Complaint about My Dog Barking

GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 11:24
Last edited 01/09/2016 - 12:00 by 1 other user

Hey everyone. Council came to our house & told us that someone has made a complaint about my dog barking too much. She was a indoor dog for months until we had our landscaping done & now she is outside. She did bark in the mornings when she was outside but it wasn't everyday. Now she has calmed down & only barks rarely when the neighbour turns there light on.

I have a few issues after reading into this a bit more.

  1. The form to fill out the complaint says "Briefly describe how you have tried to resolve the problem" . We have had no communication verbally or even a anonymous letter in our mailbox to know there was a problem, So the person could be lying on the form.

  2. Council said only a complaint was made & obviously couldn't tell us who it was. Shouldn't there be more than one complaint for council to actually come out?

  3. My concern is council don't take audio or video recordings. A neighbour's dog barks a lot & sounds very similar to my dog. When the neighbour's dog barks, it barks on the borderline fence & the person who is complaining may think it's mine. The only thing we can do is write a diary on when she barks which is rare now.

I am also thinking of going to all my neighbours house to explain the situation so it doesn't go further to a fine.

I may know who the person is because I'm friends with most of the neighbours & there's only one neighbour who goes straight the council about everything. So when I do find out if it's him I would like ways to pi55 him off :).

Home & Garden

Comments

  • rambao9 on 01/09/2016 - 12:38
    +5

    The form for dog barking complaints are generally a big hassle (and they take centuries to action on it). So the person should have spent quite some time to report your dog barking (they actually find it a nuisance). It's so long I couldn't be bothered to fill it in.

    Not sure why you want to piss them off when your dog is already doing just that. Dogs barking during certain times of the day (for me 1am, 2am) when everyone is trying to sleep is really annoying.

    You can find some stuff to read generally on all council websites:
    eg:
    http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/live/my_home/pet_ownership/d…

    https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/laws-permits/laws-permits-re…

      • rambao9 on 01/09/2016 - 13:47
        +1

        I was just providing relevant material for a good read.

        ie. If that does not resolve the issue, you can fill out a barking dog diary and get the matter investigated by an Animal Management Officer. An officer will attend the dog owners' address and discuss the issue with them. The information on the barking dog diary is used to inform them of the times of the nuisance barking to help them to take appropriate steps to abate the barking. We also monitor the dog during the times indicated on the diary if the barking does not cease soon after the dog owner has been advised. Please note that you may be required to give a statement and attend court if a nuisance order is placed on a dog after an investigation is completed.

        Which seems to be what happened^

    • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 16:41

      Thanks for your reply. The form for the complaint is actually quite simple. It was roughly 8 questions. As I said my dog doesn't bark now and I'm concerned about the dog next door that sounds similar to mine and I may be blamed for it. I'm filling out the diary and it's empty which is a good thing. The reason I said about pissing him off is because there is a question on the form that says "how did you resolve it?" I've received nothing. I'm happy to Co operate with council and it shouldn't of even led to that. A simple letter would of been great

      • zambuck on 02/09/2016 - 08:10
        +3

        I obviously don't know your dog, however I do have a neighbour with a dog that barks at irregular intervals, for quite some time, throughout the night. The neighbour is totally unaware that their little darling is making a sound. I feel for the neighbour that has complained, and if you wanted to proceed constructively, on the assumption that your other neighbour's dog is the culprit, why not consider grabbing one of those digital voice recorders (eg. http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/olympus-vn7…) , mounting it in your yard near where your dog normally might bark (ie. the area you think might be toward the complaining neighbour) and record overnight for a week or so.

        Speak the time when you begin the recording, and just let it record non-stop overnight. At the end of the night/week, download your recordings into something like Audacity where you can see the waveform, and you'll get to recognise dog barks by sight. You should be able to see/hear when your dog actually barks, and when the other dog barks it should look/sound different. It'll take you a few hours, and at the end of it you'll have evidence for council that it's not your dog, or you may discover your dog secretly plays mariachi music while you sleep.

        When you're done you can even upload it into something like soundcloud readily available to council as evidence. eg. https://soundcloud.com/zambuck/rec20130213021733

  • altomic on 01/09/2016 - 13:38
    +1

    My next door neighbour has a shitty little dog that barks the moment I step out the back door. I hang my washing, it barks.I sit on my backyard bench, it barks. I open the window facing the neighbours house, it barks. Stupid little piece of shit. I've been talking at it for the last few months so it will know my voice and give up barking. No such luck.

    There is also a large dog at the house behind me that barks when I go to the back of my yard. FFS

    • [Deactivated] on 01/09/2016 - 13:54
      +2

      bikies

      • ChrisLevo on 01/09/2016 - 13:57
        +7

        Not bikies, but bikkies.

        Dogs can't bark while eating bikkies.

    • tre180 on 01/09/2016 - 14:07

      Maybe you smell of bones.

    • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 16:46
      +1

      I would never let it get to that stage and that's why I find it very annoying that someone wouldn't just put a quick anonymous letter in the mail that would take 5 minutes. Rather then ringing/emailing the council.

  • whooah1979 on 01/09/2016 - 14:58
    -3

    Boil a hot tomato or eggplant.

  • Euphemistic on 01/09/2016 - 16:05
    +1

    We had a neighbours dog that would bark constantly. Sent a request tot the Council and they followed up with the owner (ad incidentally found the dog was unregistered). The dog was controlled a bit more, but not much and still barks pretty much anytime we go outside. The most frustrating part of this for me was that the neighbours did nothing to try and stop the dog barking. The poor dog was neglected and looking for something to do, not the dog's fault. When it barked it often set off an adjoining neighbour's dog which made things worse.

    Keep a diary of when your dog is barking. Be aware of when it does bark and keep a record. Attempt to quieten the dog when it does bark and your neighbour will have less grounds for complaint. Also be aware that if your dog is outside

    • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 16:44

      Our dog is very settled outside now and is not barking. A rare occasion she does for 15 seconds and we tell her to stop and she does. I would never let it get to that stage that's why I'm shocked council is involved. We have a diary but the concern is its word versus neighbours word. No evidence.

      • Euphemistic on 01/09/2016 - 16:48

        Unfortunately it pretty much is word vs word. Do you know what your dog does while you aren't at home? (I'm not accusing you here, just some people have no idea that their dog barks pretty much the whole time they are out, then stops when they get home.

        If you have a good dog that doesn't bark for long periods and is quite easily controlled then you have taken control of the situation.

        Also in your bark diary, keep a record of when you think other dogs are barking so that if you get a further complaint you can be proactive in working with the ranger.

        • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 17:58

          My wife doesn't work so she is most of the day and she says the dog never barks. It's only on rare occasion at night. Yeah I will start recording the neighbours dog.

  • garffi on 01/09/2016 - 17:52

    Last time council said someone complained that our grass was too long…

    • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 17:58

      Haha I believe that.

  • Some Human on 01/09/2016 - 18:24
    +2

    Neighbors be like: Dogs? Aren't they those things you just leave in the backyard and they entertain themselves?
    No mate, that's cats. You should have got a cat.

    • GangGang on 01/09/2016 - 18:51

      Haha no chance I would get a cat. I take my dog to the dog park 4-5 times a week and a walk on another day. She has 1 rest day a week and we feel guilty. She loves going out. When she's home she preoccupied destroying my garden.

  • teasatotalling on 02/09/2016 - 07:48
    +1

    The overriding problem is people aren't psychologically examined before owning animals or breeding children.
    The OP seems to be a good pet owner and the neighbour has got it wrong - remember council aren't a court. If OP was to get a fine simply don't pay.

  • pjcook on 02/09/2016 - 09:21
    +2

    "I may know who the person is because I'm friends with most of the neighbours & there's only one neighbour who goes straight the council about everything. So when I do find out if it's him I would like ways to pi55 him off :)."

    And that is the reason why people make the complaint to the council rather than in person.

    • Some Human on 02/09/2016 - 10:22
      -1

      Well said.

    • GangGang on 02/09/2016 - 11:21

      If I received it verbally or anonymously from the neighbour that would of been fine and would of agreed to help.

      What do you mean by that's the reason why people go to council? That I'm friends with neighbours? Or because I want to piss him off for something that could of been solved in a 30 second conversation?

      There's a lot of reasons people go to council including not liking the neighbour,getting people into trouble or being scared.

  • Amanda3724 on 02/09/2016 - 12:23

    I'm on the receiving end of a continuously barking dog, (I'm not suggesting yours is as you've said it's not). My neighbour was unaware for months and, once I left her a note asking her to drop by, she was shocked at how loud adn continuous it was. I'm the only neighbour affected due to proximity and location of the exercise area, so that may be why you only have one complaint too. Unfortunately, as lovely as she is, she has not controlled the barking of her dog and I too had to resort to the council after further - all very civilised and polite - contact with her failed to resolve the problem. In short, I have to keep a diary to corroborate my complaint but I have also recorded many hours of it barking so she can be in no doubt of the problem. The rangers will only prosecute as a last resort and will try to work with the alleged nuisance dog owner to help stop the problem. If your complaint does go to court, they will have to prove on the balance of probabilities that your dog was the problem barker, so if you are happy it is not your dog you will be fine. Just be mindful that if you are out at work during the day, you may not know of any barking problem. I work shifts and my neighbour works days, so she was unaware of how many hours her dog was barking on a daily basis. If you can identify the dog that is causing the problem, it would be good to make recordings of it along with notes of where it was/times/dates etc. to show it's not your dog.

    • Euphemistic on 02/09/2016 - 12:34

      I put up with the dog barking behind us for a while until another neighbour made a comment that the owners weren't looking after it and she had told them to train it, and they didn't. I figured they had been warned so went straight to the Council

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/09/2016 - 17:55

      Gosh you must be the lady living behind us.
      We have this neighbour living next to the neighbour behind us.
      I have stopped working 2 years ago and work from home part time. I then notice their dog (just one) barks like mad. I have asked my (direct behind) neighbour and she said she had tried everything which led to nowhere.
      Problem is I am not home 24 hrs a day. If I have to do a diary, I guess I'd have to put in the time I am home, not-home, bark, no-bark.
      Honestly, why do people keep dogs and not care about their well-being? They have no idea how their little darlings behave when they are off to work, which is 8-10 hours a day. The poor dog is left on its own, no friend, nothing to do. I dont think it is very kind…..

  • Amanda3724 on 02/09/2016 - 12:26
    +2

    PS It can be very awkward to approach somebody with a complaint of this type. Not everybody is confident/capable enough to do so, which is why the council allow complaints to be made anonymously. Don't take it personally that they didn't feel able to leave you a note or knock on your door, (unless it was a malicious complaint as you have pondered, in which case it makes perfect sense why they didn't).

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