Neighbor called town on me and my odie

neighbor comes over and tells us that our puppy is becoming a hinderance, that we should be outside with him when he is out and against ordinances to leave him unattended.

that's why i have a fence.

he says he barks all the time. the only (i repeat only) times he barks is:

when he gets obnoxious when he plays - BUT WE ALWAYS TELL HIM TO BE QUIET!
or

WHen this idiot walks out his back door and my dog sees the movement over there.

i KNOW that this would be awful annoying if roles were reversed.

problem is our fence is a 4 foot picket that has slats in it so you can clearly see in and out of my yard. so, the dog sees him and barks.

every one of this guys neighbors has a dog and it's MY dog that bothers him? yeah, i think he is trying to bully me into improving his backyard and putting in a pretty white PVC fence b/c all his other neighbors did that.

he told my husband that he doesn't like dogs b/c he got bit by his own dog when he was a child.

OH! and let me add, the other side of me has had open houses every weekend (sat & sun) for the past two months. my dog hasn't barked at one single person walking through there. the realtor even came over JUST yesterday to tell DH that he's such a nice dog.

today... letter from TOH atty telling us that there was a complaint about our barking dog. we must take appropriate action or further action will be taken by them... which is what exactly?

You don't know me from a hill of beans, but i can tell you we are responsible pet owners and always take our neighbors into consideration and NEVER allow the dog to bark for periods of time. if he is playing and we are out there telling him to shhh.. and stop the playing immediately (which i guess he doesn't see) i guess he doesn't see that!

now what? the dog just doesn't like this dude. i think the feeling is mutual around this neighborhood. it's not just my dog...

Message edited 9/20/2010 8:24:09 PM.

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

why did he have to rat on you if he was going to tell you to your face anyway? Clearly an ahole...

I would not leave my dog unattended if I were you.
A) Dogs bark out of boredom, mine do so they will bark if they are left out alone
B) I dont trust this guy....sounds like he has it out for your dog

I cant say what you should do, for me, if my dog was NOT outside for long periods, barking for long periods, I would let them fine me. He is just trying to be a PIA and what are you supposed to do? Put a bark collar on your dog while he plays outside? As dog owners, we have rights too.

What constitutes disturbance of the peace when it comes to dog barking? How many minutes in a row, etc?

That man may be coming out when your dog is out TO MAKE YOUR DOG bark and prove a point that your dog is a problem, when HE is the one instigating the problem trying to make your dog bark.

I would personally go to court and say tell your side. How can they prove your dog is barking? What if he is lying? I think a police officer would need to come to see it, otherwise neighbors can easily lie about what their neighbors dogs do (and some loons would).

I am sorry you are dealing with this. I can't stand how vague the law is re dogs being a nuisance. In order to be fair to US, dog owners, the law needs to be more specific, otherwise if you dog utters a PEEP, you can get fined??? Makes no sense and is unfair.

ETA - I would let them fine me then FIGHT it, go to court to appeal it.

Message edited 9/20/2010 9:05:11 PM.

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

I'd find a violation of his and report him in a second. What a jerk!

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

I say we have a doggie GTG at your house & bark up a storm for him! Sorry you are dealing with this..i'd call the town and try and get more info..i would think Code Enforcement is involved..and if so find out if they ever came to check out the situation, etc...or maybe even invite them to come to your house to check...I called Animal Control on my renting neighbors for leaving their dog out all the time after they refused to do anything after talking to them about it (the thing would bark at all hours and wake us up..but i was more concerned he had no shelter, etc) and they sent an officer to check on it....good luck!

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

Posted by KittyKatCopper

I say we have a doggie GTG at your house & bark up a storm for him! Sorry you are dealing with this..i'd call the town and try and get more info..i would think Code Enforcement is involved..and if so find out if they ever came to check out the situation, etc...or maybe even invite them to come to your house to check...I called Animal Control on my renting neighbors for leaving their dog out all the time after they refused to do anything after talking to them about it (the thing would bark at all hours and wake us up..but i was more concerned he had no shelter, etc) and they sent an officer to check on it....good luck!

Message edited 9/21/2010 10:36:45 AM.

Re: Neighbor called town on me and my odie

i just wanted to add that my neighbors behind me were outside barbequeing before with their 12ish year old son using a dart gun thing (like a nerf thing) my dog laid on the ground a few feet from the fence, with his lamby (stuffed animal) without making a PEEP! where's my jackass neighbor to see this when i need it?

UGH!

Also - called TOH atty and asked them what to do to protect myself. apparently i can call the town animal shelter and they can come and "assess" the situation.. meaning observe my dogs behavior and bark-y-ness. i intend on doing this next week. they apparently can write up a report or something to state that the dog is or isn't quiet?

i'll keep ya'll posted b/c the info I learn should be able to help you or someone you know!