[Kraetos]

Originally Posted by Matsu It's really not right to poison the puppy, ruins the meat.

I love puppies! But I can never eat a whole one.

[psmith2.0]

I think so many people get a pet without putting any thought whatsoever into it. All they seem to think is "my kid wants a puppy, let's get one".



I can look around and see those situations, where a dog just spends all its time chained somewhere, or alone in a backyard (four years ago I lived in another part of town, next door to a family, and they had a big cute dog and it was inside a 20x20 fenced area (if that large) all day long. He looked like a yellow lab or mix (big dog, short golden hair, "smiley" face, etc.).

I felt so sorry for him. He had a little house to sleep in or get inside if it rained, but his pen was a good 100-150 feet away from the family's house, so he was just out there, in his little square coop, all the time. The only time he got out was if the kids were in the backyard playing, and he'd run around some. But that wasn't often.

They went out of town for a long weekend once and asked me to feed him (they were a nice family and we got along...I had no problems with them, other than feeling sorry for their dog), so I did. I'd go down there twice a day and feed him and I'd wind up staying about half an hour each time because he acted thrilled that there was someone "there". If they had left me a leash, I would put it on and walked him up and down our street a few times.



Here's the ultimate irony: this family had the biggest damn backyard I've ever seen, not counting mansions or places like the Biltmore House.



It was huge. It wasn't fenced, unfortunately. But if they could've fenced that yard (hell, even half or a third of it), that dog would've had more room to run and play than any dog I've ever known. That's how huge that yard was. A gigantic, deep "L" shape that extended way beyond the back of the house, and probably 85-100 feet wide (maybe more?), with some trees, a slight elevation going away from the house, bushes, etc.). All that and he just sat in the middle of it, in an enclosure no larger than a Subway or Taco Bell dining area...very small for such a large, active and "bouncy" dog.

But I see people just get a dog, toss them in the backyard, throw some food at them every now and then and that's it. I never see them out walking it, or playing with it or anything. Why even get one if it's just going to be this "thing" in the backyard that you may or may not properly care for?



It's like the kid thing I've written so much about...it's so easy to have a life (baby or dog) put into your hands, with very little effort. But if I went to get some sort of fishing license, I'd probably go through more hassle and red tape!

There should be some rules and procedures in place, where people can prove their ability and competency (and responsibility) levels before having kids or getting dogs.

It wouldn't surprise me if my neighbors didn't put even 15 minutes of thought into this...

It's a huge responsibility: food and water, walking, cleaning up, shots, vet care, exercise and companionship, etc. Anyone who gets a dog and then just treats it like a neglected plant in the backyard is an a-hole. And I see that quite a bit...

[murbot]

We have a neighbour's dog who always pisses on the very front of our lawn. It was turning yellow and pissing me off, so I thought I'd mess with the guy.

I had some powdered coyote urine kicking around at work (guess they used it to keep deer away from bushes) and sprinkled a bunch on the lawn. I figured the little bastard would be too afraid to hang out there... kind of worked, but not really. I got some of this pepper granule stuff instead that is good for dogs and other animals as a deterrent. I guess they sniff it up or get it on their paws or something. Burns like a sonofabitch. Anyway, no more pissing on my lawn.

People today seem to be such assholes, and you can't nicely discuss anything without them getting hostile towards you. I don't get it. If someone mentioned to me that my dog was bothering them, I'd apologize and try to correct it. But I've had several run-ins with people who just get angry at you for saying the littlest thing. It's almost better to just call by-law nowadays and let them handle it. Hell, last month here there was a brawl between 3 neighbours, one had a bat, one had a shovel, and the other had a fake gun. They were all charged, and it was quite the little story here. What caused it? An argument over a cat that was roaming at night. One guy wanted the cat kept indoors, the owner said fuck that, grabbed a bat, the other guy grabs a shovel, then a third guy comes over with the gun because he hates the cat too.... unreal.

An anonymous phone call to the by-law office might be an easy way to deal with it, especially if these people are as trashy and likely to escalate things as you think they are.

[Naderfan]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I think so many people get a pet without putting any thought whatsoever into it. All they seem to think is "my kid wants a puppy, let's get one". I can look around and see those situations, where a dog just spends all its time chained somewhere, or alone in a backyard (four years ago I lived in another part of town, next door to a family, and they had a big cute dog and it was inside a 20x20 fenced area (if that large) all day long. He looked like a yellow lab or mix (big dog, short golden hair, "smiley" face, etc.). I felt so sorry for him. He had a little house to sleep in or get inside if it rained, but his pen was a good 100-150 feet away from the family's house, so he was just out there, in his little square coop, all the time. The only time he got out was if the kids were in the backyard playing, and he'd run around some. But that wasn't often. Here's the ultimate irony: this family had the biggest damn backyard I've ever seen, not counting mansions or places like the Biltmore House. It was huge. It wasn't fenced, unfortunately. But if they could've fenced that yard (hell, even half or a third of it), that dog would've had more room to run and play than any dog I've ever known. But I see people just get a dog, toss them in the backyard, throw some food at them every now and then and that's it. I never see them out walking it, or playing with it or anything. Why even get one if it's just going to be this "thing" in the backyard that you may or may not properly care for? It's like the kid thing I've written so much about...it's so easy to have a life (baby or dog) put into your hands, with very little effort. But if I went to get some sort of fishing license, I'd probably go through more hassle and red tape! There should be some rules and procedures in place, where people can prove their ability and competency (and responsibility) levels before having kids or getting dogs. It wouldn't surprise me if my neighbors didn't put even 15 minutes of thought into this... It's a huge responsibility: food and water, walking, cleaning up, shots, vet care, exercise and companionship, etc. Anyone who gets a dog and then just treats it like a neglected plant in the backyard is an a-hole. And I see that quite a bit...

i completely agree. One of my friend's sisters did a similar thing - they bought a dog because the kids wanted one. Well, guess what, the kids didn't really want to take care of it, so the poor thing just stayed outside all the time. That dog was so desperate for love that anytime I was over, she followed me around because I'd actually pet her and play with her. I hated leaving her there.

Anytime a family decides to get a pet, I think the parents need to first acknowledge that even though you want to teach your kids responsibility, you have to be willing to step in and take care of the animal yourself if your kids get tired of it/forget. It's not fair to the animal to be starved or uncared for just because your 7-year-old wasn't ready for the full-time responsibility.

I just don't understand how anyone could be so neglectful of a dog or cat. Their faces can be so expressive - how can you just ignore them or be cruel to them? But I guess some people do that to their own kids, so I shouldn't be so surprised.

[murbot]

Have you guys been talking to my wife? Seriously, we take home a pup in 5 weeks, and I get this stuff at the supper table every night. Did she hack in here? The bitch.

[Moogs]

Originally Posted by kretara Hum. I really have no problem with this. A few weeks of barking to a dog owner is no problem (I guess). A few weeks of being forced to listen to a f'ing dog bark on and on and on and on is not a pleasant thing for the rest of us.

The thing is the neighbor on the other side said the dog barked a fair amount but not all night, etc. The guy basically lied in court, started crying about emotional distress or whatever (basically threatened the dog owners' attorneys with more suits I think) and so this was the result. He didn't even give the dog a chance to be trained. Doesn't happen overnight. Anyway clearly not a case of 24/7 barking or even I would've heard it many times.

More on dog/owner behavior. How does everyone feel about dog owners allowing their dog to piss/crap on your lawn?

The crap part is unacceptable, the urine part... deal with it. Where is the dog supposed to go, on the pavement? Anyway, the people who leave crap behind give the rest of us a bad name. Hell I clean up after my dogs in my own yard about 10x better than people who walk their dogs on the sidewalk. I think in some people's minds, if the dog doesn't crap on the house side of the sidewalk it's no big deal to them. My dumbass neighbor had a dog for about a month and they let it crap on the grass between the sidewalk and street and never cleaned it up. It's like "oop government property... doesn't matter." Meantime landmines the first time I noticed it on the way to the mailbox. People are just lazy idiots when you get down to it. How hard is it to carry a plastic grocery bag with you and pick up the shit. People are so soft; I think in their own minds, they would be lower as human beings if they dared to use the "bag glove" to pick up a pile of dog shit. You'd think after cleaning their kid's green, shit-stained ass 47000 times with the stink of rotting carcasses, that a little dog shit wouldn't scare them but it does.

Did I mention people are retards?

[Souflay123]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude If they just got the puppy, chances are it will stop barking once it gets used to its new home. Is it really worth calling the cops on them? Edit: you must have been reading my mind.

People have called the cops for being a little on the loud side on a sat night after 9 PM, and this is from a group of people who vacuum at 2:30 am and 4 am and 6 am on a sunday morning.

Call the cops they will shut the dog up

[kretara]

Originally Posted by Moogs You'd think after cleaning their kid's green, shit-stained ass 47000 times with the stink of dead carcasses, that a little dog shit wouldn't scare them but it does.

Now that is hilarious and too true.

I like Murbot's idea of using pepper. Gotta find me some of that.

[Moogs]

Calling the cops is such a tight-rope act though... it's a slippery slope. One of my other genius neighbors had the habit of running his snow-blower (about 2x as loud as a lawnmower) at 11:30 at night. The rest of the world... we shovel and use the blowers between 5 and 9pm as we get home, etc. This guy... he waited till everyone was asleep, remembered he had to get out of his driveway in the a.m. and revved it up. Even in that instance I gave him 1 strike. His next strike was at 10pm so I didn't call. He didn't do it again because of the timing of the snows but had he done so, I would have called the third time.

I like to show a little patience, but when I do call, you can bet yer ass it's anonymous. You never know how people are going to react when the cops show up; the odds of "hey I'm sorry about that; won't happen again" are about 50:1 these days. 30 years ago it would've been about 10:1.

[psmith2.0]

That's exactly right. Even when you opt to do the mature, responsible thing and call the cops, that'll blow back up in your face if it's a certain type of person.

You wind up in these "damned if I do, damned if I don't...and screwed whichever route I take" pickles.

And, making it worse, is the fact that you're not the one causing the problem (creating the noise, disturbance, etc.). Yet you're catching the grief and hassle (or risking the ass-beating, ugly confrontation, etc.).



So much of this kind of stuff wouldn't even be an issue or situation if people weren't so inconsiderate, oblivious and blockheaded...and simply exercised a bit of thinking or asked themselves "is this making me a cool neighbor/co-worker/driver or an asshole?", and if it's the latter, then...don't do it!



And with people the way they are anymore - medicated on who-knows-what and fed a steady diet of "confrontation is cool!" from TV - you truly have no idea how someone is going to react if you approach them about something (barking dog, loud stereo, etc.). I've personally witnessed, numerous times, what should be a fairly routine, pleasant situation turn to crap within seconds because one side decides to "take it to that level", for no other reason than because they're an ignorant, low-rent piece of trash who'd rather be a jerk than not.

"Fuck you, dude...this is my yard! And I'll do whatever the fuck I want!"



Words of pure insight and genius (ranking right up there with "I drive better when I've had 5-6 beers", "it ain't loaded...see?" and "hell, I didn't know she was just 14!").

[Swox]

Originally Posted by kretara Um..OK.

No, seriously, you should be. WTF is wrong with you? You think poisoning a dog is OK? You think that makes someone a better person than the one with their dogs outside?

It's not the dog's fault their owners are idiots and don't know how to responsibly take care of their animal. You are a sick person.

[kretara]

Originally Posted by Swox No, seriously, you should be. WTF is wrong with you? You think poisoning a dog is OK? You think that makes someone a better person than the one with their dogs outside? It's not the dog's fault their owners are idiots and don't know how to responsibly take care of their animal. You are a sick person.

Did you even READ my post or did you just write that out of pure ignorance?

I never said I poisoned a dog, nor did I say I supported it.

[Yonzie]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I'm thinking that one of two things happened: a) another neighbor went to them and talked to them about it and they bring the puppy inside at night, or b) they (the owners) actually got an attack of courtesy and common sense and, on their own, decided the "right thing to do" was to bring him in around bedtime or whatever.

or... c) The dog fell asleep, dead tired after having barked continuously for 4 days.

Since you say it's just roaming their yard, you should check if it has food, water and a proper shelter. If not, a chance with the animal cops or whatever you got in your area.

[alcimedes]

Um..... Yes?

My neighbor (90+ year old WWII vet) got sick of his neighbors dog (big massive and mean SOB) barking day and night nonstop, and jumping the fence a few time per week and acting very aggressive towards anyone on the street, so he mixed a little antifreeze and water together for the dog. Has not barked since. My next door neighbor (who moved thankfully) had 2 stupid golden retrievers. Those idiot dogs would bark at a falling leaf and loved to bark all night. I got so fed up with my kids not being able to sleep because of the noise that I got a BB gun and would shoot them every time they barked at night (the owners did not care if the dogs barked all night). I must have gone through a few hundred BB's, but the dogs finally began to learn. I've popped a few BB's at my neighbors lab and schnauzers (GOD I HATE SCHNAUZERS!!) in the middle of the night, it has not helped yet.

Poison or shoot the dogs. Very classy. I was going let that twisted shit slip under the radar to keep this thread from treading into this territory, but you really do seem surprised that people are appalled by your suggestions.

[murbot]

Originally Posted by kretara My next door neighbor (who moved thankfully) had 2 stupid golden retrievers. Those idiot dogs would bark at a falling leaf and loved to bark all night. I got so fed up with my kids not being able to sleep because of the noise that I got a BB gun and would shoot them every time they barked at night (the owners did not care if the dogs barked all night). I must have gone through a few hundred BB's, but the dogs finally began to learn. I've popped a few BB's at my neighbors lab and schnauzers (GOD I HATE SCHNAUZERS!!) in the middle of the night, it has not helped yet.

You're lucky that these guys haven't seen you do this and kicked the everloving shit out of you. Not that I'd ever have a dog barking as badly as those ones were, but holy FUCK would someone regret shooting my dog with a BB gun.

Have you ever thought of doing anything a sane, law abiding citizen would do? Talk to the people? Call a bylaw officer? Are you happy to teach your children that when you have a problem neighbour the proper way to deal with them is to shoot their dogs with a BB gun from your house?

Just wondering. I'm pretty surprised to read these comments from you here, man. Kind of, um, not cool.

[kretara]

Originally Posted by murbot You're lucky that these guys haven't seen you do this and kicked the everloving shit out of you. Not that I'd ever have a dog barking as badly as those ones were, but holy FUCK would someone regret shooting my dog with a BB gun. Have you ever thought of doing anything a sane, law abiding citizen would do? Talk to the people? Call a bylaw officer? Are you happy to teach your children that when you have a problem neighbour the proper way to deal with them is to shoot their dogs with a BB gun from your house? Just wondering. I'm pretty surprised to read these comments from you here, man. Kind of, um, not cool.

Originally Posted by alcimedes Um..... Yes? Poison or shoot the dogs. Very classy. I was going let that twisted shit slip under the radar to keep this thread from treading into this territory, but you really do seem surprised that people are appalled by your suggestions.

I never suggested poison. I simply told a story about what my neighbor did. If you have a problem with that...too bad.

Sane route? Tried it. Have talked with the neighbor(s) multiple times. We just asked to please keep the dogs quiet at night. Owners said too bad, we can have dogs if we want and to go away.

Called the police. They don't care. Seriously, as long as the dog doesn't bite anyone SERIOUSLY the cops will not do anything. This is why my neighbor poisoned the dog. It had bitten a few kids over the past 2 years, but since the kids were not mauled the cops would do nothing. What would you do if your kid was bit by a dog in the neighborhood that had a history of biting (and your kids had not antagonized the dog or anything like that) and the owner and the cops would do nothing?

Called animal control. Again, no serious bite, no assistance.

Even called the humane society but they had no other suggestions.

Some of us in the neighborhood even looked at filing a lawsuit, but the money for that was too much for us to afford.

BB's: I used a pump BB gun and I pumped it up just enough to get the BB to the dogs. It would sting a little, but could not break the skin. I never shot at the face, only the ass. I'm not looking to kill a dog, only for it to associate barking at night with a bit of pain. It worked too.
Sorry if it disturbs your sensibilities but when all avenues are exhausted (or are so expensive as to be unobtainable) you then have to do things you would prefer not to do.

I invite you to be kept awake every night for 3 months by dogs barking right outside your window. Even better, deal with yourself, your wife and your kids being sleep deprived for months because of inconsiderate neighbors and their dogs.

I would love to hear what you would have done in the same situation.

[Swox]

I had the exact same situation (minus the kids, but that's your fault). I didn't shoot or poison the animals, because I'm not a sick SOB. I put in ear plugs, and turn on an air purifier at night to drone out the noise. Sure, it's not my fault that there's noise, but I'm not going to let it make me do something morally reprehensible either.

And FWIW, spraying them with a hose would have done the job just as well, I would imagine.

I know that in Saskatoon, if you keep a log of when the dog's barking, they can use that and fine the person. Keep doing it and they'll stop the dog eventually.

And if I had seen you doing anything like that to my dog, you'd be a dead man.

[Naderfan]

Get earplugs.

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by alcimedes Um..... Yes? Poison or shoot the dogs. Very classy. I was going let that twisted shit slip under the radar to keep this thread from treading into this territory, but you really do seem surprised that people are appalled by your suggestions.

Originally Posted by kretara I never suggested poison. I simply told a story about what my neighbor did. If you have a problem with that...too bad. Sane route? Tried it. Have talked with the neighbor(s) multiple times. We just asked to please keep the dogs quiet at night. Owners said too bad, we can have dogs if we want and to go away. Called the police. They don't care. Seriously, as long as the dog doesn't bite anyone SERIOUSLY the cops will not do anything. This is why my neighbor poisoned the dog. It had bitten a few kids over the past 2 years, but since the kids were not mauled the cops would do nothing. What would you do if your kid was bit by a dog in the neighborhood that had a history of biting (and your kids had not antagonized the dog or anything like that) and the owner and the cops would do nothing? Called animal control. Again, no serious bite, no assistance. Even called the humane society but they had no other suggestions. Some of us in the neighborhood even looked at filing a lawsuit, but the money for that was too much for us to afford. BB's: I used a pump BB gun and I pumped it up just enough to get the BB to the dogs. It would sting a little, but could not break the skin. I never shot at the face, only the ass. I'm not looking to kill a dog, only for it to associate barking at night with a bit of pain. It worked too. Sorry if it disturbs your sensibilities but when all avenues are exhausted (or are so expensive as to be unobtainable) you then have to do things you would prefer not to do.

That's a bullshit excuse for your lack of imagination to find a non-abusive solution.

Pick on someone your own species.

Originally Posted by kraetos I invite you to be kept awake every night for 3 months by dogs barking right outside your window. Even better, deal with yourself, your wife and your kids being sleep deprived for months because of inconsiderate neighbors and their dogs. I would love to hear what you would have done in the same situation.

Been there multiple times in multiple places. Some with jackhammers 20+hrs/day, some with regular pig slaughters next door between 2 and 5 AM, some near Airports/Rail/Road. And I love my quiet.

If you can't stop the irregular source, mask it. Put a radio on static, or loop a CD of beach waves.

There are tons of solutions that don't involve punishing an animal instead of its owner.

When my neighbour's dog yaps, I get pissed, but all I do to the walnut-brained animal is yap back.

Originally Posted by Swox I had the exact same situation (minus the kids, but that's your fault). I didn't shoot or poison the animals, because I'm not a sick SOB. I put in ear plugs, and turn on an air purifier at night to drone out the noise. Sure, it's not my fault that there's noise, but I'm not going to let it make me do something morally reprehensible either. And FWIW, spraying them with a hose would have done the job just as well, I would imagine. I know that in Saskatoon, if you keep a log of when the dog's barking, they can use that and fine the person. Keep doing it and they'll stop the dog eventually. And if I had seen you doing anything like that to my dog, you'd be a dead man.

Originally Posted by murbot You're lucky that these guys haven't seen you do this and kicked the everloving shit out of you. Not that I'd ever have a dog barking as badly as those ones were, but holy FUCK would someone regret shooting my dog with a BB gun. Have you ever thought of doing anything a sane, law abiding citizen would do? Talk to the people? Call a bylaw officer? Are you happy to teach your children that when you have a problem neighbour the proper way to deal with them is to shoot their dogs with a BB gun from your house? Just wondering. I'm pretty surprised to read these comments from you here, man. Kind of, um, not cool.

Living in HK and walking up the jungle path from my house, I caught a kid shooting a BB gun at my cats.
Sprinted up to him and his Dad, ripped the gun away, fired it point blank into my own palm, then reloaded and asked the kid to hold out his hand... or else I'd keep it, or shove it up his or his Dad's ass, or call the cops.
Both wilted and refused, and a friend pulled me away, but they seemed terrified enough to get the lessons... don't dish it if you can't take it... and don't ever point a fucking weapon at crazy foreigner dude's pets.

Never saw them on my Island again. I'd advise you not to visit either.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude If they just got the puppy, chances are it will stop barking once it gets used to its new home. Is it really worth calling the cops on them?

Originally Posted by 709 If it keeps on for a while and you can call the police without the rednecks knowing for certain it's *you* that called, by all means do it. Chances are you're going to have to confront them sooner or later, and if they assume it's you that called the cops they'll make it extra difficult to resolve the problem amicably. In fact, they'll probably egg the poor thing on and do just about anything to get under your skin.

I *really* feel sorry for people with barking dogs next door. One neighbor right next to me had a dog that barked whenever she left the house. She'd leave around 6:30pm, and the dog would bark incessantly until she returned at 10:30pm. It would quit barking when it heard the garage door start to open, so 'she' never actually knew that it was barking non-stop for hours on end.

When she spent time away from home on the weekends, the dog would bark the entire time, all day Saturday, all day Sunday. This is just absolute hell for a neighbor. I didn't know what to do, and for some reason, I dreaded speaking to her about it. I would *now* though. I'm less shy now than I was then, apparently.

It would have been a thousand times worse, though, had the dog barked all through the night hours when people are sleeping. The thing is, if you put in ear plugs and turn on a noise-making device, you might not be able to hear the alarm when it's time to get up to go to work in the morning.

It's just so unfortunate for the neighbor. Some people can sleep through anything, but I, for one, cannot. Anyway, I believe that my city has nuisance laws now that would deal with a barking dog problem. It would require 'two' neighbors complaining though, not just 'one', I think.

If I recall correctly, I was just to the point of going to visit other neighbors in order to file a code-compliance complaint when suddenly, one day, the dog was gone. I don't know what happened to it, but I was so overjoyed that the problem just dissolved away overnight.

If the neighbors with the incessantly barking dog are rednecks, that's a whole other problem. Thank god that my neighborhood has no rednecks. It's a community with rules, and if any member breaks the rules, they can be fined. I *love* that the community has this set-up, because it keeps our neighborhood looking nice and keeps the property values up. No house is allowed to have weeds, peeling paint, an untidy yard, etc. I'm not sure what the rules say about barking dogs, because that falls under city code violations.

But, as in Paul's case, if you live with rednecks nearby, I'm sorry to say, but I think it might be dangerous to approach them about their barking dog. Some of those people are the kind who would burn your house down in retaliation if you complained. I think the police in my town are required to say 'who' made the complaint. I'm not sure if the code-compliance people have the same rules, about revealing the name of the complainers.

I want to add that I absolutely *love* all animals; but people cannot have their night's sleep continually ruined by dogs that bark all night. It's such an unfortunate situation. And the first thing police tell people to do after they've had a burglary or attempted break-in is to "get a dog". It's true, of course. A house with a dog in the yard will be avoided by burglars nine times out of ten.

[Windswept]

Paul, go to your city's website and find the code-compliance section. See what it says about barking dogs.

Maybe you could file a complaint *without* having your name revealed to your neighbor with the dog. Maybe other people have already filed complaints about that particular dog.

If you have a well-run city, there should be help for you in this situation. In any case, though, it might take a while for the wheels of justice to grind through the process. In the meantime, the drugstore has various kinds of earplugs you could try for a couple dollars investment. Also, a fan or a humidifier that makes a steady drone of noise might completely overcome the dog noise. You could borrow those from a relative to give them a try.

Also, there are machines specially made to drown out annoying sounds at night. They make sounds of running water (babbling brooks), rain, thunderstorms, ocean waves, etc. These sounds are also available on tape or CD that you could play at night in a continuous loop while you are getting to sleep. Play it loud enough, and it should drown out the barking. For the price of a CD.

Sure, I agree that you shouldn't have to spend even a cent to deal with this; but the fact is that you live in a city, around other people, for the conveniences that city living provides. And sometimes you have to deal with the inconveniences of living near others.

I've had to deal with neighbor noise problems at various times over the years, and I've found that having sounds that override the barking (or loud music) is the easiest and quickest way to deal with a noise problem at night, without having unpleasant confrontations.

These rude, inconsiderate people can hardly ever be dealt with in a reasonable way in person; and calling the police on them can be scary and might make things even worse. Even if the police *don't* reveal your name, the neighbors would have a pretty good idea who complained, don't you think?

[psmith2.0]

Well, once again - nearing 10:00pm - all is quiet. I guess they bring him in at night now (they didn't the first three or so nights, which is when I was losing all my sleep). This makes two nights in a row that things were quiet by 10:00pm, so I can probably deal with that (I'm usually up until at least 11:00pm).

And maybe as he ages a bit, and learns his surroundings, he won't be barking and yelping up until 10:00 non-stop, and the early evenings will soon be quiet once again? I'm willing to be cool as long as they pull his little butt in by 10:00, and hope for the best on the other (pre-10:00) barking.



The kids were playing with him earlier this evening, and I don't have the heart to go over there and make a complaint when that's going on. I'm no ogre, and get no pleasure from putting a damper on any sort of "little kids playing with their new puppy" scenario. I'd feel like a real hard-case.

[murbot]

kretara, you kinda forgot to mention any of that other stuff in your first posts. Not that it completely excuses the shooting thing, but it kind of shines a different light on it.

I'm not sure what I'd do exactly. I can't really fathom that no one would do anything about it. I know if I had the same problem here, I'd call the city bylaw dude and complain, he'd go talk to the homeowners and make a note of the complaint. I don't remember the exact rules, but I think it's 3 complaints within a certain amount of time and they basically tell you that the next complaint means your dog is gone.

That's just so weird that no one would offer a suggestion for you. Where is this?

Hey Paul, hopefully this means things are looking up. It could get better as the pup grows up. It might be used to doing that, you never know what some pups had for upbringing in the first 6-8 weeks of their life.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, I think it might all shake out okay. It's 10:32pm and I've not heard him for nearly 40 minutes now. I think they bring him in (maybe he sleeps with the kids or something). So right now all is cool and quiet, and I'm happy. No worries...

He's got a set of lungs on him, I'll say that. That puppy can bark!

[Naderfan]

You know, it makes a huge different for puppies to be sleeping in the same room as someone else. They are social animals and need company. That's part of the reason we got two dogs instead of just one - now they have someone to play with while we're gone, rather than just sitting alone, probably barking the whole time.

I remember reading somewhere that most people who own cats own several, even though cats are fairly solitary animals, whereas people who own dogs usually only own one, despite the fact that dogs are pack animals.

[digitalprimate]

I remember with our dog, when he was a puppy, he would whine and yap when he was alone. However, we found out that a ticking wall clock somehow gave him company. He didn't feel alone anymore at night.

[MBHockey]

Originally Posted by Moogs I know you are just kidding around (I hope) but don't joke about stuff like that. In my prior neighborhood we had a wack-job retired divorcee who hated dogs and did the following: 1) Had a court order enforced to have one of his neighbor's dog de-barked after only a couple weeks of barking; 2) placed rat poison in raw hamburger and threw it into another neighbor's yard because he didn't like their dog either. Not sure if it died or not but I remember the lady hystertical in her driveway when she found the dog lying motionless... we had to check our yard every day because he only lived one unit (town houses) away, and our dog barked occasionally in the front window. He actually came to me once while I was shoveling snow or something and he said "that damn dog is too big for a townhouse; almost jumped through the window at me... you shouldn't have dogs like that here." I just gave him a wry smirk with a hint of "mess with my dogs and you will find yourself in the hospital" and told him people do the best they can, that dogs are allowed and as long as people keep them on a leash and train them there shouldn't be any problem. He never said a word to me again or approached me at any point. Some people don't understand any language but threat / fear. Try to reason with a person like that and you'll have a dead dog... Anyway, people who poison other people's pets are among the lowest scum on earth. Half a step above child-molesters IMO.

Jesus, what a fucking psycho. I would have reacted the same way to that piece of shit.

Scates, I've had dogs all my life and they bark occasionally. But we also had someone live a few houses down who would chain the dog up outside in the middle of winter (in New York, no less) and it would just bark and howl all night. After two nights my mom called the cops and every once in a while we'll hear the dog at night...but he must have just moved him inside which is good.

I think, in your situation, as the dog gets a little older he'll stop being so barky. Puppies are usually like that. It's a tough spot you are in, no doubt, and if it continues I myself would probably just call the cops and complain (if the family is as unapproachable as you say...otherwise i'd just talk to them directly).

I'd just give it some time for the immediate time being. How has the puppy been lately? And what is with all this "kill all puppies" sentiment pervading this thread??

[RowdyScot]

Honestly, the people who poison dogs, put cats in ovens, etc. need to be strapped down, have their eyes forcefully kept open, and habanero juice dripped in while someone slowly severs fingers and toes.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Yeah, I think it might all shake out okay. It's 10:32pm and I've not heard him for nearly 40 minutes now. I think they bring him in (maybe he sleeps with the kids or something). So right now all is cool and quiet, and I'm happy. No worries... He's got a set of lungs on him, I'll say that. That puppy can bark!

If they're bringing the puppy in at 10:00pm every night now, then you can be sure that people have complained to the city, and the city has contacted your neighbor and told them the rules. Sounds like your city has pretty good code-compliance enforcement.

God, I just adore puppies. They're so damned cute. The Dust Devil people used to make ads with a bunch of golden retriever puppies that would knock a plant over during their raucous play and spill potting soil all over the carpeted stairs. Those were the cutest puppies, the way they'd bounce up and down the stairs chasing each other.

[murbot]

No doubt. How could you hate this guy?

This is Molson. Or Seven. Or Ollie. Or Bob. Can't decide. Might have to wait to see what the little bastard is like first.