Hi all,

Does anyone know where you find out if you have a dog warden in your area. I've done posts before about the people next to us with their dog barking all the time and wondered if a dog warden would call on them about it.
Don't know if thats part of a wardens job or not, if anyone does let me know.
Just to say the dog is well looked after so no problem there and he's usually in the garden with one of them but they just don't know how to control him and he runs round barking at anyone or thing that walks past the garden or fence, even though it's 6ft high. We have got a public footpath at the back of our gardens so quite a few people walk past. no excuse though as i have three dogs and manage to stop them barking. even my newest dog is good, i just keep some treats in my pocket and if i see someone coming i call her and make her sit until they've pasted the fence. if she starts barking then i take her in the house straight away.
Why can't other people be considerate to their neighbours.
I have tried talking to them and although they were fine about it at the time they now try to avoid me, i've even tried getting our local councilor to have a word as he knows them and it seemed to help for a week then they gave up.
With summer coming thats when he's really bad so it would be nice to get this sorted but don't hold out much hope.
don't really want to do an official complaint to the council as our plan is to move house in a few years and you have to flag any complaints up about neighbours else your breaking the law. Don't think people would want to buy our house if noisy dog next door was a problem and he's only 4yrs old so got alot of years ahead of him. He's a BT by the way incase anyone owns them here so can give advise.
Look forward to your replies, i have done a google search but for a dog warden in our area but the nearest one seems to be about 5 miles away, not sure what size area they cover.   

I don't think 5 miles is a lot.  It's probably your local one.

If the dogs are well looked after but it is a noise problem you are concerned about I think it will be Environmental Health that you need to speak to. Although the Warden may have suggestions for them in helping to keep them quiet it is the Environmental Health people that will insist that they do so.  Either of these people can be contacted through your local council.

>Does anyone know where you find out if you have a dog warden in your area.

Contact your local council. You might even find the Dog Warden's number listed in your phone book under the Council's entry. 5 miles away is nothing - you'll probably find there's only one warden for your council's whole region.

the dog warden works in the environmental health dept of yr local council

I did not realise that was always the case but it would certainly make sense if they do :-)

thanks for that.
Do you know if the dog warden has to tell the people who has complained, as i'd rather not make them more off towards me.
i know if you complain to the council you have to give them your details. other people in our village are sick of their dog aswell but don't want to upset them, so it's up to meto be the bad person.  

I expect you will have to give your details but I doubt very much they would pass them on but you could ask them what is normal practice.
If quite a few people are affected I doubt they will guess.

The council shouldn't give out your details under any circumstances. They would only be made aware of the complainant if you were to try mediation or go to court....This is what i do for a living :)

Hi bear,no the council do not reveal who made the complaint. The first thing they will do is visit the site to see if they can hear the dog barking,but I have to say most dogs will bark if they see or hear a stranger leaking near the garden. Then they will write to the owner to inform them a complaint has been made,this is deliberately intimidating but unless there is a major problem no further action is taken.How do I know this? I was on the receiving end of a vicious malicous little man for7yrs and the last 18 months of that time I had no choice but to involve the police as he made mine and my dogs lives an utter misery.

> but unless there is a major problem no further action is taken.

It would depend on what a major problem is I suppose.  If several neighbours are troubled I think further action would be taken.  This was in the papers just a couple of days ago.
I suppose it depends on whether you are on the giving or receiving end or whether it is genuine or not (I presume yours was not) but I would not like to live with continuous barking.

Hi Isabel. I was told that in order for there to be a problem the dog must be barking most of the day or night and the noise has to be able to be heard above the complainants tv or radio.A dog is allowed to bark if say someone came to the house but barking for long periods of time ie over 30 minutes will constitute a nuisance. The council will install listening equipment in the complainants home if they beleive a noise nusiance is being commited.In my case the trouble began when I split up with my ex,he and my neighbour were best buddies and from being a friendly neighbour he turned almost over night into the most vile man I have ever met. It took him 5 yrs of various forms of harrasment before he started on my dogs. The E H officer that I spoke to was very nice and assured me I was doing nothing wrong,in fact all the council people I dealt with were very helpful and even offered statements to the police regarding his un justified complaints against me.I had to resort to documenting every thing he did. I had video evidence of his behaviour and finally the police threatened him with arrest for harrasment and since the end of last September he has left me alone thank goodness.

Hi Bear, I work for Environmental Health and we have the Dog Wardens in our dept. (They cover the entire local authority area, so theres not a DW in every town)
I can only speak for our local authority but on the whole the DW does not deal with noise complaints. You would have to report this to EH.
Our procedure is that a general letter is sent to the 'offender' saying that a complaint has been made. NO details are ever given out about who complained. A lot of times this ends the problem and we try to stay as 'unofficial' with both parties as possible in a bid to sort it out without resorting to a Notice.
You will be asked to keep in touch and if no improvement has been made, Officers will come out to the address and monitor the noise. You may also be asked to keep a 'noise diary' and monitoring equipment set up at your address. If a public nuisance is determined then a noise Notice can be placed on the offender and a fine issued (ultimately the dog can be removed but this is a last resort after mediation, warnings, Notice etc.)
As both the DW and the EH are within the local authority then I cant see the difference between declaring a noise complaint from one and not the other when you are moving.
Hope this helps.