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...

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...

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...

Shock & Horror

I just have to say, that I have never lived in a place like this before. I've never lived next to such horrible neighbors, and I swear I never knew that people let their dogs bark for hours and hours, at all hours, or that they so inhumanely tied their dogs up in their yards and ignored them...until I moved here to Monroe, NC. I've known some wackos, but I swear I've never personally known so many mean and hateful people at one time as I have here, ever, and I never knew the law would allow such things.

But I don't know what the hell I was thinking because I know our own political leaders indulge in things like torture, lies, and murder, and such... so why should my neighbors be humane...

That's all I really have to say today because I feel very ill right now from all this venom, ignorance, inhumanity and barking that I'm surrounded by. I know, you are as shocked by my speechlessness, as I am shocked by what people are allowed to do to their dogs and to their neighbors.

Sometimes I wish I took drugs or drank, because I'd be blasted or passed out right now.

Will I ever have any peace again before I die?

The $$$$ Go Marching By...

This is just a short entry (thank god, you are saying) to vent about how much money my barking dog owning neighbor has cost us...and will cost us.

Keep in mind that we offered to pay for dog training so the dog could be house trained, spend time inside with his family and learn to not bark at everything that moves or doesn't move, but the stupid (and now vindictive) owners, my lovely neighbors, are too lazy, mean and uncaring to spend that much time on the dog even if someone else is willing to pay for it. This would have been the cheap way out for us.

I just got a fence estimate: just under $10,000. This is not including the fees for the attorney who is investigating a discrepancy with the property lines, the surveyor who will eventually mark those lines, and the guys I'll have to hire to clear out some shrubs and trees which are on the property lines. This also does not include the cost of "cat proofing" the fence so my cat can't get out of his yard. I have no idea how much that will cost, but I'm estimating a total of approximately $15,000 for the fence. If it's less, yea.

This fence has become a necessity because my neighbor has now threatened to harm my cat, who has been blamed for the majority of the barking, who is usually in the house when the dog is barking, who usually stays in his own yard when he's outside, and who no one complained about (even though I'd ask if he was bothering any of my neighbors) until I complained about the barking and called the cops. On occasion the cat gets frisky and goes into their driveway to roll in the dirt or hunt for rodents in the shrubs that line the drive, but very rarely. The cat is never out at night and never out when I'm not home, and when he's out I check on him often. And when he's out, the dog is rarely barking at the cat and I know this because I immediately investigate the barking when the cat is outside. On the rare occasions when the dog is actually barking because he sees the cat, I immediately bring the cat inside.

In fact, the cat has provided 2 important services for us and both of our neighbors (and he does so very quietly) - he catches rodents, and keeps stray cats away, of which there are many in our neighborhood. One time I tried to make the cat a full time indoor cat for year. During that year we had numerous stray cats showing up, crapping, spraying, and fighting & howling over mates. My cat hated being indoors all the time, and he developed reoccurring urinary tract infections. Once I began letting him go out again, his urinary tract infections disappeared and so did all the stray cats. My cat is very territorial and doesn't tolerate feline intruders.

Anyway, some time during the middle of summer (2009) my neck and upper back began to hurt so badly from the tension, I had huge knotted up muscles in my neck, headaches had increased in frequency, jaw pain, tinnitis, and the muscles were so tense at the side of my neck that they felt like they were pulling away from my bones, and so I began to think I had a tumor or some other serious disease, and so in October (2009) I began paying for health insurance. I got the lowest monthly payments which meant the highest deductible so I still have to pay for everything until my deductible was met, but at least if I had a serious illness everything would be covered after the deductible. The monthly cost of the health insurance is $228 so that is $1596, to date, which I wasn't spending before.

In November of last year (2009) I began seeing my chiropractor every week due to the severe neck pain I was having which I'd finally realized was due to the tension from listening to the dog bark his shrill piercing bark for hours, day and night, which seriously aggravated an existing problem. I realized every time the dog was barking I was tensing up so much that my shoulders were practically up to my ears. So from November to now, I've spent $40 a week to see the chiropractor. Prior to that I saw the chiropractor once a month for an existing problem. So that is $120 more per month than I would have spent otherwise. So far that's about $720 more, to date, thanks to barking.

Since I was so tense all the time, the chiropratic adjustments were often difficult to achieve and the benefits never last long (especially because the dog would be barking at me as soon as I got home), and so in December I began having a 1 hour massage prior to the chiropratic adjustment. This allowed my muscles to relax so that the chiropractor could actually make the necessary adjustments to my spine. The massage is $60 - $75 dollars each, depending on which massage therapist I go to. This is $60 to $75 more per week than I was spending before. At $60 a week brings it to $1200 for the massage fees, to date, probably more. My neck, by the way, is still killing me.

I've also gone to my physician twice specifically for barking related problems which totaled almost $200. I've been referred to an orthopedic specialist which was $412 for the first new patient visit, and I'm now having physical therapy which I've only had twice so far and only paid $25 per visit, but it will probably end up costing about $300 per week if my health insurance won't cover it. Prescriptions so far have been about $75 (Xanax for my head, Flexeril and an anti inflammatory for my muscles). Thankfully, I haven't started drinking or smoking pot...because then my drug cost would be astronomical.

Keep in mind that my health insurance deductible must be met before my health insurance pays for anything other than yearly basic physicals, and so I've paid for all this out of pocket, and so now I'm up to $4253 that I've spent on medical/health alone in the last 7 months thanks to my neighbors letting their dog bark like a psycho nuisance day & night.

I have 6 more physical therapy appointments and another visit to the ortho doc scheduled. If I'm lucky, my health insurance will cover at least part of the cost of the ortho and physical thereapy. I really haven't made any effort to find out yet, because I'm not up for any more bad news at this point.

I have a physical scheduled, most of which will be covered by the health insurance, however, due to the severe tinnitis which developed sometime during the summer last year (I noticed it increased every time I was working in the yard and the dog was barking...I really couldn't stay out for more than 15 minutes when he was barking, it was so loud and shrill and continuous...I mean I don't know how my neighbors could stand listening to their own dog bark like that...) and a newly formed lump in my back I'll probably have an MRI which is not routine...

Well, I said it was going to be short so I'll keep my promise, but mainly because I'm now having an anxiety attack over all this money I'm spending and will end up spending (I mean I could have taken a European vacation for 6 months for that amount) thanks to my thoughtless neighbors and all the damage they've caused by allowing their dog to be a barking nuisance. Thankfully, the dog is not barking right now but I better get to bed in case he starts in early in the morning. Did I tell you that I caught my neighbor inciting her dog to bark very early the other morning by standing on her screened in porch making some sort of noise that was getting the dog worked up? And she accused my cat of inciting the riot, who was in the house sleeping, and accused me of being a bad neighbor for complaining about the barking...

Good night & I hope you have a peaceful one.

Another Day Ruined Before it Even Began...Good Grief...

Recently there have been some messages on the Barking Dog group about a CD which, when played, blasts the barking nuisance with ultrasonic sound waves in the attempt to get it to stop barking. However, some folks think it is the irresponsible owner who should be blasted out of orbit, not the dog who is just being a dog.

One person wrote:

"There is an over-riding moral issue here, namely that inflicting hurt upon a helpless creature is fundamentally wrong. It is not the dog's fault that it is barking so annoyingly. It is the owner's fault entirely, and it's him who should be blasted to Kingdom Come for his selfish, cruel idiocy."

Another response to this included:

"...however the other side of that coin is that dogs actually do harm humans and horrible things have resulted to humans because of a dog's noise/threats..."

Ironically, I was awakened this morning around 7:30ish (at least that's what time it was when I finally looked at the clock) from a very deep sleep by my neighboring shrill barker. Being in a particularly foul mood over it, I opened the window and yelled for the dog to be shut up which, of course, was a waste of breath and energy. I'm not really sure when the barking began, but I later found out that someone had heard the ruckus around 7 a.m., a half hour earlier than when I finally looked at the clock... man, I was in a really deep sleep and enjoying it because it's not something I've done much of in the last 2 years.

Later my neighbor accused me of hurting her dog by yelling at him ....can you imagine? This accusation after being assaulted by her excruciatingly shrill barker, every day and many nights, for almost 3 years now... Any loud statments I've made (which have been rare) lasted for about 5 seconds if that (and I set off my car alarm probably less than a half dozen times in a 2 week period early in January, and I tried the ultrasonic device about 4 times which had no effect on the dog but freaked out my cats). Not to mention I don't think I can even yell as loud as that dog barks. Certainly if I yelled as much as he barks I'd have dropped dead long ago... And I listened to that awful barking for over 2 years before we ever complained to them about it back in November last year (2009). Why am I even defending myself? Good grief.

Anyway, he continued to bark and so I finally went outside to make him be quiet myself, which I've had to do on many occasions if I wanted peace, although my efforts were not always successful. As soon as I got to the edge of my front porch, I heard my neighbor standing on her screened in porch shaking what sounded like a can of something, I guess to get the dogs attention...but it seemed to me it was making them bark more...hmmm...until they saw me. Then they came running over, wagging their tails! I called to whoever was on the porch (because I coudn't see them) and she answered. I was going to politely (even though I'd already yelled out of the window and wasn't feeling very polite) ask her please not to let the dogs bark like that so early in the morning and inform her that I'd been awakended...blah, blah, blah...like she didn't already know they were waking me up...but she rudely cut in and prodeeded to be belligerant and hostile. In fact, I don't think I was able to finish one sentence without being rudely interupted by her accusations and threats. Actually, the only thing that left her speechless was when I informed her that I had many hours of video/sound recordings of her dog barking, sometimes almost continually for 2-3 hours without anyone checking on him, day & night at all hours. Being so stunned by this revelation of barking evidence, the only thing she could say was another feeble accusation about how she never thought I would ever be such a bad neighbor. Sigh. Ditto.

By the way, all this time her 2 dogs were sitting by the fence quietly looking at me...and wagging their tails. They love me. Sheesh.

Now, I've suffered immeasurable mental and physical pain from being forced to listen to her dog barking, as I'm sure you all can relate to, and have, in the last 6 months, spent several thousand dollars (so far) seeking relief consulting with doctors, a chiropractor, 3 massage therapist, and most recently an orthopedic specialist for relief of my neck and jaw pain caused by tension caused by being forced to listen to the barking, day and night, inside my home and outside in the yard. Many times, in fact I'd say about 95% of the time, when I return home from a massage, chiro, or any other relaxing event, the dog is barking as soon as I pull up into the driveway even before I get out of my car. So much for that $75 massage.

Ultimately I know it will be a waste of money to see all these doctors and therapists if I have to continue to listen to the barking.

Incidentally, the barking is of such a loud & shrill nature that the neighbors on the other side of me can hear the barking in their home, albeit not very loudly (as they are farther away and they have more noise in their home...children and TVs, etc.), but that gives you a clue as to how loud it is in my (formerly) quiet home which, at the closest point, is less than 50 feet away from one of the dog's favorite barking spots.

Then she, my barking dog owner neighbor, said the dog is on his own property (I tried to mention that she was allowing the dog to tresspass on my property and into my home by projecting his voice into my private air space, but it was a one sided conversation and she probably wouldn't get it anyway...duh...) and accused me of being a bad neighbor because I've complained about the loud, shrill, piercing, almost continual traumatic barking that has caused me immeasurable physical & mental pain, not to mention is continuing to cost me a lot of money, and because I've called the police and animal control (who have not been any help...surprise, surprise), and then she accused my cat of instigating the barking, that the dog was probably barking because I let my cat out, and she threatened to trap him and send him to animal control. I was stunned at the sheer nastiness of this person, who I knew from the beginning was a bit...uh...odd, shall we say, but with whom I'd been on good terms for a number of years, but I managed to say, "I just woke up and my cat is still sleeping on my bed." The cat was in the house all night, as usual. If the dog only barked when my cat goes onto their property, I'd have no problem with the barking because it would be so rare. When the cat is outside he doesn't usually go onto their property because I keep an eagle eye on him when he's outside and he's usually following me around, lounging around under a shrub, or looking for rodents (on his own property). He's a fat, middle aged cat, you see. On the rare occasion, usually when I'm trying to get him in the house and he gets fiesty because he doesn't want to go in, he'll run over there and hide under one of their (many) cars so I follow him until I can snatch him up, and if he's ever out of my sight at any other time for one second I hunt him down and bring him in. My other cat rarely wanders from under her favorite bush or the porch at the other side of our yard, and stays within about a 25 foot radius of both when she's outside. On a rare occasion she'll come out and follow me around a bit, but never in front of or at the sides of the house, and never way out behind the garage.

Why am I defending my cats? for crying out loud. My cats have done nothing wrong...and they are quiet. In fact, they are the ones being harrassed by the dog who rushes to the fence and starts barking like a psycho when he sees them in their own yard. Actually, he usually only sees them if he sees or hears me first, then rushes to the fence to bark at me and then spies the cat following me around and starts in with the "cat bark." If that dog ever got out of his yard I know he'll run straight to my yard and try to attack my cats, and then, of course, my cat will smack him a good one and my stupid neighbor will start crying about how my cat hurt her dog.

When I first started letting my big tuxedo cat go outside (I tried to force him to stay indoors for a year when he was 3-4 but he was miserable and developed reoccuring urinary tract infections, which stopped when I started letting him out again), I went to both neighbors and asked them if he was bothering them. No one said he was, and so I told them if he was to let me know right away and I'd collect him and put him in. Over the years, I've inquired about this again occasionally, but no one ever said he was bothering them.

However, maybe she did tell me the cat was bothering them. One time, long before I expressed my irritation with the barker, I was asking my barking dog neighbor if the cat was bothering them and she said her husband hates cats and would just as soon shoot them. I asked her if he was going to shoot my cat, and she never did answer. In retrospect, wonder if that was a threat? Her way of telling me the cat was a nuisance? She'd rather pick up a gun than pick up the phone? Scary people. Really, she didn't have to say that. I really didn't think her husband would shoot my cat but if the cat was bothering them all she had to do was say so. I get so tired of people not being straight forward and honest, and having to play guessing games and ending up looking like an idiot beause I can't figure out what the hell they're talking about. Oh, yeah, the dog was barking during this (very brief) conversation and she didn't make any attempt to stop it. And the cat was not there.

Back to today...my other neighbors, the good ones to the right of our house if you are facing it, were having a yard sale so on my way back inside I went over there and asked if they'd heard the barking. Two of them had; my neighbor's husband had actually heard the dog barking at about 7:00 a.m., even earlier than when I'd been awakened, when he was taking things out to the yard for the sale. The other person who heard the barking, a friend of my neighbors' who was over to participate in the yard sale, said she heard the barking and then saw me go out of the front door. She said the barking was so loud it was annoying to her way over there and that there is no way she could tolerate living next to that noise. She is willing to make a statement, if necessary, to support any complaints or court cases, and I already have 3 signed statements about the barking from these "good" neighbors (the 3 adults in the house).

Of course, I already know my barking dog owner neighbor fits right into the disturbed personality profile of the nuisance barking dog owner, but knowing this doesn't make it any less stressful or upsetting for me to be abused by both dog and human like this, and now have to worry about my cats being harmed by the ignorant barking dog owner.

The barking problem had decreased significantly in the last 6 weeks, and I had begun to relax and actually began to feel happy again and like I was healing from the abuse. Even my neck was feeling better, my digestive problems had deminished a good bit, and I was actually feeling back to my old affable self again. But I guess it was just a fluke because this last week the barking has begun to increase again, especially early morning, and now I feel like I'm hopelessly back to square one.

Just venting here, really. Thanks for listening.

Oh, Crap...Literally

I must be cursed. First it's the barker next door keeping me out of my own yard for 2 years, now it's the smell of dog feces coming from the property behind us where the 2 dogs are tied up.

Maybe it was that old gypsy lady in Spain, back in 2001, who grabbed my hand to read my fortune, then wanted money but I wouldn't give her any because I had no idea what she was saying. I didn't ask her to do it, she just walked up and started palm reading, or something. She got really pissed off...and I've had a lot of lousy things happen since then... Really, I'm not superstitious, but... I should have just given her the damn money... and you know as I was walking away I was thinking that she had just cursed me... Every time shit (no pun intended) happens I think about that.

I swear I can smell dog crap in my house. Today was not an extremely warm day, pleasant really...until I stepped outside. At first I couldn't smell it until I walked out behind the garage, which sort of comes out about half way across the yard, half way to the back of the property. It just kind of hit me in the face like I walked into a toxic miasma. I had to go inside pretty quickly because, and this might surprise some folks, I don't deal well with the overwhelming smell of dog shit. It kinda makes me want to puke.

Later on, I stepped out of my back door...but only because I absolutely had to go outside...and I could smell it immediately and it had even cooled off considerable. Now that's bad. I had the door open just briefly, but then I thought I could smell it in the house.

A few weeks ago I spent some time in Charleston, back when the temps were up. The day I came home was really warm. When I walked in the house I could swear I smelled shit so I went about cursing my cats looking for cat poop. My neighbor (the only good one) had taken care of my cats while I was gone and so their litter boxes were very clean (she's really good about tidying up after the cats). But I could swear there was poop in the house...but I couldn't find any so I just figured I was being paranoid. The next day I went outside, and I realized where the poop smell was coming from. Yep.

I've asked them twice now to clean up the poop and told them I can smell it all the way at my back door... which is a good distance from the property line...so that tells you how bad it is. And, yes, if I have my back door open or open the windows at the back of the house...which are usually the only ones I open due to the amount of traffic noise in front...the smell travels right on inside. Nice. I dread to think what it's going to be like as the summer progresses...hotter...more humidity...

It's no wonder some of my cats have become so neurotic in the last couple of years. They are surrounded by dogs barking and dog stink.

To top it off, if one can do that, those dogs that are tied up back there are surrounded by their own turd piles. I mean dozens of them. The dogs can barely move without stepping in shit...their own. When I went over there the other day to inform them of the foul odor drifting over from their property, I had to tip toe through dog crap. I cut through the cyprus trees at the property line and the easiest spot to get through is right by the dogs. There was so much crap around those dogs...that is really sad. Tied up and wallowing in your own shit. I really feel sorry for those dogs. They are always so happy to see me and I can hardly stand to look at them 'cause it's so sad (not to mention stinky).

I don't understand these folks at all. How could you live with the smell of dog poop fuming around your home, you pets wading in their own feces, and your dogs barking like psychotic lunatics?

Today I looked all through the City of Monroe Code of Ordinances and did not find one damn thing about cleaning up your dog's poop. Not one. Nor does it mention anything about providing proper shelter for your dogs, providing food & water...essentially nothing to protect the dog or the public from the dog's irresponsible owners.

I looked under Title IX: GENERAL REGULATIONS, Chapter 91: ANIMALS and did not find one thing about dog poop odor nuisances.

I looked under Title IX: GENERAL REGULATIONS, Chapter 93: PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE, and found this:

§ 93.03 DECLARATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE.

The following conditions shall constitute a nuisance to public health or safety and shall be prohibited within the City's jurisdiction:

(A) Neglect of property. It shall be unlawful for any person to endanger the public health, safety, and welfare through the neglect of property by causing or allowing the accumulation of solid waste or unsightly litter, waste products causing the existence of foul odors, dead animals, unsecured appliances, building material, hazardous waste, or potentially dangerous devices to be discarded, abandoned, or remain on or emanate from any such property, or to cause or allow the accumulation of solid waste or unsightly litter, waste products causing the existence of foul odors, dead animals, unsecured appliances, building material, construction and demolition material, hazardous waste, or potentially dangerous devices to be discarded, abandoned, or remain on or emanate from public property or other private property, vacant lots, ponds, streams, or bodies of water or banks thereof.

Then I also looked under Title V: PUPLIC WORKS, Chapter 55: SOLID WASTE, and found this:

§ 55.02 GENERAL REGULATIONS.

(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to endanger the public health, safety and welfare through the neglect of property by causing or allowing unsightly garbage, weeds and grass, yard waste, foul odor, dead animals, junk, unsecured appliances or potentially dangerous devices to remain on or emanate from property, or to discard or abandon or cause such on public property, private property, vacant lots or any pond, stream or body of water or banks thereof within the city limits.

and this:

§ 55.10 REMOVAL OF DEAD ANIMALS, ASHES, CONTAGIOUS DISEASE MATERIAL, HYPODERMIC INSTRUMENTS AND HAZARDOUS WASTE.

(E) Hazardous Waste. It shall be unlawful to place hazardous waste in any container for disposal except as follows:

     (1) Paint cans shall have lids removed and contain no wet paint. Kitty litter or sand may be added to solidify material for collection.
     (2) Soiled kitty litter shall be enclosed in double plastic bags and securely tied prior to placing the bag in rollout cart at curbside for disposal.

and under the same Title V, § 55.01 DEFINITIONS.

HAZARDOUS WASTE. Potentially dangerous by-products which cannot be handled, treated, or disposed of without special precautions. Hazardous waste includes ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and toxic wastes such as acetone, gasoline, industrial metal, alkaline cleaners, acids, batteries, cyanide, chlorine, arsenic, pesticide wastes, paint, caustics, infected materials, offal, fecal matter (human and animal), and explosives.
 
Notice it says how to dispose of kitty litter, but not one word about how to dispose of dog crap, which would fall under a hazardous waste...
 

What's wrong with the City of Monroe???

bag o crap

Maybe I should just purchase an SCBA because I don't think the city is going to help out here. I called the Monroe Police Department a couple of days ago and asked to talk with someone in Code Enforcement. The lady was really nice...but...and this is really scary...she knew nothing about any dog or animal ordinances. She said, "All we usually deal with is tall grass and building codes."

What about the rest of the Monroe Code of Ordinances???

Gee. I wish my neighbors had tall grass. At least it's quiet, doesn't smell bad, and I kind of think tall grass looks cool when it's blowing in the wind. .

Too Good to Be True...

Damn. I spoke too soon and I've jinxed myself. I shouldn't have gone around telling anyone that life was becoming almost bearable again because Harley's barking had been reduced considerable in the last few weeks. In the back of my brain I suspected it was too good to be true.

I was awakened before 6:15 this morning...I took a Xanax before 8 and I've still been in a foul mood all day with a lingering headache and miserable neck pain. Before this morning I had been in such a good mood, and yesterday I felt so good, and because my neck was not bothering me so much I had looked forward to a good sleep and then sleeping in this morning.

Pissed off and feeling hopeless, I drug myself out to do some grocery shopping and all I could think about was having to listen to that barking again with no hope insight for relief...

Dear Barking Dog Neighbors,

For the last few weeks the barking had diminished so much that I was actually beginning to feel better physically and mentally, I was able to spend time in my yard which I haven’t done for about 2 years due to being barked at continually while I was in my yard (front and back), and to get some good sleep in my bedroom rather than lousy sleep in the living room on the sofa which is where I’ve had to spend most of the last year because of the barking. The barking had diminished so much that I was actually beginning to enjoy being at home again, which I haven’t done for quite some time.

But this morning I was in a deep and good sleep (something which I have not had a lot of in the last couple of years because of Harley’s barking)...and then I was awakened at 6:15 a.m. by the barking of your big white dog. Then, just as I thought I was going to be able to go back to sleep, Harley started barking. It was then 6:38 a.m. Then Harley was barking again a few times after that, and at approximately 7:30 he and the big white dog were both barking so much that I had to get up and put an end to it myself. This is not right. They are not my dogs and I should not have to hear them like this nor get up to make them be quiet just so I can relax, sleep and enjoy my life.

Please, please do not let the dogs bark so early or so frequently again, as you have in the past. If you want to hear what I’ve had to put up with, I have video/sound recordings of the awful racket, and it is unbearable. No one should be forced to listen to this terrible noise as much as I’ve had to.

I can’t take the stress of having to listen to your dogs bark incessantly any longer. Being forced to listen to it for so long has caused me physical pain from the tension. It has cost me a lot of money to seek relief through chiropractors and doctors (including an orthopedic specialist) because the stress and tension it caused me has affected my physical health - severe neck pain and headaches from tension, stomach upsets from the stress - and mental health - anxiety/panic attacks because the barking is so loud, frequent and alarming, and depression because I’m stuck and I can’t just pack up and move to get away from the awful noise – and I’m now, since last November, regularly taking medications to help relieve the physical pain and mental torment that having to listen to this barking for 2+ years has caused me.

Dogs bark, yes, but Harley's barking is a pathological behavior problem. If you don’t want to consult a professional trainer and supervise him when he’s outside, or use a bark collar, please consider medication. I’ve successfully used medication to control one of my cat’s serious behavior problems and the cat is no worse off because of it. In fact he’s better off thanks to the medication. If you don't understand the depth to which this barking has affected me, consider this: I've given thought to euthanizing all my cats so I could jump in my car and just start driving and never come back. You think that's cruel? Well I think it's cruel to torment someone so much that the stress and tension causes them to feel like they are going to have a heart attack or stroke and die, and which causes them think about getting rid of their own pets just to survive. That's what you've done to me by allowing your dog to bark like he has for so long. That should tell you how desperate I am to get away from that barking because you've known me long enough to know how much I love my cats.

I realize that there are a lot of dogs in this neighborhood that bark, but none bark as frequently or a long as Harley does, and none of them are so close to our house that it sounds like it’s right outside the windows or practically inside the house like Harley's barking sounds, and his bark is so loud and shrill that when I'm outside I can't even think and it actually makes my ears hurt; this has also produced a serious ringing problem in my ears that lasts long after I go inside. In fact, the ringing rarely stops now.

Thanks to you, I can't enjoy my home, my yard, or my life. What's left?

Prozac Nation...Psychopharmacology vs. Shock Treatment

I'm not exactly sure what is going on here, but my neighboring nuisance has become an almost tolerable neighbor. Of course he still barks at my cat, but as soon as I move the cat out of his view he stops barking, which is uncharacteristic as he used to bark long after the cat was out of sight, and I have spent many hours in my yard since the weather has warmed up and he has not barked at me nor at anything else very much at all. In fact today I glanced over and noticed Harley's side kick, Cherokee, sitting at the fence watching me (kinda creepy the way she sits there and stares at me but she doesn't bark...yay) so I walked over and petted her on the head over the fence and told her she was a good girl. Harley was in another part of the yard and had not even paid any attention to me until he heard me talking to Cherokee at which time he trotted over for some attention. He did not make one peep so I petted him on the head also, and told him I was very happy that he was learning to be a good dog. Of course when he saw the cat, who had followed me, he began barking but stopped as soon as I scooted the cat our of his view. Strange.

There was, however, something else very odd about Harley. Not that I'm complaining because at least he is finally being quiet (most of the time), but he has changed in other ways, too. Not only was he very loud before but he used to look like a total psycho, jumping around, doing this weird thing with his mouth, making weird moaning sounds between barks, twitching his head, practically running in circles trying to decide what to bark at next, barking at the wind, barking just to bark, or so it seemed...I mean totally wacko...but he seems so calm now, and looked sort of normal in his dirty mop looking way.

I suspect he might be on drugs. I mean, drastic personality change, etc.

Although I'm in strongest favor of dedicated training and behavior modification techniques, I realize that some dogs (and cats) need something to take the edge off before they can learn or relearn and so I have to admit here that I am an advocate of using drugs, such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and similar drugs, for animal behavior problems. I'll tell you why, but first I must annouce that I am not a veterinarian nor an animal behavior specialist and my suggestions are based on my experience, observations, research and common sense, and if you are truly dedicated to changing a behavior in your dog (or cat) you must gather info, and consult with experts. Please do not try to drug your pets without consulting an expert, and don't give your pets your own antianxiety or antidepression meds, please.

But anyway, a few years ago I was one of those nasty detractors who criticized giving drugs like this to pets, and you could not convince me that putting an animal on antidepressnats was a good thing. I felt that doing so was a sign of laziness on the part of the owner and that it was detrimental for the animal. At that time, my own experience with antidepressants consisted of my observations of their lack of effectiveness in people (e.g., my sister for one), and it seemed that they were way over prescribed in lieu of trying to teach a person to change their thinking and become an effective problem solver, or even in lieu of trying to discover something deeper such as hormonal or nutritional imbalances that might be contributing to a brain imbalance and thus the erratic behaviors. In fact, 2 of my own doctors tried to talk me into taking antidepressants, however I declined first of all because of my psycho sister and secondly because I knew my "issues" had to do with thyroid and other hormonal, and probably nutritional, imbalances and I worked to successfully resolved my "issues" by tuning up my body through the use of natural methods (diet, supplements, herbs, acupuncture, etc.) through research and consulting with experts.

Back to the subject and to make a long story short, because I can ramble on, one of my cats had a serious spraying issue. Not only was he spraying but he was aggressive toward the other cats to the point that a couple of them became very fearful, he'd stare aggressively at and start fights with my older male cat, and he ran around the house making a bleating meow sound like a goat cat...he was affectionate and never aggressive toward me, but he looked and acted like a psycho with the other cats. I mean, after 2 years of this, I was ready to have the cat euthanized (save your nasty comments because if you have a nasty comment about that then you've never had a pet with a serious behavioral issue) because he was ruining my house and making me and my 4 other cats crazy so in a final fit I took him to the vet and presented the ultimatum. The cat was already neutered (when he was 6 months old) and the vet had known us long enough to know that in the last 2 years I'd tried everything possible to resolve the issue: behavior modification, enriching his environment, more play, more affection, Feliway, calming herbs, flower essences, dietary changes, consulting with an animal behaviorist who told me the cat wanted to be an only cat...and if I could have found the right home  for him I would have gladly let him go to make us all happy but who the hell is going to adopt a cat that sprays was my question. I wasn't willing to pawn him off on someone else and I wasn't going to dump him off at the shelter (where he would have been gassed to death the same day). So the vet said, "Let's try Prozac."

I'd known about the veterinary use of Prozac for quite sometime but I was reluctant to put my cat on drugs even though I was desperate, prefering to work things out and/or use natural methods. Of course, if I still got high I probably would have tried giving the cat of hit of a joint, but smoking weed is no longer in the picture here. Anyway, not really wanting to admit defeat and loathing the idea of euthanizing the cat just because he was marking his territory (and if I had a cat proof yard or lived in the country I probably would have just let him go outside to mark his territory, but I live on a busy street not to mention all the stray dogs that pass through our yard...sigh...) I decided to give him the Prozac. Best decision I ever made. He stopped spraying from day one, even though the vet said it might take a couple weeks. I've attempted further behavior modification and have tried weaning him onto lower doses so as to possibly get him off the Prozac altogether, but on any dose lower than 1/2 pill every other day he starts getting wacky, attacking cats and spraying again. He's been on Prozac for 2+ years now. He seems to be in good health and his bloodwork has not shown any abnormalities. He still bleats like a cat goat occasionally, but I can live with that.

So that's why I am an advocate of giving animals these drugs. BUT, and this is a big but, the cat or dog cannot tell you what it's feeling so you have to familiarlize yourself with the drug and the side effects and carefully monitor your pet, and adjust the dose if necessary. I had to do this with my cat, but the only reason I knew this is because the vet tech, who has one of her cats on Prozac, told me she had to reduce the dose for her cat and the vet concurred that I should lower the dose if it seemed necessary. Of course, my vet knows me well enough to know that I'm capable of doing this without running to the phone to call her to see if it's OK, and you have to be aware that some vets do not work outside of standard and conventional doses and ideas so you might have to use your power of observation and make a decision yourself to lower the dose on your own (or find another vet). Initially, my cat was prescribed 1/2 of a pill everyday, but I noticed even though he was not spraying he had become agitated and showing other signs of overdose so I reduced his dose to 1/2 pill every other day. This has been the magic number. My cat stopped spraying, he stopped being aggressive and provoking fights with the other cats, he's active, playful, affectionate, has a good appetite but has not gained weight, and all my other cats have relaxed as well now that my psycho cat is easier to live with.

"But," you say, "were talking about barking dogs and you are talking about cats." Yeah, well, the point is that these drugs might calm your dog's brain long enough for it to focus and learn a new behavior (like not barking at everything). Do I like having my cat on these drugs? No. But it's better than the alternative which was either euthanization or continuing to let him ruin my house and making me crazy and my other cats fearful. Will it work for every cat (or dog)? I don't know, probably not, but I think it's worth a try (especially if you or your neighbors are being driven batty by your dog's barking) if you are dedicated to helping your dog change his/her behavior (which, of course, unfortunately, eliminates many of the owner's of the barking dogs that are driving us nuts).

So the thing here is, a lot of people, including several dog trainers I've consulted with about my loud neighbor, suggest using a bark collar which consists of a device attached to a collar that delivers a shock to the dog's neck, via a couple of metal prongs, when it barks...is it just me? or does this sound somewhat sadistic? The theory is the negative feedback will teach the dog not to bark, as he will associate barking with a very unpleasant sensation. In theory it sounds good, but in reading further about these devices, and using common sense, the dog needs to be monitored for signs of shock trauma... Apparently these shocks can really freak some dogs out (no fucking shit) and some dogs might become fearful, nervous, maybe even aggressive or maybe even bark more (yikes) from these shocks. Personally, and this might sound a little odd to some of you more sadistic folks, I would not want to subject my pet to being shocked over and over again despite the success of negative feedback in behavior modification. But that's me. By the way, don't hit the dog or scream at it either. We're trying to help the dog become a better citizen, not make it more antisocial.

The success of any of this, of course, depends on the owner's dog savvy when it comes to the way they interact with the dog, and their powers of observation and deduction, whether you use behavior modification alone or with the aid of drugs or shock collars or whatever. Well, this brings us to somewhat of a delemma now because if we were dealing with dog savvy folks we wouldn't be having barking dogs, now would we? I mean, some folks actually inadvertantly teach their dog to become a barker by giving it a treat and/or attention when it barks, in an attempt to try to get it to stop barking...thinking that the dog is upset and needs to be comforted, or that the distraction will make it stop barking, I suppose, which it does as long as the treat and/or attention lasts...however, in the dog's brain this is a reward for the action and thus actually encouraging the undesired behavior...duh... But then again, some of you folks have inherited, or rather adopted, barking dogs that were damanged by the sub savvy previous owners who couldn't deal with the product of their own ignorance and decided to pawn it off on someone else (and who, by the way, might have been smug and felt oh so superior because they could claim that were finding the dog a better home...) and so now you have to deal with it.

Moving on...if I had a barking dog would I rather shock it into submission or put it on drugs? Quiet frankly, since excessive/inappropriate barking is usually a sign of some deeper, darker psychological thing going on with the personality and in the brain (I'm talking about the dog here, not the human although the human who created the barking dog is usually rather dark as well) logic tells me that the drugs are the better way to go so as to attempt to calm any anxieties and balance out brain chemicals and thus be better able to learn the new behavior. A shock collar focuses on one thing, the barking, but does not address the psychological/brain issues that might actually be causing the barking. But hey, what do I know. I was a detractor of drugs and now here I am promoting their use.

So, for those responsible dog owners who are trying to get their dog to stop barking inappropriately/excessively and conventional training methods aren't producing the desired effects, I suggest talking to the vet about using Prozac or a related drug in conjunction with continued behavior modification training. Your vet should give the dog (or cat) a complete physical to make sure there is not some medical condition contributing or causing the offending behavior, including blood tests which will have to be repeated periodically to make sure the drugs are not affecting the organs. Along with a prescription your vet should also give you instructions for behavior modification and you can contact outside specialists for this as well. Of course, you have to be really dedicated because it takes a lot of time, patience, and work to retrain pets with behavioral issues, but if you are one of those folks who really cares about your pets you'll do it.

You can get Reconcile which is the more expensive dog version of Prozac, or use the generic Prozac that you can get from Walmart for $4 for 30 pills. My cat is on the generic. Of course, Prozac (fluoxetine) is not the only drug given to animals with behavioral issues as there are a number of other antidepressants and antianxiety (like Valium/diazepam) medications that can be/are used as well. Just make sure you read up and learn everything you can about the drug before giving it to your pet. Don't just take the word of the vet because a really good vet is just as hard to find as a good people doctor.

Here are some links for further reading:

The Use of Prozac in Animals for Selected Dermatological and Behavioral Issues by Dr. Steve Melman, DVM - written in 1995 before these drugs were approved for use in animals, but an excellent article, mainly about using  psychopharmacologics for obsessive compulsive grooming disorders, but touches on other behaviorl issues and very informative.

neurophilosophy.wordpress.com - a short blog entry about Reconcile, which is Prozac manufactured by Eli Lilly and marketed just for dogs. The reason I've included this link is so you can read the comments from dog owners about all the dogs that have been given Prozac as a last resort for behavioral issues with successful results. You'll also notice a number of comments made by nasty detractors but just ignore them as it's obvious that a number of pets and owners are much happier thanks to drugs.

Animal Behavior Associates, Inc. - I think this is an old article but here's a few more comments about Prozac and dogs, and do visit their web site at www.animalbehaviorassociates.com for info about training and behavior modification.

National Geographic News - note: I do not approve of keeping wild animals in zoos or cages, therefore I do not condone the use of Prozac in such animals. I've included this article merely to demonstrate the effectiveness of Prozac in different animal situations.

Behavioral Medicines a list of drugs at veterinarypartner.com (I found this through Cornell U Vet Med)

Cummings School of Vet Med, Tufts U - a couple of case reports.

Finding Veterinarians & Clinics - a link to other links...

UC Davis Vet Med Pharmacy Toxicology Report - not much about Prozac, but some other useful info.

Some other interesting stuff from UC Davis Vet Med - Behavior - fact sheets/brochures/newsletters

Too Much Puppy Love - by Nicholas Dodman, DVM, Cummings School of Vet Med, Tufts U. Infromative article about how we contribute to our dog's undesireable behaviors.

Whole Pet Vet - holistic veterinary practices, acupuncture, chiropractics, etc. I'm a firm believer in holistic/alternative medicine, and I do believe that alternatives will help some pets as well. In fact I'm thinking about taking my cat in for acupuncture so as to maybe get him off drugs. I found this site through the Cornell U Vet Med library.

I'll add more links as I find useful info about psychopharmacology, behavior modification and training, and dogs.