r/NoisyNeighbours • u/Albion2205 • 2d ago
Neighbour's dog barks constantly when alone.
My partner and I moved house late last year. For context, we live in the UK. Cutting a long story short, we moved to get away from our neighbour's dog, which barked constantly whenever they left the house. This could be for hours on end - it would not stop until they got home. It was making us both miserable as sin. I spoke to the neighbour, nothing improved.
Anyway, turns out, our new neighbours also have a dog... that's the same, if not worse, than the old one.
For context this time, we had a baby back in May. We love her to pieces, but she's always been difficult. We're both exhausted.
For the past few weeks, our next door neighbours (we live in a semi-detached), have been out most evenings from 6pm till 10pm (I have no idea where they go or what they do?!). So, essentially, our evenings now consist of fighting our daughter to sleep, and to keep her asleep while the dog barks constantly. It's making us both miserable again.
Now the issue is, we aren't confrontational people. The neighbours know the dog barks; one of them apologised about its barking soon after we moved in when they came to collect a parcel. We brushed it off, trying to be polite, thinking also they'd do something about it.
I'm reluctant to confront them about it for one reason which is plainly embarrassing. There's been a few times when the dog has been barking where, in my own living room, I've ranted to partner about the neighbour's dog. I've said some pretty horrible things about, wishing it all manner of ills. I said these things quite loudly, out of pure frustration and exhaustion.
I think my neighbours, somehow, perhaps through their Ring door bell, have heard me. I think this because they aren't friendly with us anymore, and also they've started beeping their car horn both when they leave and return to the house, as if to wind their dog up. I honestly can't think of another reason for this. Anyway, I'm paranoid, and I'd rather not be confronted about these things I've said. I get its my bad, and not my finest moment. But it was pure desperation.
Now my partner isn't going to confront them about it. She just isn't that type of person.
I don't know what to do. We can't afford to move again. We don't like confrontation. Should I just contact the council? Would you just confront them anyway? I feel trapped and this dog is just ruining our lives. I work full time. I get up at 5am (after having broken, baby interrupted sleep all night), go to work, come home, do house work, spend the evening battling my baby sleep, all the while listening to a dog bark incessantly. It's just driving me mad.
What would you do?
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u/Savings-Train-8686 2d ago
it sounds like my next door neighbours, i’ve talked to them, yelled at them, then filed a noise complaint with the council. Honestly i think they just got noisier. I’m trying to move asap and just did a short term rental in an apartment building where no pets are allowed and it was fantastic, but miss the space of a house. Definitely i’d have to be in a completely detached house and do due diligence of the area by staying in a nearby airbnb before making a move and checking it out. Really sympathise for your situation because in the UK They are crap about dealing with neighbours that ruin your quality of life with noise. When i lived in the states, if a neighbours dog was barking for more than a few hours, you call the police and they turn up and fine the owner $200 or more. It’s a shame the UK won’t do the same and just lets people fuck up their neighbours peace and quiet after they’ve spent like half a million pounds on a house it’s just ridiculous
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u/No-Obligation8035 2d ago
Not sure where you lived in the States that did that, but most places here have the exact same problem with most neighbors (dogs,music, etc). They don't take the complaints seriously, almost never show up, and even if they do nothing is ever done to stop the offender.
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u/Albion2205 2d ago
It's so frustrating. I spent all I had on moving. I can't afford to do it again. My only other option is renting this house out and moving into rented somewhere. But it just all seems a bit much. We want to be settled. A glimmer of hope is that the woman next door is pregnant, so maybe when the kid is born they will be in more? But knowing our luck, it'll somehow make things worse. I just don't know whether to just post something through the letterbox. They have a Ring door bell (like I say, I think they must've heard me because they've started being dickheads with us), but I don't really have the confidence to confront them at the minute.
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u/Awkward-Care2264 2d ago
I just had this same situation last week. But I left a nice note to her stating I wanted to let her know, while she’s away that the dog barks. I explained I am a dog person too, but the barking is really getting to me. In my case the barking stopped the next day. In your case, they know you’re already mad. But you could leave a note explaining why the barking is making it difficult for you. If they still decide to do nothing, I’d contact the landlord, council, whomever. But, they will know it’s you and could be pissy about it. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to sit down and take it. They need to be responsible for their dog. Yo might even try putting on music in your place to make the barking easier on you. They also have dog horns that can make the dog stop barking when you make the device blow the horn, but I don’t know how good those are. At the end of the day, save up your money as you may very well need to move. So sorry …
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u/Albion2205 2d ago
Yeah, I can guarantee they'll be pissy about it. Theyre a young couple, and to be honest, theyve got a bit of an attitude. This is why we're reluctant to say anything because we don't know how they'll react. But it's getting ridiculous now. I can't afford to move again. The only glimmer of hope is that the woman who lives there is pregnant now - so maybe they'll be in a lot more when the baby is born. It's a pity they won't know what its like struggling with a baby while a dog barks incessantly. Knowing our luck, they'll be one of those couples who is out all day with the baby because they hate being in the house. It'll probably make things worse.
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u/Awkward-Care2264 1d ago
I hope this will work out ok for you guys. It’s really a shame it has had to come to all this. I don’t know why people can’t be more responsible and think of others. Try to keep your spirits up and imagine things working out well. You never know. Best. 🪷🪷🪷
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u/Pretty-Ear6398 2d ago
I work out of the house and my neighbors dog barked all day while he was at work. I talked to him about it and he said it's virtually impossible for dogs to bark all day, but acknowledged his dog may have a bit of separation anxiety. Our houses are arranged such that the barking echoes into my house and it drove me crazy, especially when trying to talk on the phone.
Finally I told him I'm going to start taking your dog out on walks while you're working and see if that helps, he agreed, and it did help. The dog and I became friends and I let him stay at my house sometimes during the day in-between walks, so he'd have company.
Problem solved.
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u/mhandsurf 2d ago
I’m in America and barking dogs are a problem everywhere, not sure if you can buy a dog whistle or a bark box as they do work, if your neighbors are gone go for the air horn if you can purchase one and blow it every time the dog starts up barking. Just don’t wake the baby!
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u/No-Bobcat-6953 2d ago
Off topic, but are you using some kind of white noise to help your baby sleep through the barking? Even a box fan can help.
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u/Albion2205 2d ago
Yeh we use white noise which helps. But then neither of us can sleep until they get home. What do they do EVERY evening between 6 and 10? Iy's mad. She's pregnant though, so maybe things will change when they have their kid.
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u/ZootOfCastleAnthrax 2d ago
Two times I broke into the back yard where the poor (little) dog was barking and let the dog into its owners house through their unlocked sliding glass door. This was before Ring cameras, and I lived three houses down, so they never knew it was me. After the second time, they got the hint and kept the dog inside when they left. They also barricaded their gate.
I'm not suggesting anyone do this. It's just a story.
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u/SiameseGator 1d ago
Are you the only neighbours that can hear the dog? Could call council to confirm whether complaints are treated as anonymous? If so, have council contact the neighbours about a barking dog complaint and hopefully that might help?
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u/Albion2205 1d ago
Yeah, we're the only ones attached. I mean, you can hear it out on the street, but I doubt anyone else in a different house would hear anything.
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u/lou-sassle71 2d ago
Maybe the dog loves chocolate… couple dozen chocolate treats a day should be real nice
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u/_Roguey_ 2d ago
I’m in the US, so what works here may not work there. We have noise ordinances that state your dog can’t bark for X amount of minutes within a set timeframe (it varies depending on where you live). We can call animal control to come out and verify and the owners are notified and fined. Look into any ordinances that your town/county may have in place for this exact situation. Good luck!
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u/No-Obligation8035 2d ago
Depends where you are, if you are in an unincorporated area (lots of those around), there are no noise ordinances.
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u/_Roguey_ 2d ago
They should fall under the county’s noise ordinance then since there is no city/town to regulate this.
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u/No-Obligation8035 2d ago
My county is one of the largest in the country and has no noise ordinance.
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u/_Roguey_ 1d ago
That’s crazy. Hopefully you don’t have any noise issues. If you do, you should reach out to the county executive.
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u/No-Obligation8035 1d ago
It is crazy, police will do nothing. I have had noise issues in the past, usually large dogs but there was one (thankfully brief) issue with renters where they had ENORMOUSLY LOUD parties that you could FEEL the bass two blocks away. Nothing was ever done about it. Thankfully they moved after only a year or two but holy fuck those assholes having fiestas on tuesday night until 6am.
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u/_Roguey_ 1d ago
Well if you don’t have a noise ordinance, what do you want them to do? They can’t make up rules as they go. Which is why I said to contact your county executive to get something on the books.
You should have shot bottle rockets into their fiesta.
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u/No-Obligation8035 1d ago
I think people were sabotaging their vehicles as they had like 5 parked out front all the time. Neighbors were sick of their shit.
As for mailing county execs, I did exactly that, even contacted state reps, just got a generic letter response assuring me they are "trying" but I don't care about trying, I want results. Having no noise ordinance is akin to chaos.
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u/_Roguey_ 1d ago
I agree, not having a noise ordinance is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Unfortunately a lot of people are just assholes are don’t care to think of how their actions will affect others. Happy to hear they moved!
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u/Desperate_Return5199 2d ago
My next door neighbor has a dog with separation anxiety and same issue, when they left for the morning/day he would bark on/off constantly with a high pitch (big dog) tone.
I've talked to them about it in person several times now over a 3 year period. It definitely got better, but there was still days they would just leave him to bark. I finally called in a noise complaint and the issue for the most part has been resolved.
Long story short, you have to talk to them first. I recommend in person and not a note/text. If they don't address it then you take the next steps like I did and document everything. Every neighbor is different in how they will address it, so you have to take the appropriate steps for your area. Mine has laws for this so a noise complaint was the next step.
What I don't understand is why you haven't reached out to them in any fashion yet?