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.

Miracle or Fluke?

I'm not a religious person but a miracle might be taking place here. Oddly enough, Harley the dog has suddenly stopped barking like a psycho. Or rather, his people have suddenly begun making an effort to stop the barking pretty darn quickly after it starts. Something is happening and I'm not quite sure what but I do know that the very annoying, actually far beyond annoying, in fact so far beyond annoying as to be seriously traumatizing, barking has suddenly diminished into something that is almost tolerable. Not quite, but almost.

This is very bewildering, considering my neighbors made no effort to stop his loud, psycho behavior at all in the past, and in the beginning one of Harley's humans (the wife, of course) even commented on how cute he was during one of his (many & frequent & very loud) barking fits. Of course, Harley is still barking but the duration and the violent force of his psycho fits have greatly diminished. He is also still rushing to the fence when he detects my presence outside, which immediately causes me to cringe and sets my adremal glands in a panic, but rather than emitting the shrill and unrelenting bark after bark after bark..., he is just giving off some halfhearted barks with not nearly the effort and stamina he has shown before. This is even true when he sees my cat; although his barking does still show more frantic when he sees the cat it does not contain that predator 'kill the cat' quality like before, and my cat has even begun to sit out in the middle of our yard again, and walk around a bit. In the house, I still hear him out there barking at who knows what (the breeze, or whatever), but oddly it never lasts more than a couple of minutes now.

Actually, this atypical behavior (of both dog and humans) began a little less than a couple of weeks ago, right around the time that we decided to take our barking evidence to the magistrate's office to file a barking complaint. This, of course, as we found out from the magistrate, was not the proper procedure to follow when complaining about the violation of an ordinance, and I'm still not really clear on what the procedure actually is, but the coincidence and timing are very strange. It is almost as if the neighbors are listening in on our conversations and heard me stating in no uncertain terms that it was finally time to file the complaint and go to court, and then decided they might finally be in really deep shit so they better shut the dog up...

Don't tell my neighbors this, but if that is what they thought it was, apparently, erroneous as it seems the process for placing someone in deep shit for the violation of an animal nuisance ordinance is not very well known by even the law enforcers around here...

Or maybe they heard us talking about putting up a fence that would cut off their use of the driveway that we share (part of our driveway, that is, that we have allowed them to use). That would really screw them up as their drive is very narrow and does not accommodate their large recreational camping vehicle...he he he...and it is much easier for them to just mindlessly pull into our driveway and drive up into their parking area (which, by the way, contains a visually annoying 5 vehicles, excluding the recreational camping thing).

I just find it very difficult to believe that my neighbors have suddenly developed a conscience...

However, after being tormented and tortured for 2+ years now, despite this deminished barking I'm not able to allow myself to be too comfortable with this newfound peace. I'd hate to get too comfortable and then find out that rather than a miracle this is just a temporary fluke. I continue to be leery when I step outside, I expect the barking when I drive up, still catch myself trying to silently sneak out of my house into my own backyard, find myself still whispering to my cats outside...I listen for it when I open the windows, when I'm preparing a bite in the kitchen, or going to the bathroom...some sort of PTSD or acute stress reaction, I assume. This would be noise induced trauma, I believe.

I'm continuing to devote way to much of my thinking processes to the potential next bark...but I gotta tell you that after my last massage and chiropractic treatment last Thursday my neck is not nearly as bad as it usually is the day following my visit to the chiropractor. In fact, Harley used to bark as soon as I drove up the driveway but this has not happened at all in the last couple of weeks. I keep expecting it but it's not happening. I'm not sure how to act now, as my whole life for the last 2+ years has been lived around this outrageous, ear splitting, mind numbing, revolting sound...

The creepiest thing is that one of the barking dog owner neighbors actually struck up a conversation, albeit feeble, with me 2 days ago...as if nothing had ever happened. It made me very suspicious.

In fact, my neighbor on the other side was coming over to take care of my cats while I was out of town for 5 days and she even commented on how weird it was that she did not hear any barking at all when she was here. It made her suspicious, too, and she has not been tormented nearly as much by this barking. Well, actually she has probably been very traumatized by me complaining about the barking and by her worries that the barking would drive me completely off the deep end.

So should I take a breath and heave a sigh of relief? I don't know, but I'm keeping the xanax close by.

Spring is in the Air

As I mentioned in one of my much earlier entries, spring is usually a time when I spend, like many people, a lot of time in my yard. Unfortunately, this year there are a myriad of things keeping me from doing so. Along with the barking, of course, the warming of the weather seems to be cooking up a dog shit stew and the aroma of this stew is now filling the air. This completely negates the fragrance of all lovely shrubs I've been planting over the years just for their fragrant blossoms.

Unfortunately, I can't blame this crappy miasma on the star of this blog, Harley, the barking pest. Although Harley's humans are remiss when it comes to teaching their dogs good social skills, they do keep their yard clean. This actually makes sense because the reason Harley was kicked out of the house in the first place, and thus in his yard ruining my life, was because he was crapping all over the house, and so to avoid having dog shit tracked into the house they scoop and dispose if it in the trash. This still doesn't make up for the barking, however.

More seriously unfortunate, though, are the folks who live behind me who are not so conscientious about their dog crap.

Allow me to give a little history here: back in December '09 the lovely folks who live behind me tied out 3 dogs in their yard (like Christmas week). Yes, chained 'em up, right by the row of cypress trees that divides our properties, way in the back corner of their yard... The dogs, puppies really, had hardly any shelter and upon finding them shivering in the snow one morning I couldn't stand it and went about collecting proper dog houses for them (via a plea on craigslist). Of course, lucky me, when the dogs saw me in my backyard they barked at me, so along with the dog houses I brought treats and I also feed them when it appears they have missed a meal...or two. Well, this has paid off as now the dogs do not bark when they see me (in fact they do not bark all that much, usually, and neglected as they are they have a much better reason to be barking than that idiot, Harley, does).

However, along with neglecting the actual dogs, these lovely neighbors also neglect to clean up the dog crap. Oh, I forgot to mention they are now down to 2 dogs because they called the Animal Control on one of their dogs because she bit the oldest son (who, quite honestly, probably deserved it), and the dog is probably dead now, having been taken to the shelter for biting and most likely killed in the county's gas chamber. In this picture is the condemned dog. One day she was there, the next day she was gone and never came back. Despite the fact that I'm really and literally sick and tired of dealing with all of my negligent neighbors' dogs, I was really sad about this and if I had known about it at the time I would have called one of my crazy animal rescue friends as they never would have allowed the dog to go to the shelter to be killed. She was actually a good girl and, I thought, cute. Someone, but definitely not my neighbors, had taught her some manners and she would sit on command, and she never, ever, gave me any indication of being aggressive or vicious. In fact, these folks told me to watch out for the brown & white dog in the photo below because he bites, but he, again, has never tried to bite me nor has he given any indication of being aggressive (yet). In fact, all these dogs seem to like me really well and start wagging their tails when they see me... sigh... it's so sad, really.

Before I continue on about the dog shit in the air, let me tell you that I did call Animal Control to report the inhumane conditions (you can see the brown & white dog had a traveling crate for his shelter, knocked on its side, and the brown dog had small wooden box (with, we later found out, nails inside sticking down from the top) but apparently Animal Control found nothing wrong with any of this and next I looked the dogs still had the same old inadequate shelters. The third dog, who I have no photos of, also had a traveling crate, holes facing up.

But anyway, the dogs now have real dog houses, complete with straw beds inside, thanks to some concerned folks on craigslist and my friend Terry. They are still tied up and neglected by their owners, so I'm not really sure how good I should actually feel about doing this though.

So, I must now admit to being remiss myself, as when I was over there with my friend Terry, who was kind enough to bring over a free dog house, I noticed piles of dog shit all around the dogs and then later noticed that the kid had just raked it all up into a large pile at the back corner of the yard, and at the time I failed to say anything about properly disposing of it in the trash, and so now I'm suffering the olfactory consequences of my own negligence. In my defense, I was raised to clean up after the dog (yes, we had a dog when I was a kid) and so I just find it baffling that people leave dog crap laying around their yards (not to mention let their dogs bark like psychos for hours and hours...). Mom never would have allowed this when I was a kid.

So, now 3 of my senses are being abused by my negligent neighbors and their dogs: visual (seeing the dogs suffering), auditory (hearing them bark), and olfactory (smelling their shit).

Did I say yet that, even though I do like a nice well-behaved dog, the only reason I don't actually have a dog myself is because I'm too lazy to train it, take it for walks, and clean up after it? Sigh. I must have really bad karma.

So now I have to say something to these neighbors behind me about the rank aroma in the air which originates from their dogs' B-holes, and further risk making a nuisance of myself and provoking yet more neighborly animosity. I'll keep it simple:

"Hello! As the weather has warmed up I can now smell dog poop as soon as I open my back door, not only in my yard but also in my house if I wish to open my doors and windows on a nice day. This odor is very nauseating, not to mention it is very unhygienic to leave dog poop laying about the yard, and so I'd appreciate it if you would make sure the dogs' poop is disposed of properly in the trash rather than being raked up into a pile in the corner of the yard. Thank you! Sincerely..."

Yeah, there's no remaining anonymous here. They know me alright. All of the negligent dog owner's around here know me.

One last thing: I find it rather ironic that all the neighbors hate me since I am the one who has the best manicured yard with pretty & fragrant flowers, I'm very quiet, I'm always picking up trash that blows in or falls out of neighboring trash cans (that everyone else seems to overlook), I don't have a lot of cars parked on my place, nor people coming & going, and I keep my cats either inside or contained in their own yard (and my cats, other than the occasional meow and/or purr, don't make any noise).

Legal Action...non sequitur

It's been a while since I've made any entries here but, trust me, Harley the dog has not been as remiss with his barking as I have been with my writing.

However, it's time I quite whining about the yapper and share my experiences and advice in dealing with a barking nuisance and shitty, rude neighbors.

Unfortunately, and this is very depressing, according to what I've read about other people's experiences, the chances seem to be slim to none that you'll get any satisfaction from the laws or the courts very quickly, and my own experience, to date, concurs with this. But anyway...in the event that you are either really lucky or you live in one of those evolved areas in which humans are top priority...

Find out what your local laws, codes and ordiances are pertaining to noise and animals, and keep a copy on hand to refer back to at a moments notice. Scrutinize them thoroughly because your neighbor might be in violation of more than just the barking section. If you can't find the ordinances on your local gov. web sites you can probably find them here: http://www.amlegal.com/library/ This is for the United States.

Call or visit the local magistrate/court, the Police, the Sheriff, the Animal Control...anyone and everyone so you can find out or confirm exactly what procedure needs to be followed to deal with these noise/animal nuisance violations. Keep at it until you are certain you know the correct process. I failed to do this. I was initially told one thing (by a magistrate and an animal control officer), which I put all my energy into preparing for, then when I went to the magistrate's office to file my complaint I was told I couldn't do this, and was then told the process was something entirely different. So after the weekend I'm going to start calling around to make sure I now know the correct process to follow so I don't waste more time.

In general, the following is what everyone, including Monroe and Union County residents should do in their quest for peace. And, by the way, don't wait until you have been driven completely batty by the barking and are in desperate need of relief. Many of us wait, hoping that the neighbors will suddenly become good citizens or that a large tree will fall on the barking dog, but it won't happen and the barking will continue unabated in many cases.

1. Start gathering evidence right away, in the event you end up in court.

• Written documentation, such as a Barking Log. My Barking Log has the date, the day, the time, the barking status (barking or quiet), and a column for other relavent notes (what the dog was barking at, where I was when the dog was barking, if the dog woke me up, whether the neighbors came out to quiet the dog or he just stopped on his own, when I had to leave home to get some peace, etc.), and I also have a column called Cat Location since my cats are often blamed but usually innocent. In some areas you might have to count the barks per minute, in which case you can go to barkingdogs.net where there is a form and instructions.
• I also keep a Call Log, mainly for my own reference, which includes the name of the person I spoke with, who they are (i.e., police, dog trainer, dog owner, etc.), their phone number, the date and time, and the purpose/results of the call;
• I'm also have an ongoing chart of how the barking has affected my health, physically and emotionally, which also includes when I've gone to the doctor, chiropractor, massage therapist seeking help for or relief from the symptoms caused by the barking;
• Another statement as to how the barking has forced me to modify my activities both inside and outside my house.
• Keep all receipts and record the financial impact of the barking (i.e., medical bills, barking deterrents such as the ultrasonic device I bought that didn't work, sound proofing material for your home, etc.);
• Video recordings with sound. I used my cell phone and digital camera so I have a lot of short clips and videos on different days, at various times, both inside the house and outside, but if possible purchase a security camera which you can mount in a stretegic spot on the outside of your home (preferably where the neighbors can't see it) to record the barking 24/7. Try to exclude any identifying landmarks, but do try to include the dog in the video so he can be seen as well as heard if there are no shrubs or fence to block the view. A wireless model would be perfect, and send the feed to your computer and back it up. This will also be helpful if you have to do the bark per minute thing, although you might have to take some xanax after having to listen to the same barking twice or thrice to get the count correct.

2.  I didn't do this, and I regret it, but rather than talk to the neighbors about it (like I did), send them the anonymous letter, via the post. Don't use threats, expletives, or other nastiness. Be nice and polite. There is a chance that the owner just doesn't know how much the dog is barking (hard to believe, I know, but apparently it does happen). Try to sound like more than one neighbor is being disturbed by the barking (if you are in fact the only one like I am). Explain the depth to which this barking occurs, the times, etc., and ask if some other arrangements can be made to make the dog happy so it doesn't bark so much. Keep a copy of this letter. There is a very slim chance that this will work but if you are really, really lucky, the barking will be dealt with (one way or anyother) and you won't have to go any further.

3.  If the letter doesn't work, call the law. It's always embarrassing to have the cops show up at your house so call the Police first. I recommend requesting to remain anonymous, if possible, and I also suggest calling the local nonemergency 911 number so the operator can hear the barking in the background, and ask them to dispatch a Police officer. If you are really lucky this one visit from the law will be enough to prompt your neighbor into quieting the dog, one way or another, or getting rid of it.

4.  If this first visit from the police has no impact, call the local animal control and ask them to make a visit. Continue to remain anonymous as long as possible, but you will, at this point, want to start having conversations with the law enforcment officers to make sure they are following the correct legal procedures (e.g., issuing citations, etc.). Have your copies of the ordinances/codes handy to refer to if necessary. When dealing with the law, always remain polite and courteous, even if you feel murderous. Don't use expletives, don't badmouth the neighbors or the dog...just state the barking facts...and you might even wish to express a bit of concern for the dog's neglect (even if you don't give a shit), because lot of people take animal neglect more seriously than they do the health and well being of the human who is being traumatized by the dog's barking, and barking is a sign of some sort of neglect.

If, by chance, your sly neighbor runs out to shut the dog up as soon as the Officers drive up and they don't hear the barking (this happened to me twice, and they have to hear the barking to be able to do anything about it), you'll have to call again but explain what happened and ask if they can park down the street and arrive on foot. In my case, I suggested to the Animal Control Officers that they park in the church parking lot that borders the back half of our backyard, and walked through our yard to our back door. They kindly did, and on their way through the yard they heard every shrill yip, piercing yap and mind splitting bark.

Unfortunately, at this time, even though my neighboring psycho barking nuisance has been heard, loud and clear, by both the police and 2 animal control officers, I'm still living in barking hell.

If nothing is done to your satisfaction you will either have to move or just go insane or...whatever... In some cases being very diligent has paid off. You can also begin work on changing the noise and animal laws. For this, since I have not gone this far yet, I recommend consulting the experts in the Barking Dogs Yahoo Group and BarkingDogs.net which is the most informative web site on the planet about barking dogs.
Good luck, and I hope you can get some peace and quiet before you become as batty as I have.

"But He's a Dog and Dogs Bark..."

Not only do the owners of barking dogs lie about the dog's barking and the neighbors who are complaining about the barking, they also have a myriad of excuses as to why the dog is barking, and diversions to take the attention off of the real offender (that being the negligent human owner of the canine annoyance). They are all very "childish" and a reflection of the barking dog owner's own personality disorder(s).

At the Barking Dogs Yahoo Group there was recently a post with a list of barking dog owner replies and excuses that one victim of barking had heard, either directly or from other victims of barking.

Here's the list (of course, my comments are in red):

1. "Dogs bark, babies cry." Would you let your baby cry for hours on end, all through the day and night? No, you'd get up to see what is wrong and make it right. Otherwise it is called neglect!

2. "I have them for protection." Well, shouldn't you get up to see if someone is breaking in, trespassing on your property, committing vandalism or some other crime then? And if there is no crime being committed shouldn't you tell the dogs everything is OK so they (and the neighbors) can stop being alarmed???

3. "Its the way they talk to each other." But most of the time Harley is talking to himself then. I occasionally hear other dogs barking but they usually get tired of the conversation pretty quickly.

4. "Deal with it." I am. I'm going to take you to court, and do whatever I can to make sure your dog stops barking and everyone in the neighborhood hates you, not your dog.

5. "A neighbors cat teases them. Why don't you do something about outside cats?" Your dog should be trained not to react to other animals, including people, unless the dog is trained for security purposes in which case the dog still should not be barking at other animals and the neighbors, and if the dog is trained for security purposes the owner should investigate the barking immediately. My cats have been blamed for Harley's barking, so now my 2 indoor/outdoor cats are mostly indoors, and when they do go outside it's not for long. If the cats are outside when Harley is barking I immediately check to see where the cats are and if indeed Harley is barking because of one or both of my cats I bring them inside. I've also taken the bell off of the one cat's collar because Harley's barking is triggered by sound (my voice, other people's voices, my back door opening, the cat's bell, other dogs barking, the guy working on his house across the field on Phifer St...). Cats account for maybe 1% of Harley's barking. What about the other 99% of the time?

6. "Other dogs bark in the area." Well, they aren't right right next door to me waking me up at night, barking at me every time I walk out of my house or drive up my driveway, barking at my friends and people working on my property..."

7. "What about boom boxes and airplanes?" Very annoying also...during the 5 seconds it takes them to pass by.

8. "I bought shock collars for them, but the expensive batteries wore out." Why didn't you get one with rechargeable batteries?

9. "Nobody else complains." Oh, yes they do. Or, as in my case with Harley, there are no other neighbors living less than 50 feet away from the barking dog's yard who can hear the dog in every room of their house, and who get barked at every time they walk out of their door.

10. "Im going through a divorce." So you are neglecting your "babies" emotional needs because you're getting divorced? By the way, ever see that show called It's Me or the Dog?

11. "They are my babies." Many people closely supervise their young children, and at least try to teach their children good manners and reinforce lessons in good citizenship using the positive reinforcement/negative association method. Your dog barks for hours without supervision, and your dog poops and pees in the house so you have not taught him any manners at all. You are neglecting your babies. Also, refer back to #1.

12. "They don't bark that much." Then that dog on my video/sound recordings must be another dog that looks and sounds exactly like your dog! Oh, look! Their yard looks exactly like your yard! Hey, there's a car that looks like my car...with the same license plate number! And they have another dog that looks exactly like your other dog...and it's even quiet like your other dog...

13. "I work all day." So you are neglecting your babies while you are at work...ever hear of day care and/or sitters? What about at night when you are home?

14. "They failed doggie school." Let's talk to a dog trainer and see who really failed doggie school. Surprise! It was you who failed, not the dog.

15. "They only started barking when I had to confine them." No, they've been barking as long as you've had them.

16. "Why dont you file a complaint with the state about coyotes howling?"  Why? The coyotes aren't bothering me. They aren't howling day in and day out...right outside my house...

17. "Im not going to do anything until Im mandated by the court." Then, now...what's the difference? Why are you so belligerent? Why don't you just spend some time to train and supervise your dog so he/she is happier?

18. "Why cant you be neighborly?" I am...with the neighbors who aren't ruining my life and lowering my property value to $0 by allowing their dog to bark all the time. Thanks to you, no one wants to buy my house.

The only really mature statement would be, "I've been negligent with the training and supervision of my dog. I apologize for this causing a problem and I'm going to do something right away to remedy the situation," but chances are almost 100% that you'll never hear that come out of the mouth of a barking dog owner... I know I'll never hear it come out of the mouth of the people who own my neighboring nuisance.

Here's a couple more barking dog owner comments that came in later from another member:

GET A LIFE; had one but now it's ruined thanks to you and your barking dog...
F**K OFF; well, fuck you, too (but if I said that to them they have me in court fast...)
YOU'RE CRAZY; yeah, I am now, thanks to you and your barking dog...
YOU'RE NOISE SENSITIVE; hard not to be since your dog's bark is so damn loud, shrill and frequent...and echoes through my brain day and night.
PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT BARKING DOGS HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS; well...some people probably work during the day and would like to get some sleep at night...but since I'm retired I would like to be able to work in my yard again in peace...also use my office and library in peace...I used to read a lot...but, yeah, I now have too much time on my hands because filling my time with the things I like and used to do is impossible now, thanks to you and your barking fucking dog.
NO ONE LIKES YOU; ditto, and no one likes your dog either thanks to your negligence. He probably could have been a nice, affable dog if he lived with someone who took the time to teach him good manners.
GET EAR PLUGS. I have ear plugs that I wear when I'm mowing the grass... but I can't wear them 24 fucking hours a day...

By the way, last night Harley was barking from 12:08 a.m. until 1:44 a.m. Then the idiots finally went out and locked him up. That's nice.