Ok, our dogs live in doors, but on sunny days like today they spend time in the garden.  Today they must have barked a little, couldn't have been for long as I'm very conscious of their barking with neighbours on one side.  Went on  FB today to find a ranting paragraph saying f*****g dogs night working people trying to sleep!  Now I know her hubby is on nights this week so made sure the dogs were quiet, it's now becoming increasingly unbearable living in our house because of them.  We can't let the dogs out after 8pm because this is the time her child goes to bed, if her hubby's on nights, the dogs can't go out in the garden between 7am - 3pm........so when the heck can they go out?

This is a family that have just put their own log burner in their house, without it being fitted properly, burning unseasoned wood so we can't open our windows due to the smoke,  him using a chainsaw whenever he's home, even when MY hubby is on nights, and her threatening to shoot my dogs one day (they have a shot gun license) which, if I reported them, could mean a jail sentence for them.

I really don't know what to do, my dogs do NOT bark constantly, they play and chase each other around,  I am now feeling physically sick as I'm scared they will make a noise (no matter how small)

Any suggestions please?

Thanks

Have you tried talking to them about it?

So long as your dogs arent barking constantly then i dont see why you shouldnt let them out whenever you want.

That's just the trouble, they never come in and say can you keep them quiet, she just posts on FB...........and no, absolutely no way are they barking constantly, a couple of barks and I'm straight out there with them, I don't go out to work so they are never left to bark,  it's really making living here totally unbearable

of course you should let them out when you want to. they cant shoot dogs on your property! if they threatened you i would tell the police at once, they dont sound like the type you can talk to.
any chance of moving?

They've lived next door nearly 4 years now and only complained 3 times, and you're right, you can't talk to them.

Unfortunately we're not in the position to move yet, mores the pity :-(

> That's just the trouble, they never come in and say can you keep them quiet, she just posts on FB...........and no, absolutely no way are they barking constantly, a couple of barks and I'm straight out there with them, I don't go out to work so they are never left to bark,&nbsp; it's really making living here totally unbearable <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif">

........just don't look at Facebook!  :)

Report her to the police if she makes any suggestion again of using a gun.Even if it is an idle treat it is still intent.

Do you have her on as a friend on FB as take her off and ignore her comments.

As for letting your dogs out you are doing nothing wrong and should not be intimidated by them. Stay nice and polite and let her make the next move and as soon as there is any mention of her starting to threaten you contact the police and take it from there. Dont feel threatened she sounds like a bully and the best way to deal with them is ignore her threats and carry on as you are.

We had nightmare neighbours who tried to make our life a misery but they failed ! I told them to go forth always politely, well apart from the time they came round demanding I pay for the drains to be rebuild due to the fact their drains had blocked because they had found a panty liner and it must have been mine !! I just laughed in the mans face and told him to go and try intimidate somebody else. It worked they moved and we then got very nice neighbours to replace them !

Do you know what, I think it must be the same people....lol.  Last summer they insisted we rebuild the drains, as the water from our garden runs down the gully into their storm water drain their side of the garden, never anything dirty, always disinfected afterwards, but hubby being a soft touch did dig up their side of the garden and put under ground pipes in so no water touched their garden, they never offered to pay/help and it was quite a major job too, but we did it to keep the peace.

Think you're right, I'm going to delete her from FB as I'm constantly watching in case she's moaning about something.  She forgets there are dogs in every house 6 doors down, but it's always us that gets the blame.  Hubby has just been looking up the Council dog rules and as long as the dogs aren't left alone to bark (which they NEVER are) then we've done nothing wrong, they also have to be able to express themselves freely under the animal welfare act.....which at the moment they can't do in fear of her complaining :-(

Still doesn't make it feel any better though.  :-(

First off remove her from your facebook. :)

Then. Let your dogs out when ever you want, you have as much right to use your garden as they use theirs. Do not let them rule your life, they have issues with your dogs leave them to it. Also ring the police (not on the 999 number) and let them know a threat had been made so that if she does shoot your dogs the police are on top form. :)

You own your house not them.

If it was me I would make more noise just to make them mad.

I am lucky my neighbors are very nice and my lot bark ALOT and we never have had complaints. Then again my lot would alert the whole street to someone trying to break in so its good for everyone. Haha.

Good luck.

Ok,  she is now deleted, tomorrow morning they will go out in the garden as they should!

Thanks for the reassurance, will try and block her out...........and her smoking chimney!!

its also not your fault her hub does nights. the world cant go on hold because hes asleep and if hes that bothered he will use ear plugs, that works for me

How many dogs are you talking about? :)  We all love our dogs but the rest of the world don't always feel the same.

and they didn't think about my husband when he was on nights last week and her hubby was in the garden with a chainsaw chopping up trees for their log burner!

I had neighbours like that too, I wouldn't let them intimidate me and eventually had a stand up row (at 10 o'clock at night) with him moaning about my dogs barking, and me moaning about him and his power tools being used after 11 at night. I eventually told him to report me if he felt so bad about it but to remember I'd got permission from the landlord to have my dogs. Once he realised I wouldn't let him intimidate me (took a few months mind you) he backed off and has now moved. Got great neighbours now. Hope they stay :-D

As to fb, I would make a sarky comment about how you keep your dogs quiet when your neighbours are on nights, but they don't have the decency not to use power tools when your hubby is on nights ;-) But that's just me, and how I feel tonight, might feel differently tomorrow. ;-)

>How many dogs are you talking about?   We all love our dogs but the rest of the world don't always feel the same.

My dogs go out in a group of 4, they don't bark they just get a bit excited for a couple of minutes nothing more, and if they ever bark during the day it's no longer than a minute or two as like I said I am very conscious of them barking and keep it under control at ALL times.  The house is never empty, being a family of 6, so they are never left unattended to bark for a long time.  My windows have been open all day today too as the weather has been lovely and the dogs have spent most of the day wandering in and out of our house or sleeping on the patio right outside my living room window, so I wouldn't miss it if they barked.

You must report any threats against your person or property especially those including firearms, it is an offence to discharge such weapons within 500 yrds  of a  highway or in a built up area, air rifles are one thing but bb guns and shotguns are not allowed.

My neighbours daughter threatend to shoot my dogs with a bbgun, the police cautioned her at the station and must have given them all a very stiff talking to as they've never bothered me since some 4 yrs ago.  My other neighbour is a Cllr and has tried numerous times to get me in court over my dogs via the Environmental folk only to be royally put in their place too.  I did a DPA request which showed each time my dogs were recorded there was no case to answer, now it seems they are being investigated for dog noise as they've got 5 whippets in a 3 sided pen down their garden who howl day and night! 

I have always made a point of logging with police and council any and all threats, hosing downs of my dogs, shotgun cartridges, stones, rotten meat etc that's come over my fence for almost 6 yrs, the more you tell them the more they'll listen and deal with it.

You have my sympathy,I had foul neighbours too,they rented,I owned and couldnt afford to move-I never thought theyd ever go,but they have.Nothing stays the same for long,stay positive,and dont let them intimidate you!Face book has a lot to answer for,wouldnt touch it with a bargepole.

We've lived here over 20 years with no problems, but this young couple moved in nearly 4 years ago, they had a baby 3 years ago so we're not allowed to make any noise after 8pm in case we wake him up, but it didn't matter when they were decorating their house for his christening, that they were sanding ALL the walls in the house until 11pm every night for 3 weeks..........did we complain??  NO!!

I nearly knocked her door to ask for a time table when my dogs were allowed in my garden, but changed my mind as I don't think I would know when to shut up!!

You know I think you are just going to have to be like a large proportion of society today, everyone just looks after themselves, they don't think of others and think everyone else is wrong. Your still from an era like most of us who try to be good neighbours and be considerate of how much noise we make and of other peoples lifestyles, if things were the other way around and you worked nights I bet they wouldn't give two hoots and would still do DIY and let children/dogs out (if they had any) and carry on living loud, nosy lives regardless.

Don't make your dogs third class citizens which is what most of us tend to do, often children can be screaming and shouting and no-one says a word, (though they may think it) but if a dog barks a couple of times they may complain.

Your dogs are entitled to run, play, bark a wee bit unless at unsociable hours and for long periods, (neither of which apply here) so live your life, your not under any contract or rulings from next door, no-one would agree with them that you should live life quietly because the husband works nights, that is their problem not yours, they can complain until they are blue in the face, there is not a person in authority who would give two hoots, you and your dogs are doing nothing wrong.

Stop worrying and enjoy your life. :-)

Thank you all :-)

I really sympathise with you. I know how you feel as we have the same problem with our neighbours. It has been on going now for quite a while for us but last week our neighbours used a bbgun to fire at the dogs when they barked, and at the weekend my husband was in the garden having a cigarette and as usual the dogs went with him. All was quiet until they heard next door in the garden and they barked, the neighbour threw a handful of stones over the fence at the dogs but they hit my OH in the face and chest. I have reported all incidents to the police. One of my dogs was poisoned last year, I have no proof of who it was but I do have my suspicions obviously. I couldnt live here after Toby died and my house is now sold and I am waiting for a completion date. I understand how difficult it is for you and how worried you feel. You really should report everything to the police no matter how trivial or serious it is as it helps to build a case. I hope you are able to get something sorted.
jane

SharonM it's quite different being extra careful around a very tiny baby, and new mum, and most of us would make a little effort to keep quiet for nice neighbours or friends for the first month or so but 3 years later??!!  It's a credit to you that you've tried but enough is enough.

The Facebook comments from your neighbour are underhand, rude, direspectful and inflammatory.  I'd suggest returning to "Do as you would be done by".  Keep the barking under control where possible but do not keep your dogs inside just because your neighbours have a problem.

If they don't like the sounds of normal life with dogs they really aren't being forced to live next to you :)

I used to have this problem.

I had a call from the dog warden saying there was a complaint from a night worker that my dogs were barking during the day,  she said she had been to my property whilst I was out and they wouldn't bark at her unless she started kicking my gate!  I asked all my immediate neighbours if my dogs barked whist I was out and they all said they rarely heard them.

I didn't hear anything more for weeks, then again I got a call from the dog warden again and she was quite bad tempered with me saying I had to keep my dogs quiet because of this night worker.  I had just got back from holiday and my dogs had been in kennels for 2 weeks!!

I knew my neighbours 2 doors down either side and I was in a semi rural area of detatched housed on quarter acre plots so the person complaining would have been a considerable distance from me and was either being malicious or mistaken.

Anyway, as to what you can do?  I found it very theraputic to mow my lawn for 3 hours at the appropriate time.

At the end of the day, if they work nights it's unreasonable to expect the neighbours to modify their lives to suit them.  My husband does shifts but would never complain to the neighbours about their radio or screaming kids, he might grumble at home about it and I might agree with him but we don't have the right to try and control other peoples lives, it's not their fault he works those hours.

Well I let the dogs out at 8.10am and they have been in and out all morning with the door open and not a single bark from any of them, to be honest I can't remember them barking yesterday either, so now I'm wondering if it was actually my dogs that annoyed them so much, like I said there are dogs in a few of the houses close by!

My grass looks like it could do with a nice trim actually and maybe even pressure wash the patio ;-)

>My grass looks like it could do with a nice trim actually and maybe even pressure wash the patio

Do you not have an old metal bin that needs a good clean out with a metal brush? ;-) Or a wheelbarrow? Or something else similar :-D How is your fencing? Does it need to be replaced, or mended with a power drill? Sorry, couldn't resist :-p

Pressure washer in a metal dustbin sounds good too!  Electric lawn mower, petrol strimmer......now I'm really getting in the mood!  ;-)

Strange thing is, dogs haven't barked once since 8:10am so I'm actually wondering if it was my dogs that disturbed them, as I'm always straight out the door if they start, I've also had my webcam connected since they went out this morning waiting to record them if they made any sound....but they haven't, had a chase around the garden but not a sound from any of them, now they are all asleep on the patio in the sunshine!

Think I should stop worrying, just because she had the hump because she had a late night and can't cope without a full nights sleep!!

I do so agree with all you have written Carrington!I must be from that era too,because although those neighbours made loud noise,till 2am,they left their dogs barking and howling all night while they went off partying,they had kids who hardly went to school because they were regularly up till 1 am and 2 am,keeping me awake,loud music,parties,kids playing on the street yelling outside my windows,oh,etc,etc,-I still wouldnt hoover too early,or let my dogs bark too much!Just thank god theyve gone.

I work nights, sometimes I have a grump....

BUT - It's my choice to work nights, no one really HAS to work nights, if someone found it SO disagreeable to their life to work nights then they change jobs.

The world is geared up for people who are up in the day, asleep at night. Between the hours of 11pm and 8am, it is reasonable to keep dogs quiet, that means in terms an EHO would be interested in, no more than the odd bark at a noise occasionally.

Outside of those hours, dogs can bark reasonably, in fact up to five minutes at a time, of constant uninterrupted barking is deemed reasonable, even if the dog does that several times a day, usually in response to things like noises outside, delivery poeple, etc. Noise from playing is also acceptable.

The only sorts of noise from dogs during daytime hours that constitute an actual offence, are dogs barking continuously for periods longer than 5 minutes, for large portions of the day. That is a LOT of barking, typical of dogs left alone with extreme seperation anxiety. It raelly ISNT the sort of barking that happens to normal dogs, with owners home most of the day.

Even though I work nights, I still do NOT accept or expect, that the rest of the world must pussy foot around my house and whisper in hushed tones. Sometimes i struggle to sleep and those days, kids outside, people chatting at the bus stop, dogs barking, shop door going, community centres buzzer going, will all conspire against me and turn me into Mrs Grumpy Pants.... but tough luck! My choice, my problem! I have woken up some days and threatened to take an industrial flame thrower to the trees full of tweetybirds, but.. tuff!

I am sure the OP is a considerate person, so just go about your business in a normal fashion and leave the annoying neighbours to grump themselves out of existance as they undoubted will in the end!

I had a similar situation and like you began to worry every time my four dogs went out.  They bark when they play but also occasionally at passing pedestrians.  I have fenced of the section in front of my gate so they can no longer bark directly at the gate which has worked out nicely as it also means no loose dogs if someone enters my property/forgets to shut the gate etc.

But I still had one neighbour who continued to complain. Like you, I am aware of constant barking and always intervene if it continues for more than 5 minutes (generally this would be if they have found a hedgehog or someone/kids are hanging around the fence line).  I wouldn't like it myself so wouldn't want to inflict it on anyone else! 

After becoming quite stressed by the rantings of my next door neighbour, I called my solicitor who reassured me that as long as the dogs weren't constantly barking  for prolonged periods (he thought 20 minutes constant would be considered a nuisance) which they are absolutely not! - I should not be concerned.

He said that neighbour disputes were probably the most common issue he dealt with and to prevent things getting messy (and expensive) he had one single piece of advice... don't communicate with her at all!  It felt a bit odd the first time hanging up when she phoned screeching on about barking dogs (mine were not even outside!) and when she yelled over the fence - again, I just look blankly at her.  The result has been brilliant!

In retrospect, I don't think the dogs were really the problem but she actually found it a great excuse to 'have a go'.  Now she doesn't get any response/attention I rarely hear from her. She probably has moved onto something/someone else to complain about!

Suits me!

We have the most obnoxious neighbours, Accountant types who believe they are a cut above the rest and we are the scum of the earth. We only have to cough and they complain to the council in fact we could paper the walls with all the complaints. We have reported them to the council for harassment and now most of their complaints are ignored by the powers that be.
Our 2 little terriers go loony first thing in the morning, running round and round the large nature pond with ducks sitting quietly in the middle on the island completely ignoring them. I allow the dogs to yap and let off steam for 5 minutes and then move them away and stop the barking. We have quite a bit of land so are not too near the next door house, but it does not stop the complaints. We are planting a hedge of fast growing conifers around the side where they live and intend to shut the neighbours out completely.
I am looking for a very large statue to put in the front garden, ideally one showing 2 fingers stuck upwards.

Sorry know time to read other comments but I would stand you to them. Put your own comments on FB report them for the shotgun say he is threating your family the police with then do something. They are bullies.

For the past 3 days I've made a diary of any noise and have had the webcam facing out the window to the garden to record it, decided to not lock them in doors when the weather has been so nice so  on Thursday we had:

8:45am    Dogs barked to go out....too short to time

11:23am   Dogs barked when the postman knocked the door - less than 20 seconds!!!!

11:55am   3 short barks one dog

1:35pm     4 barks one dog when leaflet put through door

1:44pm     One dog started moaning a bit as I was late feeding them.....whoops!

2:30pm     Dogs fed and brought in bit of excitement when I feed them....no longer than 30 seconds

5pm          Barked to go out, stayed out in the garden, no sound at all, came back in for a couple of hours

9.45pm     Last trip to the garden before bed, no barking.

To be honest this is a typical day in my house, and really can't see the problem, I can remember once before when they moaned, one of my girls barked because next doors chickens wandered into our garden, I chased the chickens back, 3 hours later the chickens got out again and into our garden, so dogs barked again.....he came round saying the dogs had been barking all afternoon, which is absolute rubbish, I'm always home, I think he heard the first bark, fell asleep and woke again when they barked again and just took it they had been barking all afternoon.....stupid man!

I've just posted their front door key back through their letterbox, if they want us to look after their house when they go to work/away they can think again. 

I am looking for a very large statue to put in the front garden, ideally one showing 2 fingers stuck upwards.

great i would love one of those too!

>I am looking for a very large statue to put in the front garden, ideally one showing 2 fingers stuck upwards.

Ha Ha, if you find one, let me know I would love one in the middle of my back garden as they are always looking out watching the dogs!

SharonM, How about this one !!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11474311

Just what I'm looking for, do you think the postage will be much?  ;-)

Im getting one!!!
My neighbour and I havent spoken to each other since my dauhgter was 15mths old, shes 18 this year.
She thinks shes gods gift, she is milking the system for all she can get, she lives in a council house (nothing wrong with that, we bought ours 5 years ago) and demands the council do everything for her..she is capable of working but chooses not to ( shes in her early 40s), her daughter is 21 and is also unemployed, they have parties until 4 or 5 in the morning and thinks nothing of blasting the music out, her tv is on till 2am so loud you can follow what shes watching. She reported my daughter to the council for spitting on her window, my daughter was threatened with an ASBO, turned out it was her friend...her daughter is really fat..unhealthyily fat and quite ugly with it (ohh bitchy), she called my daughter a weasel faced bint..lmao....I told her it was better than looking like the back end of a bus that had been rammed by a tank!!!
If my dogs are out either front or back gardens and they bark then shes up at the window checking what they are doing...I have and will continue to give the middle finger if I feel she needs it.
Yesterday we had the hosepipe out cleaning the slabs, her daughter was peeking through the fence...ooops I slipped and sprayed her...she wont do that again in a hurry.

Funnily enough yesterday I caught my neighbour hanging out of the window to see what the dogs were doing, and because they caught sight of her, started barking.....I know she did it on purpose as I have my web cam set up pointing towards her house so can see everything she does to aggravate them!  I've also been filling out my diary each time the dogs make a sound, no matter how small.

Last night they both went out for the evening, they came home at 3am!!!! and not particularly quiet either!

> I have my web cam set up pointing towards her house

Fairly sure this is illegal, sure others will be along to let us know .

I must say, when I had neighbour problems 15 or so years ago (they also wound my dogs up and worse) the best thing I ever did was to move.
My view now is that I try to maintain good relations and so on, and actually, where I am now, everybody is very tolerant of everyone else and very reasonable, for which I thank them in my head every day!! :)

I agree that night workers choose to work that way and they can't expect everyone else to tiptoe around them. Be considerate yes, but not actually alter their lives for them! I have a night worker next door and he is very sweet - mind you, he sleeps heavily thankfully.

Ultimately though, it is hard to get back good relations after any kind of dispute, so I'd always say move at the end of the day. Some would say "but that's letting them win" but I'd say "no it isn't, it's saving your own sanity and ensuring they lose their power over you, so that you can get rid of their presence and enjoy your life!" ;)

Just my view, though!

Lindsay
x

>Fairly sure this is illegal, sure others will be along to let us know

I didn't say I was recording her, just watching to see 'when' my dogs bark and why when I'm not in the garden.

>I agree that night workers choose to work that way

Not always. Many jobs work 'continental' shifts, where the shift pattern rotates on a weekly basis; early shift one week, late shift the next week and nights the third week. All the emergency services do this, and many medical workers. If you want the paramedic who comes to your rescue at 4am to be alert, he needs his sleep during the day!

Well that's true :)

> If you want the paramedic who comes to your rescue at 4am to be alert, he needs his sleep during the day!

So does the fireman , police man , pilot of the rescue service helicopters , search and rescue etc....

Neither me or hubby want to do nights but it is part of our jobs, and when i started my job nights weren't part of the package but contracts have been changed and if i didn't like it i had the option not to take the new contract and then i wouldn't have a job. Neither of us can afford to change jobs or re-train so we are stuck with nights and unfortunately i am a light sleeper. Consequently when i do nights  the lack of sleep makes me physically ill but i have no choice.

> I didn't say I was recording her, just watching to see 'when' my dogs bark and why when I'm not in the garden.

I wasn't being critical , i just don't want them to have something over you that could become a police complaint if it is illegal.

I am in a similar boat to you so can sympathise . Hope you get some peace soon XXX .

Sorry if I snapped, just feel like I'm living my life on the edge of my seat all the time now :-(

I can't wait for the summer they are going back to Sicily for 2 whole months......bliss!

to all night workers- use ear plugs they are great

> use ear plugs

They just fall out !

> to all night workers- use ear plugs they are great

I use them at night because my neighbour has her telly so loud....She  is so thoughtful. When my dogs bark, during the day, at the post man or some other visitor, she looks through the front window, (mine) to make sure they settle again ;-(   For some reason it concerns her that they take a while.... Bless her ...

My neighbour had new double glazing fitted today by the council..she was out in the garden at 0645 moving stuff around...god knows what...the council arrived at 0800 precisely...banging, van doors slamming, drilling, hammering, shouting and laughing all day until 1700...and not a sound from my 3 girls...hubby works nights, he got in at 0500 and was up out of bed by 10 having had 2 hrs sleep and is back out driving a tanker full of liquid cyanide tonight!!! She is at present hoovering and moving stuff around the house...she has no respect. There are 2 small children under 2 next door to her, god knows what the parents must be thinking..they moved in just before Xmas