Anonymous wrote:The young couple who bought the rowhouse next to ours seemed nice enough when they moved in. But then we heard the dog. It's a Great Dane and it barks nonstop when they aren't home. And they are out a lot, while we have young kids and are home much of the time and go to bed relatively early.
They told us the dog should "calm down" in a couple of weeks after it gets used to the new house. But it's been a week and the dog is still barking constantly. They said they expect to live in their new house for 20 years.
What would you do? Is there any DC ordinance that applies here? Are we looking at hiring a lawyer to sue them?
How old is the dog--life expectancy for a Dane is only about 8 years, so at least you aren't staring down 20 years of this!
I'd talk to them again about it, and let them know it is an ongoing issue for you. Maybe record the barking from inside your home? If I were the owner (and I also own a Great Dane), I would definitely want to know so I can try to calm my dog and make conditions better for my neighbor.