Advice, please!! - (long)

I know you're using ear plugs but have you tried the industrial use ones...
made for use when operating machinery..They block all noise (I use those...
as all others just muffle sound.) :-) Liz

"Pat" wrote in message
et...

"Sherry" wrote

| Call the cops *when* the dogs are barking. Call them *when* the dogs
| are running loose. Every time.

I've done that countless times. The police in this town do not care. They
might show up hours later, if at all.

| Go to the courthouse and find out who owns the house. Call the
| landlord and tell him about the dogs. He'll
| be very interested to know his tenants are keeping viscious dogs --
| that is a liability issue for *him*.

I know who owns the house. They same people that I bought this one from.
They hate me, because I tried to get them to keep their promise to pay
half
the cost of the title work, which is customary for sellers to do in this
town, and to give me the tenants' rent and security deposit, which they
refused to do and almost kept me from buying the house because of it. They
would simply laugh at me if I called them.

| In the meantime, buy some earplugs. They're pretty effective. DH used
| to wear them when we had loud
| teenagers in the house. He's always worked night shift.

I have been using earplugs.

When did you last listen to the high-pitched and very penetrating YIP of
TWO
Bichon Frises? I've got the best earplugs money can buy, and they block
about half of the sound of those animals.

":-\)Liz" wrote:

I know you're using ear plugs but have you tried the industrial use ones...
made for use when operating machinery..They block all noise (I use those...
as all others just muffle sound.) :-) Liz

Where do you get them, Liz? Do they go into the ear in the same way
as the foam ones, or are these the external ones, that look like large
headphones? I wouldn't be able to sleep with big headphones on.

Joyce

They can be bought at tool sales stores and a few Home Improvement
store..They come in three varieties, insert ear buds with connecting cord (I
use these), small headphone type and large over ear type..Look for the
highest decibel rating variety. :-) Liz

wrote in message
...
":-\)Liz" wrote:

I know you're using ear plugs but have you tried the industrial use
ones...
made for use when operating machinery..They block all noise (I use
those...
as all others just muffle sound.) :-) Liz

Where do you get them, Liz? Do they go into the ear in the same way
as the foam ones, or are these the external ones, that look like large
headphones? I wouldn't be able to sleep with big headphones on.

Joyce

":-\)Liz" wrote:

They can be bought at tool sales stores and a few Home Improvement
store..

Thanks!

By "tool sales stores", do you mean hardware stores? I'm not sure
where you're posting from, but in the US, the place where one buys
common household tools such as hammers and nails, etc, is always called
the hardware store. Maybe it's called something else in other places?

They come in three varieties, insert ear buds with connecting cord (I
use these),

What's the connecting cord for? I assume the cord connects the ear plugs
to each other, and not to something else.

Look for the
highest decibel rating variety. :-) Liz

Absolutely!

Joyce

Are there any local organizations you can get envolved in so you can
be seen as being part of the community? Small towns can be pretty
cliquish. Church, grade school, garden club...it just seems like
you're all alone and you need a friend, and you need to build
connections. But this is long term. Is there a young person nearby
who would work cheap to help you with the fence? Could you barter
with someone...offer to clean their house or watch their pets when
they're away? Put up an ad at the post office? I think the more
people you talk to the better. Ex... make a habit of having coffee
(ice tea) 2 or 3 times a week at the local diner.

What Noon Cat Nick said was good. I'll add DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Keep
a log...times, dates, what is said by whom. Especially important
should this turn legal somewhere down the line, or in a "he said",
"she said" situation.

You can't buy the house, but maybe you could do a little "real
estating" on your own and try to find someone to buy it. Show the
listing around. Talk it up. Someone might overhear you and go check
it out. You said it was a good deal. Or, maybe I watch too much
tv.LOL

Do you have some of that pepper spray? Might be worthwhile to invest
in some for protection from 4-legged or 2-legged bullies.

PatM

"Shawn Martin" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Pat wrote:
"Sherry" wrote

Call the cops *when* the dogs are barking. Call them *when* the dogs
are running loose. Every time.

I've done that countless times. The police in this town do not care.
They might show up hours later, if at all.

snip...

OK: I really wanted to avoid this. It sounds so medieval.
I have been through this before at least 10 times. The first couple of
times I did like you;
I tried to have a civil conversation with the owners.

I was young, and didn't understand that the behavior of pets often
imitates their owners.

The only thing this accomplished was that they knew who finally
disappeared their dogs.

You are stuck now, because you opened your mouth.

Next time... be quiet.

Get some mole bait (Containing strychnine.) Put several pellets into a
golf ball sized piece of ground beef.

Place these in YOUR yard in a container, when your pets are corralled
elsewhere.

(Remember? the dogs NEVER go into YOUR yard.)
Pick up and refrigerate when you pets go out.
Repeat as necessary.
Act innocent.
When they retaliate, have them arrested for THAT

Shawn's got the right concept, but the wrong attitude toward animals.

Once the dog gets onto your property, catch it and take it down to the pound
as a lost dog. If the owners bother to retrieve the dog, they are admitting
to breaking both leash laws and allowing the dogs to trespass and will have
to pay a fine. You, however, are well within your legal rights to remove an
animal on your property.

As to the barking, your first mistake was saying nothing for 16 months. That
implies you were happy with the situation for 16 months. This may well ruin
any case you want to bring against them. Also, since dogs are *supposed* to
bark, to make a case against your westerly neighbours, you'll need to
establish that the barking is *excessive*. That means keeping a diary (and
possibly tape recording) of the time the dogs bark and how long they bark,
and establishing that their barking is excessive rather than 'reasonable'.
It would help your case if the other neighbours did the same. You may also
wish to note down the dates and times the dogs were in your yard if you
don't manage to catch them. Also write in your diary *now* your best
recollection of the conversation you had with the dog owners, the exact
words you said, the exact words they said, at what time, and what date, and
the fact you fear retribution, as this establishes the first time at which
the neighbours knew of your objection to their dogs. Once you have an
established case of excessive barking, consistant breach of leash laws, and
a repeated trespassing, write a formal letter of complaint (preferrably from
all the neighbours and not just you) to the landlord stating the relevant
laws and his liability. If nothing happens, sue.

IANAL

Shelle

Specialty stores...those dealing in just the sale of tools... like the
Makita Store..Yep cord is to keep from losing them.... :-) Liz

wrote in message
...
":-\)Liz" wrote:

They can be bought at tool sales stores and a few Home Improvement
store..

Thanks!

By "tool sales stores", do you mean hardware stores? I'm not sure
where you're posting from, but in the US, the place where one buys
common household tools such as hammers and nails, etc, is always called
the hardware store. Maybe it's called something else in other places?

They come in three varieties, insert ear buds with connecting cord (I
use these),

What's the connecting cord for? I assume the cord connects the ear plugs
to each other, and not to something else.

Look for the
highest decibel rating variety. :-) Liz

Absolutely!

Joyce

I'm sure you'll get a bunch of advice. Mine will be a bit off the
wall, I'm sure.

First, aparently you need an attorney to help go after these
folks. The local SPCA may have some advice. Probaly including
photographs and recordings.

My thought is to tape record the dog barking, and then at random
times during the night put on your ear plugs, ear muffs. And then
play the recording through a PA speaker right next to their
house. If they complain, after all you could not have a recording
of the dogs because they don't bark. So, you can't be playing
back barking that isn't happening.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Pat" wrote in message
...
: I'm stuck between all sorts of rocks and hard places here and
am about to
: lose my mind. I have to do something about it, and would like
some input.
:
: First, the background:
:
: I am surrounded by neighbors with dogs that bark all night
long. If one's
: quiet, others aren't. Most nights they keep me from getting a
good rest.
: It's only a little bit easier in winter because I can keep the
windows
: closed, but I can't do that all year without air conditioning.
:
: The neighbor on the west has three dogs that they lock in the
utility room,
: spitting distance from my bedroom window, every night. They
leave an outside
: door wide open with a gate across the bottom half so the dogs
can't get out,
: and the inner door is closed to the rest of their house, and
they sleep on
: the opposite side of the house with their bedroom door shut so
they don't
: hear their own dogs barking all night.
:
: The dogs run loose all the time, which is against a city leash
law, and they
: poop in my yard daily as well as tear into trash cans and leave
trash of all
: kinds scattered all over my yard.
:
: One of these dogs has attacked children riding bicycles along
the street and
: has attacked me twice and has attacked the man across the
street also.
:
: This evening I caught the woman letting the dogs run through my
yard and
: asked her politely to please keep them in her own yard. She
started bitching
: at me, and I told her those dogs keep me awake all the time,
and that
: there's not only a leash law but also a barking law, and that
I've put up
: with a lot from their dogs and never complained to the police
about them
: because I wanted to be neighborly, but by God do I not also
deserve a bit of
: consideration?
:
: Then her husband starting yelling at me to get off of their
property (I was
: standing between the two houses talking to the woman and not
really paying
: attention to which side of the property line I was on) or he
was going to
: have me arrested for trespassing.
:
: He also said not to complain to him about the dogs, that they
NEVER bark at
: night and NEVER leave his yard, and it must be other dogs that
I hear and
: whose poop I walk through, etc. and that I had better call the
police about
: it, and if I want solitude I should move out to the country.
:
: Well because of this attitude I am thinking it's time to make a
formal
: complaint. The lady who used to live across the street says she
will testify
: to seeing them let those dogs run into my yard all the time and
she also saw
: the attack on the child on the bicycle. I'm going to try and
find the child,
: and speak with the man across the street who got attacked also.
:
: It's pure luck that no one has been hurt so far. That dog came
after me
: growling and snarling on two different occasions and scared the
life out of
: me. I can only imagine how scared the boy must have been. The
owners of the
: dogs know about the attacks. Every time one happens, they will
keep that dog
: tied up for a few weeks, but then they go back to letting it
run free.
:
: What has stopped me so far from making a formal complaint is
(a) my word
: against theirs (which has now been solved), (b) not wanting to
make an enemy
: (I no longer have a choice on that part), and (c) fear of
retaliation -
: e.g., they set fire to my house, or poison the cats once I can
let them out
: into the yard.
:
: Ideally, this whole group purrs up a reason for these folks to
just MOVE
: OUT. Or I find a way to buy that house (it's for sale) and rent
it to
: tenants of my own choosing.
:
: Failing that, what do you think I ought to do? I haven't had a
decent
: night's sleep in 16 months, and it is literally killing me, and
no way on
: earth will I risk the safety of the cats, but they deserve to
be able to go
: outside.
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Pat wrote:
I'm stuck between all sorts of rocks and hard places here and am about to
lose my mind. I have to do something about it, and would like some input.

First, the background:

I am surrounded by neighbors with dogs that bark all night long. If one's
quiet, others aren't. Most nights they keep me from getting a good rest.
It's only a little bit easier in winter because I can keep the windows
closed, but I can't do that all year without air conditioning.

The neighbor on the west has three dogs that they lock in the utility room,
spitting distance from my bedroom window, every night. They leave an outside
door wide open with a gate across the bottom half so the dogs can't get out,
and the inner door is closed to the rest of their house, and they sleep on
the opposite side of the house with their bedroom door shut so they don't
hear their own dogs barking all night.

The dogs run loose all the time, which is against a city leash law, and they
poop in my yard daily as well as tear into trash cans and leave trash of all
kinds scattered all over my yard.

One of these dogs has attacked children riding bicycles along the street and
has attacked me twice and has attacked the man across the street also.

This evening I caught the woman letting the dogs run through my yard and
asked her politely to please keep them in her own yard. She started bitching
at me, and I told her those dogs keep me awake all the time, and that
there's not only a leash law but also a barking law, and that I've put up
with a lot from their dogs and never complained to the police about them
because I wanted to be neighborly, but by God do I not also deserve a bit of
consideration?

Then her husband starting yelling at me to get off of their property (I was
standing between the two houses talking to the woman and not really paying
attention to which side of the property line I was on) or he was going to
have me arrested for trespassing.

He also said not to complain to him about the dogs, that they NEVER bark at
night and NEVER leave his yard, and it must be other dogs that I hear and
whose poop I walk through, etc. and that I had better call the police about
it, and if I want solitude I should move out to the country.

Well because of this attitude I am thinking it's time to make a formal
complaint. The lady who used to live across the street says she will testify
to seeing them let those dogs run into my yard all the time and she also saw
the attack on the child on the bicycle. I'm going to try and find the child,
and speak with the man across the street who got attacked also.

It's pure luck that no one has been hurt so far. That dog came after me
growling and snarling on two different occasions and scared the life out of
me. I can only imagine how scared the boy must have been. The owners of the
dogs know about the attacks. Every time one happens, they will keep that dog
tied up for a few weeks, but then they go back to letting it run free.

What has stopped me so far from making a formal complaint is (a) my word
against theirs (which has now been solved), (b) not wanting to make an enemy
(I no longer have a choice on that part), and (c) fear of retaliation -
e.g., they set fire to my house, or poison the cats once I can let them out
into the yard.

Ideally, this whole group purrs up a reason for these folks to just MOVE
OUT. Or I find a way to buy that house (it's for sale) and rent it to
tenants of my own choosing.

Failing that, what do you think I ought to do? I haven't had a decent
night's sleep in 16 months, and it is literally killing me, and no way on
earth will I risk the safety of the cats, but they deserve to be able to go
outside.

That's a hard position to be in, and I've been in similar ones here. I
know what it's like to be terrified of retaliation from the neighbors
(all animal-welfare related things I did). If you could buy the house,
that would great! I don't practice Voudon, but I hear there is a "make
someone move" spell.

Otherwise, best I can suggest is call the Humane Society if there is any
animal care law they're breaking, and if that doesn't work, call the
police. You shouldn't have to live like this.

Ginger-lyn

Pat wrote:

I'm stuck between all sorts of rocks and hard places here and am about to
lose my mind. I have to do something about it, and would like some input.

First, the background:

I am surrounded by neighbors with dogs that bark all night long. If one's
quiet, others aren't. Most nights they keep me from getting a good rest.
It's only a little bit easier in winter because I can keep the windows
closed, but I can't do that all year without air conditioning.

The neighbor on the west has three dogs that they lock in the utility room,
spitting distance from my bedroom window, every night. They leave an outside
door wide open with a gate across the bottom half so the dogs can't get out,
and the inner door is closed to the rest of their house, and they sleep on
the opposite side of the house with their bedroom door shut so they don't
hear their own dogs barking all night.

The dogs run loose all the time, which is against a city leash law, and they
poop in my yard daily as well as tear into trash cans and leave trash of all
kinds scattered all over my yard.

One of these dogs has attacked children riding bicycles along the street and
has attacked me twice and has attacked the man across the street also.
snip
Failing that, what do you think I ought to do? I haven't had a decent
night's sleep in 16 months, and it is literally killing me, and no way on
earth will I risk the safety of the cats, but they deserve to be able to go
outside.

It's really hard, but I still think you should contact the police before
the dogs really hurt someone badly.
Best wishes and purrs,
Polonca and Soncek