When to complain about new neighbor's dog?
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Anonymous
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I rent a townhouse. 3 days ago, new neighbors moved in. Whenever they're gone, their dog howls non-stop.
I WFH and can't stand listening to the howling all day. When's an okay time to complain to our landlord? After an hour? We have kids so I don't expect things to be quiet 100% of the time, but I definitely make sure my kids aren't screaming or running around for hours on end. |
Anonymous
| Dogs need more than 3 days to settle in. But I would mention it first to the dog owners, not the landlord. Be direct. "Hey, your dogs bark all day, FYI, I know they might be settling in but I wanted to let you know in case they need a kong or something." |
Anonymous
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1) Swing by to welcome to the neighborhood. Bring a loaf of banana bread and introduce yourself. You don’t want your first interaction with new neighbors to be negative!
2) Agree to give it more than three days. A move can be stressful for a dog, lots of new smells, new routine, etc. 3) If the barking is still constant in a week or two, swing by and, framed as helping them out, tell them they may not be aware of it, but the dog is barking basically all day while they’re gone. Wanted to make sure they knew - poor doggy must be struggling to adjust. This is a bit of a canard, but also may well be true - they may have absolutely no idea the dog is barking when they’re gone. 4) Give then another few weeks to adjust - may involve a visit to the vet or a behaviorist or something, so don’t expect an overnight cure. 5) Then, if no process has been made, it’s time to escalate in someway, but how will depend on how 1-4 go. Never go over someone’s head without trying to work it out with them directly first. |
Anonymous
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The dog likely has separation anxiety and the owners have no idea.
As someone who used to live in a townhouse and had a dog like this, please let the owners know. I was mortified to learn that the dog was doing this - our neighbor told us gently but firmly this was happening. We ended up having to medicate the dog but t didn't solve the issue. I also recall that there is nothing you can do as the neighbor. I suppose you could ultimately take legal action but if the dog continues to howl, you might be stuck with it. |
Anonymous
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In Arlington this qualifies as a noise nuisance.
https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Building/Codes-Ordinances/Noise-Control-Ordinance |
Anonymous
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They're likely not aware and probably would be upset if they knew. I'd talk to them. If you frame it from a "your poor dog is having some trouble" angle you are likely to get more sympathy/engagement
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Anonymous
| Ear plugs or listen to music loudly. |
Anonymous
| Definitely talk to the neighbors before going to your landlord. |
Anonymous
+1 They might not know. |
Anonymous
| Offer to dog sit. |
Anonymous
| Call Animal control, call the police after 10pm. Good luck! I hope you succeed. |
Anonymous
Dumbest idea ever. |
Anonymous
| You complain now. These dogs are not settling in. The howling will just continue non-stop forever. You need to record them so the owners believe you, however. |
Anonymous
Posted too soon - I had to put a bark collar on my dog in order for him to stop barking. Lots of people will tell you it's inhumane, but it's not. I tried the zap on myself first, and then it took 2 barks for my dog to stop barking. He understood very quickly the vibration and small zap wasn't what he wanted. Sometimes you can avoid that if the dog is only triggered by the view out of the window, but closing the blinds or curtains, but often there's nothing for it but a coercive method. |
Anonymous
This. Also, you have to expect noise since you chose a "townhouse", which is like being a roommate to strangers. |