Stop Neighbor Dog Barking

Knowing Your Rights, And Your Neighbors Rights

Your Rights...

If your neighbor dog barking is driving you crazy, don't feel as if there's nothing you can do about it. As a member of a community, you have rights. In an effort to get along with other members of the community you sometimes forgo your rights in an effort to be nice to your neighbors, but other times you need to stand up for your rights.

Almost all communities have noise ordinances. They don't allow loud noises between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. You have a right to a good night's sleep. It makes for a happier, healthier community. If your neighbor's dog is interrupting that sleep, you have the right to get law enforcement involved.

Now, understand that the police may have time restrictions. There may be nothing they can do to help you to stop neighbors dog barking unless he barks non-stop for ten minutes. Understandably, they have to have some measure that says the dog's barking is a problem. They can't go running around the city for every dog that barks a couple times during the quiet hours.

Most communities also have nuisance dog ordinances. These usually refer to a dog that bites or wanders around the city on the loose. But it might apply to your neighbor dog barking as well, and it’s worth looking into before proceeding further.

If you can get some documentation, it would help your cause. If you can show law enforcement 45 minutes of video footage that's time stamped at 3:00 am, you'll make their job easier and be more apt to get something done.

If you decide to take video, try to capture something that identifies the yard as you neighbor's. Film the front of his house or his vehicle license plate in the driveway.

Your Neighbors Rights...

You definitely have rights if you want to stop neighbors dog barking, but don't forget, your neighbor has rights too.

Your neighbor has the right to take some time to resolve the issue. In short, if you get law enforcement involved it's going to be a fairly long process. Your neighbor will get several warnings before any action is taken. Most of these warnings will come because you consistently keep calling in. Not too often, but not too far apart either. Every week or two will work fine.

The police may also ask what you've done to try to resolve the issue. They may want to know if you've tried to talk with your neighbor or if you just came running to them. And, honestly, your neighbor has the right to find out from you that there's a problem. It's pretty sad if the first he hears about the problem is from an officer knocking on the door at night.

People living in community have to find ways to get along. There is a required give and take among neighbors in order to keep the peace. Everyone has rights and everyone has responsibilities.

If all else fails, you may have to get the police involved to stop neighbor dog barking. But try to do so for the good of the community, as well as for your own sanity.

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