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How can I tactfully address my neighbor's dogs constantly barking after years of trying?
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Politely at first and if they don't respond, check to see it there is a noise bylaw in your community that they are breaking, and contact the Authorities to see if they can help. It is too bad you have waited so long to say something but that should not limit you to your right to have peace and quiet at night. Good Luck.
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You can tell the police and they won't give your name and they will contact the neighbor, unless you live in a rural area, then they would know who called.
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Leave them a note letting them know that the dogs are distrubing your sleep. If they don't do anything then confront them about, reminding them that it is a form of disturbing the peace. These dogs can be taken away, and it's perfectly legal for you to call the cops and let them know about the disturbances.
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Contact the police. Each city usually has a department that deals with this issue. They will be given a warning and if nothing happens then they will be fined. This way you don't look like a complainer.
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You can see any of your neighbours also having this problem as you have and altogether go to them and say about this politely, then they will have pressure to stop it some or other way. If you are only the one, then you just write a note or send a letter to their home. If it they didn't listen to that then take a step to call police on this, being anonymous. However nothing would happen if you on your own go directly and say to them that some one in your house has problem with the noise and are unable to have sleeps in nights, as long as you put that in polite manner. Don't worry even if they come down to quarrel, as it is question of your rest..Go ahead.
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Animals -- when kept in their right place -- can truly be a blessing. I love them! A favorite article of mine is "Animals: A Gift From God ; Keep a Balanced View; A Pleasure Forever!" http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2004/2/22a/article_01.htm. I'll just share what I did to keep my own dogs quiet .... I had been keeping them in the side yard (not right next to the house) at night. They felt isolated &rejected over there, & tho not normally barkers, would become so bored that they'd start barking from sheer boredom (even when no sirens or coyotes were about). I brought one of them in at night, at a time. Trained them to go to sleep when we do. An appropriate-size crate, or even a leash, works well for this -- keeps them from wandering around. I just whisper "NO!" if they start to respond to a coyote or siren, & they stop. (They sleep 8' from my bed.) I wanted to keep the dogs outside, but it just wasn't an option. Our sleep was more important than keeping the dirt down in the house. And we have bonded better, so that I find them easier to train & handle ... . Unfortunately, your problem dogs aren't your own to make decisions about! ... Were you aware of dog-collar training devices that release citronella for unwanted behaviors such as barking? The one I was reading about said : "not for stress-related barking". (Isn't ALL barking stress-related?! Which do they mean?) I wonder if your neighbors would be willing to try something like this? Plus, giving the dogs something to do, as in a toy they really enjoy playing with that's safe to leave with them unsupervised, rotating among several to keep things interesting ... But that will only help if they feel like playing.. My dogs seem to get depressed when isolated away from us, & won't play until near us again. ... Well, that's my 2cents worth.. I can't really recommend or endorse them, as I haven't used them. But, these are examples of what I might have tried next (after consulting a vet & trainer):
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Just go to them and say.. Look Dan(insert name) your dogs are driving us crazy, we have not said anything all this time because we did not want to cause a rift between us, but we can´t take it anymore..is there anything you can do to help us out. nice and simple.. if he is a nice guy, he will try and accommodate you, if not and he gets abusive, the war is on.. and the next time it happens you call the cops.. and you keep calling them until Dan fixes the problem. Obviously you don´t want it to escalate to this, but only pursue it if he gets abusive.
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It's best to mention it to the neighbor first. Since no one has complained, they may assume that everything is OK. Approach them in a reasoned tone; they might be amenable to change. . . If not, contact the police to file a complaint. Ask them the rules; they differ by city. For example, where I live, at least one other person within 100 feet of the property has to complain.
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I called once on some dogs barking and the police checked it out and said they had food and water and if they did there was absolutely nothing they could do. Who lived there first you or them? My mom has rescue dogs and has a total of 9 now and her neighbors should have asked about this when they saw the kennels and all the dogs. My mom lived there first so it is their problem if they bought a house without asking if the dogs barked much. anyway your problem. Why after all these years are you NOW wanting to do something? Politely see if the dogs have food and water and if not call someone to check. These dogs sound bored and like they have no attention. Dogs dont just bark for 15 minutes for no reason. They need attention or something. Politely tell your neighbors their dogs are keeping you awake and see what their reaction might be. The last resort is to put your house up for sale and move.
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Call the police say they are disturbing the peace..they will never know you did it if you ask the police for it to be anonymous
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