Barking Dog Problem (Christmas, Lee: Home Depot, purchase, live)

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Well, to follow up on this situation - I called Animal Control and was told that they'll send someone to investigate. She didn't tell me if other complaints have been filed, but said that my call does warrant a call to check out the situation. I fear that nothing much will be done because, when I mentioned that they bark a lot, she said, "If you want to file a complaint, then we need your name & address." I guess they actually have to say that Nancy, your neighbor, is complaining about the constant barking. She said "You sound sincerely passionate about these animals, so we'll check it out to make sure there are no violations," but they really don't have any laws about taking care of dogs, even if they're miserable. They will only assess the living conditions and their physical appearance. One time an officer on Animal Precinct said she wished there was a law "All dogs must live in homes," but there isn't one. That was in New York when it was snowy with temperatures in the 20s, but as long as the dog had some shelter from the wind, the owner was allowed to keep him outside all the time. One of the dogs is crying so much, it's pitiful. She also told me the reason the dogs are chained across the yard from each other is probably because they get tangled, which is a common problem. IMHO I believe the barking would stop if the dogs were together, although I've been told I'm wrong. When the puppies were running around loose, I rarely heard them cry. In any case, I doubt if my problem will be resolved.

Yes, if they have proper shelter, are not infested with fleas/ticks etc and have adequate food and water all the time, there isn't a law unfortunately. However, from what you described, I think that they are less than adequately housed and cared for. I grew up outside of Cleveland, and believe it or not, never saw yard ornament animals. Coming to FL is the first place I've seen people who decorate their yards with animals. I never understood it, and I never will. A barking dog inside is just as much a threat to a robber as one sitting in your yard wasting away in the heat, sick and hungry. What a shame. I don't wish there was a law regarding that; I wish there were more laws regulating who could even have animals. However, just with child abuse, some people suck and there is very little anyone can do about it except be concerned citizens and pray that the local legislature protects the victims!!!!!!! Good for you to have called, and I hope something can be done. Maybe if they are fined enough, they'll either choose to find homes for them, or fix the problem.
Lastly, I am not a fan of BSL (another thread altogether), but my old hometown has it. However, they don't regulate what types of dogs can be housed, just what you have to do if you have a certain breed/s. I kind of agree with it. If you have a pit bull, or 3 other types of breeds, you have to keep them indoors a minimum of 50% of the time, hold a 100K insurance policy on each dog, and have them leashed at all times in the neighborhood or face immediate removal of the pet, and fines upwards of $500 per infraction. Minimum of $1000 on 3rd. What it does do is ward off the losers like your neighbors. Only those who love the breed, and are willing to take on the insurance policy and have the pets in their homes and WALK them have them. Thus, you never see the pitties sold out of the backs of trucks, tied to trees, out in the cold or heat, or running loose. Truthfully, all the pitties, rotties, bullies in the area are very well taken care of! Unfortunately though...many are put to sleep in the pound b/c there aren't ENOUGH people willing to take that on to save them all. The whole thing is an enormous mess created by ignorant people.

[justNancy]

A Lee County Animal Services van was outside of the house for several minutes. Guess what? The dogs haven't barked in over an hour.
Maybe I did them a disservice by untangling them during the night. You see, there is a shed in the backyard, but the dog can't get to it if he is tangled up by a chain. Same with the water bowl. It was knocked over and dry. Puppies are like little kids, so they need to be watched. So they could claim they've been taking care of the dogs, but they just knocked over the bowl. They could also say they were home and only went away for a few minutes to the supermarket. That's very hard to prove.

Right now it's about 72, so they're not baking in the heat or freezing on the cold ground, so I have no idea what happened. It's still very quiet. I was going to walk over to talk to the Animal Control Officer, but I honestly don't want to get too involved with my neighbors. At this point, they only know that someone called but, even if they suspect I'm the person who complained, they can't be certain. Maybe they were fined and they'll have to take the dogs to a vet. At least that helped, but if they continue to bark all night, it's not going to resolve my problem!

[justNancy]

I've got to say, I give kudos to Lee County for returning again today to follow up with the above problem.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by justNancy

I've got to say, I give kudos to Lee County for returning again today to follow up with the above problem.

Fantastic justNancy! I really hope you get some sleep, and those doggies get some assistance. (it's a cold one tonight!!!)

[jlawr]

That is a shame. Hopefully it will be taken care of. I know here in my area they have a 15 min barking regulation. If your dog barks more than 15 mins consistently, and someone complains, you leave yourself open to a fine.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by jlawr

That is a shame. Hopefully it will be taken care of. I know here in my area they have a 15 min barking regulation. If your dog barks more than 15 mins consistently, and someone complains, you leave yourself open to a fine.

What a great idea! I haven't yet filed a nuisance complaint, since I'd be required to provide my name & number. Anyway, I thought they were okay, but tonight I'm hearing a lot of crying. Maybe I'll call tomorrow to ask if any progress was made. It's very cold again tonight and the dogs are always outside 24/7. They really need to get some exercise too. This is very sad, but also very common.

[jlawr]

Thats a total shame. Ya know, I can put up with vehicle noise, kids yelling, but that consistent bark of a dog is really annoying. We just lost our Golden after 10 yrs and most of the day & night he layed on the couch watching TV with me. Dont know why people get pets, just to ignore them. They are family.

[mrcoolmrcool28]

Originally Posted by jlawr

Thats a total shame. Ya know, I can put up with vehicle noise, kids yelling, but that consistent bark of a dog is really annoying. We just lost our Golden after 10 yrs and most of the day & night he layed on the couch watching TV with me. Dont know why people get pets, just to ignore them. They are family.

Mine too. I'm sitting here with one on each side of me. One of them is a 6.5 lbs poodle that is blind, ancient, diabetic, and incontinent. But what can you do? She's family!!

[jlawr]

[jlawr]

That was my baby. Its been a month and its still hard making it thru each day. A breeder did tell me some people only ever have 1 dog in their life, I might be one of those people.