Alleged dog barking neighbours complaing

[cmortishsha]

Hi, we received a letter from the council saying a neighbour had complained about our dog barking. The neighbour is doing it without their name being mentioned.
Yes we do have a dog that barks but only when someone is trying to enter garden or property without being invited! We live in a property which backs onto a bridle path which is also accessible to the public.
We have over the years had chickens taken from the garden. Rabbits taken out of the garden and dogs set upon them and killed. We have had a cat shot dead and another set upon by a dog with owner. My dog has chased someone trying to climb into my kitchen window and twice stopped my neighbours house being broken into. My dog has twice stopped my perimeter fence being stolen for self gain and also stopped it from being pinched for last years bonfire night.
We have had a problem for many years with youths gathering in this particular area to drink , hangout, and to take drugs. My dog does not bark unnessasary she would rather be in her heated kennel as she is now 11 years old.
Without her we would not have anything left in the garden and would also have had our property burglared. Both myself and husband have been physically assaulted, by people when we have been in the front of our property and they have been wrong doing on our corner plot with quad bikes.
We think it is a neighbour who has had complaints made about him from another neighbour about the number of cars he has all over the place, but he thinks it is us.
We can see this escalating, as I have previously said our dog does not bark unnessasary , we don't know what to do to prove it and would appreciate any feedback or advice.

[cmortishsha]

Hi, could not edit the above question but would like to add that all our problems with people taking and killing pets from the garden stopped when we got our dog. She is a brilliant dog and has stopped many people entering our property.

[Jugglering]

You need to contact your local authority (the telephone number should be on the letter you received) - presumably this complaint was made to their Environmental Health Department (or something like that!) and explain to them what you have told us. When they receive a complaint from a *neighbour* they have to notify you about it (and usually do not give the name of the complainant) but that does not mean that they automatically believe all complaints or take action. They will have had what I will call *malicious* complaints in the past and be well versed in neighbourhood problems. They will be asking the complainant to record times and dates of alleged nuisances and will also be checking these themselves.

Please give the Environmental Health folk a ring soon - it will put your mind at rest. If your dog is not barking in the manner complained about, you will have no further problems. What they (Env Health) will probably suggest is that you actually talk to your neighbours about these problems, to avoid further escalation in the future. Good luck !

[buildersmate]

Yes, in a bad case the council could contemplate using the Statutory Nuisance legislation. But they are probably just enquiring about your side of the story. Give 'em a call.

[Ethel]

Is somebody home all day, every day?

If the dog is left alone, is she constantly barking?

[cmortishsha]

Hi Ethel, yes there is someone in everyday, and she does not constantly bark and definately not lonely, also taken on lots of walks. I am now keeping my own log on her barking, thanks for everyones replies I will let you know how I get on with the council.
Cheers

[cmortishsha]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to answer. I have spoken to the council this morning and he was extremely nice. I explained I was keeping my own log of barking and told him she barked 5 times yesterday not big ongoing barks just woofs. He asked me the times, and told me my neighbour had said she was barking constantly from 8am to midnight. I couldn't believe it told him I was here all day, took her for walks etc. he told me not to worry as he sends out thousands of these letters and when the person has to fill in a log of my dog barking and send it back in 6 weeks he said very rarely do they come back. If my dog was barking all day long she would drive me crazy, but she does not.
Thanks again everyone and will keep you updated :)

[dinki]

We had a similar problem many years ago, following years of dispute with a neighbour. He even telephoned the house to make the dog bark when inspectors came.
Make a note of the times you leave the dog alone, when she barks etc yourself, we found that helpful and it proved that the dog was doing the job it was intended for.

Good luck I know how upsetting it is to think you might have to put the dog down, be strong and fight back. Meanwhile, prehaps a chat to the neighbour with the cards about how petty neighbours can be might sort it out, especially when you tell him you wouldn,t stoop that low.

[gucciman]

jesus christ where do you live the bronx? ever thought about moving to a better area!
we had the same problem with out very noisy samoyed which is a breed that barks a lot as they get so bored. the council couldn't do anything though as she never barks during the night becasue we have her in the bedroom with us then.

[Theakstone]

I would install a CCTV camera (with sound?) and record all events on a DVR (back it up and keep the data) this will record both sides of the story and also add additional security. Make sure you have the warning signs up showing that your property is being monitored. You can get quite cheap units at B&Q. Good Luck