevents you from going to sleep at a reasonable hour, wakes you up like an alarm right outside of your bedroom window, gives you indigestion, is so loud outside that you can't enjoy or work in your yard...day after day, year after year...how can you think about anything else?

I used to enjoy a lot of things, but now I enjoy very little.

I used to look forward to taking a road trip or just visiting a state park for the day, but now I'm not motivated to leave because I'll just have to come home to more barking. Doesn't make sense, I know, but it's true.

I used to read a lot and look forward to a good book, but now I can't concentrate on the read with the barking in the background, so I quit reading;

I used to look forward to listening to Echoes on Sunday nights but I'd have to turn the volumn up to an intolerable level to block out the barking.

I used to cook a lot and prepare great meals, but the barking sounds like it's right outside of the kitchen window and I often have indigestion now from being tense and not eating properly.

Spring was always an exciting time in my yard because the bulbs & shrubs would come alive with colorful, fragrant blooms, and every year I'd plant a few more interesting shrubs or trees but being in the yard now...forget it.

This is the 3rd year in a row that I haven't put up Christmas decorations or a tree, thanks to my neighbors. I used to always get a live Christmas tree and plant it in my yard later. I have lights to hang around the house, boxes full of decorations, CDs with my fav Christmas tunes...but who can enjoy any of this with the sound of shrill barking in the background?

I have a friend who has a really nice, beautiful, quiet home on 25 acres in the woods with creeks. She retired before she was 50 and has the financial means to do much more than most people, and yet she is often complaining about her life. She choses to get involved in things that are stressful & which consume all her time...and then complains about how she has no time and how stressful her involvement is in the project. I have no sympathy. I should invite her to stay at my place for a week...

Have a Happy & Peaceful Christmas

&

I hope we all have a prosperous New Year so we can move the hell away from these barking freekin' dogs.

Correspondence with the Mayor & City Council

Two days ago, on Tuesday, December 12, after having been awakened before 6 a.m. by Harley's barking again I decided to compose an email about my neighbors and this awful noise nuisance and send it to Mayor Kilgore, all of the City Council members, and the Chief of Police. I sent the email at 11:05 a.m. according to the email saved in my "sent" file. You can read the email here: Email to the Mayor

I really didn't expect much, but at this point I have to do something to make myself feel better rather than just sit around going mad and allowing my neighbors to cause my slow and agonizing death with their loud, shrill barking dog and irresponsibility, negligence and rudness. I've already had the Police and Animal Control out here on numerous occassions but it ultimately has not solved the problem.

At 11:41 a.m. (according to the call history on my phone) I got a call from the Mayor. He was very sympathetic and said he had lived with barking dogs and it's the worst thing you can have. He promised to help me get the problem resolved, and said he was going to send my email to the animal control and the police and follow it up with a phone call.

I've never talked to Mayor Kilgore before, never met him, and really don't know much about him, and needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by this very quick and positive response: I wasn't ignored, wasn't treated like some crackpot cranky or vindictive neighbor, my complaint was acknowledge and the severity of the issue was taken seriously...

Within a very short time after the Mayor called, AC Officer Tim was at my door, quickly followed by Police Captain Greene. They came in and we discussed the situation and she (Captain Greene) asked questions about my neighbors, the dog, some things I'd written in the email. Captain Greene told me that they'd talk to the neighbors, discuss how they could greatly reduce the barking, and give them one last verbal warning. She said she would tell the neighbors that if anyone at all ever called to complain about this barking again they would begin issuing citations. She also said she would put out a notice to the police force that if they answered a call from anyone about my neighbors' barking dogs the responding officer was to issue a citation.

I gotta tell you, I'm not really good at this sort of thing, standing up for myself and my rights, complaining to the authorities about the things people do that are way out of line, even if what they are doing is morally and/or legally wrong and causing me so much grief. Confrontations are very stressful for me and make me extremely upset; I try to carry myself through life without bothering people, I'm very aware of how my actions affect people, positive & negative, and I expect the same consideration...and I think this is what makes it so hard to complain about other people's offensive behaviors...I know I will be bothering them and then I'll face the consequenses of their wrath. And this is exactly what has happened with my neighbors and their barking dog, and I know this is why it took me so long to demand my right to a peaceful existence in my own home and on our property.

According the the ordinances, if there is non-compliance the dog could ultimately be taken away. I'd hate to see this happen since it could so easily all be resolved if my neighbors weren't so selfish and stubborn, but at this point I'm beyond caring about them and their dogs. I'm just trying to survive here.

So anyway, after the Captain and AC Officer left...the dog continued to bark throughout the day. Apparently they had talked to the husband and my guess is he probably had to wait for his wife to wake up (she works 3rd shift and came home at 6:20 a.m. that morning) before he did anything because in the past, when I've asked him about certain things that he could have given me an answer to, he said he'd have to check with his wife. I know them well...she's the boss of the family (and I won't go into details...).

Much to my surprise, about dusk there was no more barking, no barking through the night and no barking in the morning. I heard some muffled barking coming from their house when I took the trash out (when the lid of my trash can closed), but after that no barking. No barking when I went out to my car to leave to go to the chiropractor...and I had a really good adjustment, something that is often difficult because I'm always so tense from the barking and fear more barking as soon as I get home...but no barking when I came home...

The bad part is, when there is no barking I'm alway on edge because I know the next bark is not far off...this is what has happened to me after these years of being so distressed by this barking.

Later in the afternoon, around 2:30 p.m., the barking began while I was sitting in our office at the computer. I looked out of the window and Harley and Cherokee were standing at their gate which is a direct shot at out office/library windows, barking at the rooster that was in my front yard. I thought about going out to chase the rooster away, but NO, I'm not making any further moves to shut those dogs up other than calling the police. I'm finished with being nice over this whole thing. Finally around 4:30 p.m. I realized the barking had stopped. It was pretty much continual barking fits with short breaks in between for about 2 hours. Harley was doing most of the barking, but Cherokee was getting her say in there as well.

I gave Captain Greene a call and asked exactly how much barking they expected me to put up with before I should call to complain again. I explained to her that I didn't want to be unreasonable, but enough was enough and I'd been very patient for a long time already. I told her about the barking all afternoon after she left the other day, also about how I hadn't heard it all night and until that afternoon and I also told her I'd seen the rooster out there. I made it clear that I've already been very patient and reasonable and that I shouldn't be expected to compromise further, but she suggested having the AC officer come out to try to get the rooster to see if that would help and, although I do feel that my neighbors should just be made to remedy the barking and not be allowed to get away with ignoring it and blaming it on everything else, I agreed so Officers Tim & Ted came out and prepared a tranquilizer gun but they couldn't find the rooster. I'd already had them out here running around trying to catch the rooster one day, but that rooster is fast and wiley.

But it is a shame that my neighbors are allowed to continue to be irresponsible and blame the barking on everything and everyone other than themselves. The rooster has only been hanging around for about a month. The dog has been barking for years. It'll be something else after that rooster is gone.

The only funny thing about this is I've often heard that rooster on the other side of my neighbors' house, crowing early in the morning...right next to their bedroom window...

Barking Dog and What Next?

Today was a total waste of time and space; probably shouldn't have even been on the calendar.

Normally, I get a lot done on Sunday, after sleeping in for a little while because it's the quietest morning of the week, but not today and you want to know why? I'll tell you why. A damn stray rooster that's why. In addition, that is, to my neighbor's barking dog.

I know there are some folks around here who keep chickens...I almost ran over a chicken crossing the road right down the street one day...I kid you not...and I'm assuming it came from one of those places but no one can tell me where these chicken people live and no one has come around looking for a lost rooster. This rooster has been hanging around for about a week now and I've been trying to get someone out here to collect it - a rescue group, a chicken person...I even put a posting on Craigslist - but with no success.

Initially, this rooster wasn't bothering me and I was more afraid he'd get run over in the street or my barking dog neighbor would shoot him (he shoots at stray cats and probably other small mammels as well). It never even occurred to me that the thing would begin disturbing the peace. But in the last couple of days Harley has been barking more than usual (if you can believe that) and I realized he, and Cherokee, the normally quiet one, have been barking at this rooster. Great. So now the dog who barks at falling leaves has yet another reason to be barking...

Then this morning, at some ungodly hour before sunrise, I woke up and heard a rooster crowing. I'm not sure if this crowing is exactly what woke me up, because since being awakened several times a night throughout 2009 and early 2010 by Harley's big mouth I have not been able to sleep all night without waking up at least once, or if it was just coincidence. I think I went back to sleep...I'm almost certain I did because next I knew it was a couple hours later (but it didn't feel like it) and Harley & Cherokee were raising hell. Sigh.

So I finally got up, went downstairs, and noticed the rooster right outside of the dining room window, which by the way is under my bedroom, pecking around under the bird feeder...so I ran outside in my pajamas and robe, looked around and didn't see anything to be barking at on Harley's side of my yard and so in a voice I'm sure they heard for a few blocks around I told the dogs to SHUT UP...and I'm pleased to report that they did. Then I went around to the other side and chased the rooster off making sure he made his exit toward the back and not around toward the front where he inevitably would have instigated more barking.

A little while later Harley was barking again but as I got ready to go out to shut him up again he suddenly stopped barking and I noticed both dogs running to their back door, so apparently one of their rude, irresponsible owners heard me the first time (it's about time) and decided to get off their lazy ass and do the right thing for once. Don't get me wrong, I know the rude people didn't let the dogs go inside; I know they just gave them a treat or breakfast in an attempt to distract them from whatever was motivating them to bark but of course we all know they were just enforcing the barking behavior by doing so. No wonder the rude people's human children have so many emotional and behavioral problems.

So that was the beginning of my lovely Sunday, the day that is usually the quietest day of the week since there is little traffic in the morning, and now I'm in a foul mood over fowls and foul dog barking...and rude neighbors who can't or won't control their dogs or chickens.
If one keeps chickens for the sake of having ones own organic, humane eggs, does one need to have a rooster about as well? So much for that future idea.

I recently told my husband that at this point in time I'd gladly live in a single wide trailer - although it would be quite the culture shock after living in a 3600 sq. ft. house - if it was parked in the middle of a large acreage with no neighbors, no roads, and no dogs within sight or hearing distance.

And I mean it. Can we just make it an Air Stream, please???

What's Wrong With People?

It's been a long time since I've written here but I've been really busy catching up on all the things I couldn't do when Harley was barking night & day, like getting sleep & doing yard work. So why today am I taking time out to write? Because on this particularly lovely day my yard is enveloped in a dog crap miasma and it was just not appealing to me so I came inside early.

To digress for a moment and quickly summarize the situation, I live in Monroe, NC next door to a barking dog named Harley. Harley's barking is shrill, abrupt and echoes, made my years ring and conversation outside of my house was impossible without raising your voice when he's having a psycho barking fit, which used to often last for several hours. Harley was barking from the first day they brought him home as a puppy in the summer of 2007 and if he was outside he was barking. Period. Then in the Spring of 2009 he became a full time yard dog because my neighbors were too stupid to house train him. I'd say he barked a good 16 hours out of 24, more depending on how often I attempted to go outside, and I'm not even sure if he really slept or just rested up and caught his breath for the next 3-5 hour round of barking.

Jump ahead to early 2010: after calling the cops & animal control a number of times earlier this year because Harley's barking was ruining my life, my neighbors, or actually their son who had to move back home due to his own misfortune, finally put some effort into making Harley stop barking so much. That's not to say that Harley was always quiet, but he was quiet enough for me to finally be able to relax in my house, get some decent sleep, eat without having an upset stomach, and catch up on my yard work (that's right, I couldn't go into my yard without being barked at the whole time). They even cleaned up the dog crap so I could spend time in my yard without holding my breath, and I could open my windows on a nice day without my whole house eventually smelling like dog shit.

However, as the year has progressed to the present, my neighbors, and Harley, have begun to slack off. Harley is being allowed to bark more and more and, well, like I said, the dog crap is piling up again.

Oh, of course, I can't blame them. After all, I'm the one who embarrassed them because the police and animal control showed up at their house so many times and because of this I really deserve to be awakened at 6:15 a.m. This is when my neighbor goes out and makes all 3 of her dogs bark just long enough to wake me up, and yes, I caught her doing it one morning when I was awakened into a foul mood and ran out to see what the hell the dogs were barking at, and I believe she (the passive aggressive sociopath) does this regularly both in the morning and in the evening...just to remind me of what a bad neighbor I am. Forget Sundays...which used to be the quietest day of the week around here, and on which day I knew I could look forward to sleeping in without traffic noise. Forget it now.

And I'm the despicable ass who put up the cat fence around my yard (after they blamed my cat for all the barking, even when he was in the house, and threatened to trap him and send him to the shelter) and so now they can't pull their Coachman RV around my driveway which enabled them to then easily back it into their parking area.

My fault!!! Why should they keep their dogs quiet now and why should they continue to clean up the dog crap after I've been such a bad neighbor for not wanting to hear their dog bark 24/7 and for wanting to keep my cat safe on my own property?

Yes, once again Harley has begun to bark at this & that and at me as soon as he hears me in the yard and they just let him go on and on. It's not nearly as bad as it was last year, but still very loud and it's extremely annoying and stressful when he is carrying on. To top it off, the folks behind me, who had 3 dogs, then only 1 dog, but now have 2 dogs, all chained up and ignored (one dog is chained & penned...), are allowing their dogs to bark for hours, day & night, and if they aren't already barking they begin barking when they hear or see me in my yard (and both dogs are practically swimming in their own feces). And, since I'm such a crappy fucking neighbor, the folks on the other side of me now have a dog which doesn't bark, thankfully, but which they allow to crap all over their yard, front & back, and there the crap sits to fester on a nice warm day. I even stepped in a pile of it in their front yard the other day when I walked over to talk to my neighbor, who was sitting on the picnic bench in her front yard. The pile was right next to the picnic bench.

My fault!!! Silly me; why would I dare think there would NOT be any dog shit next to the picnic bench where my neighbors and their friends are always hanging out?

You know, I'd gladly buy dog poop bags for my all my neighbors if they would just use them. Unfortunately, I don't think those bags would get used for poop. Not dog poop anyway.

Don't they realize that even Barbie picks up her dog's poop?







So add the 1 dog's crap to the left of me + the 2 dogs' crap behind me + the 3 dogs' crap on the right of me and what do you get?

And add the 3 dogs barking on the right + the 2 dogs barking behind + maybe 5 other dogs barking in a 2 block radius of my place and what do you get?

What you get is a pretty shitty piece of property that nobody is going to want to buy so I can't even move. But why should my neighbors care? It's not my dogs who are barking and stinking them out of house and home. Hell, I don't even have a dog.

Why should any of these charming folks clean up their dogs' poop, or teach their dogs to be good? Well, I don't know. Maybe out of respect for yourselves & your dogs, if not for your neighbors? When I had dogs I did it because I didn't want disgusting stinky dog crap all over my yard, because it's disgusting to go to the park and have to watch out for dog turds in the grass while you are walking around (or wonder if you are laying on a piece of decomposed dog shit in the grass), because I didn't want unruly dogs who didn't know how to behave, and because I like to be a good neighbor (even if I don't like my neighbors).

And another reason I didn't leave dog shit laying around and let my dogs run around barking like a pack of wild animals (which, by the way, is an incorrect cliche because wild dogs don't run around barking like that) is because I'm respectful and I feel bound to the integrity of my ethics and morality to not only NOT add to the pollution of the earth but to also be the type of neighbor that I would like to live next to. And even if my neighbors have much lower standards I refuse to let them dictate who I am or to allow them to drive me to compromising my integrity. But being kind and considerate is becoming more and more difficult living among all these passive aggressive, unhygienic, rude, irresponsible...uh...people.

So I want to know, what is wrong with people? Why don't people respect at least themselves, if no one else, enough to clean up the dog crap in their yards, and why don't they care enough about their own dogs to teach them to be good, quiet neighbors?

I realize there are a lot of conscientious and responsible dog owners, and I know some of them, but the irresponsible dog owners give you all a bad name. I know there's a lot of good dogs out there, but these days when I first meet a dog I'm suspicious of it's barking habits until I get to know the dog, and when someone says they have a dog I view them with suspicion even though they might be the best dog owner on the planet. You can all thank my lovely neighbors for that.

Oh, and another thing. I want to know why the law enforcement does not enforce the codes? It plainly states that seriously annoying barking is a violation, as is allowing any type of smelly waste to accumulate on your property.

Barking Dog Advice from an Expert

I was going through some of the Barking Dog Yahoo Group messages that I saved and came across the following, which makes excellent sense. The bottom line is, if you have recently begun to be tormented by your neighbor's barking dog, don't wait to do something about it - jump into action immediately.

Dr. Craig Mixon, an expert on the subject of barking dogs and their owners, and founder of BarkingDogs.net, says...

"To a large extent, your best course of action is always determined by your own individual skill set. You need to do what you are good at doing, and what you know how to do. Some people are brilliant at confrontation ­ others at maneuver, persuasion, or politics ­ still others do best to steer clear of all categories.

"But as a trained behaviorist I can tell you that the longer you let any given response continue, and the better established it becomes, the harder it is likely to be to get it stopped.

"So if your neighbor gets a dog and the barking starts, then, if you are ever going to talk to him about it, you had better do it immediately. Because every minute it continues, the less likely he is to be willing to bring it to a stop. That is true of dogs and humans alike. The research shows that beyond the slightest doubt."

I now, well over 2 years later, realize the above statement from Dr. Mixon is true and I wish I would have come across his works sooner. In retrospect I could have saved myself from over 2 years of barking torment and the mental, physical & financial side effects of this noise trauma had I acted sooner. As it is, I allowed myself to be victimized for well over 2 years by my neighboring sociopath barking dog owners and their incessantly yapping psycho dog since day one of the dog's arrival as a puppy, hoping they'd recognize the problem and put and end to it.

This attempt to be patient did no good at all.  The barking did not subside, in fact just got worse & worse,  and just caused me immeasurable stress, anxiety & tension and also ended up costing me a lot of money. The dog's owners are as hostile toward me today as they would have been then, if I'd jumped into action when they first got the dog, but at least I could have saved myself from a lot misery (and also saved some money). At this point, I don't care if they hate me. Neighborly relations were ruined the day I realized they were just going to let him bark and bark and bark without any regard for neighbors, which was on day one when they brought the dog home and he was running around the yard yapping & yapping at me and everything else that moved or didn't move.

From the first day, at the end of November in 2009, that we began complaining about the barking...first by "talking" to them about it, which was a one sided conversation and a complete waste of time and breath, then by me calling them at night when the dog was barking, which only put an end to the barking temporarily that night, then later by calling the police and animal control, which at least put an end to the dog being out at night...it has taken less than 6 months to attain relative peace again. Fortunately for us the neighbor's oldest son, unfortunately due to his own misfortune, had to move back home and started working with the dog to make him stop barking.  The son has done a marvelous job with the dog, especially considering he has his own mother working against him by inciting the dog to bark when her son is not around... 

Beginning sometime in late March this year, things began going along very nicely and quietly (it was odd but I wasn't going to question it), and then suddenly there were a couple of weeks late in April when Mrs. Barking Dog Owner, who claims to be a good Christian, was letting the dog out very early in the morning (like between 6-6:30 a.m.) and allowing him to bark which had very rudely & traumatically awakened me 4-5 times. One morning I actually caught her in the process of provoking some barking, at least it seemed so to me when I witnessed her standing on her screened porch making some sort of noise which, everytime the dogs heard it, caused them break into a barking fit. Some people whom I've told about this, who have also heard the unbearable ruckus, asserted that it sounds like spiteful behavior on the part of the mean old bitch...

The second time this happened, I went outside, probably looking like some sort of psyco myself as I'd just been awakened from a very deep sleep and was still trying to get my wits about me...fortunately my sleeping attire was not going to get me arrested for indecent exposure..., and let her know that I was not happy about being awakened. Of course, she lashed out with hostilities and accusations about me being a bad neighbor for calling the police... blah, blah, blah...and accused my cat of instigating the barking (he was in the house, still sleeping...that's how early it was) and then she, the good Christian, threatened to trap my cat and send him to the shelter...etc., etc. It was difficult to get a word in but I was finally able to casually mention that I had video/sound recordings of her dog being left outside to bark for hours, at all hours... Apparently she, oddly enough as I don't credit her with much intelligence, realized that along with telling her I had the barking evidence on tape (so to speak) I was also implying that the evidence points out that she neglected the dog by allowing him to be unattended during these sometimes hours long barking fits because she seemed to be taken aback and lost for words...at least temporarily until she lamely got the last word in and again reiterated how she couldn't believe I would ever be such a bad neighbor. Boo hoo. Realizing I'd have better luck communicating wtih a rock, I walked away.

This early morning barking occurred several more times and so I again called the police and animal control. They never came out again as by the time I called them Mrs. Sociopath had locked the dog up (nice, huh? lock them up rather than enforce the training that her son has implemented), but I gave them all a good ration of how I was fed up with losing sleep and my life being ruined because my neighbors were being allowed to let their dog be a barking nuisance...and on and on. Then, just as suddenly as it began again, this early morning barking suddenly stopped again so maybe the police or animal control sent a notice or called them or something. I don't know and, as long as the dog successfully continues on his path of barking behavior modification, I don't care.

So, since perhaps you missed it because I've rambled on and on about my barking misery, the main point of the story is, don't wait to start the process of putting an end to the barking. You'll just be more and more traumatized the longer it goes on, the neighbors will probably hate you regardless of when you let them know that you won't tolerate it, and you'll probably have better success at stopping the barking if you speak up right away.

By the way, I have nothing against Christians or people with any other religious beliefs. I do not, however, like people who are hypocrites.