A year ago we bought a house on a quiet cul-de-sac equipped with fireman, police, a pilot, a couple of scientists and to our dismay a rental property next door that came equipped with a barking, howling husky. It has been the battle of the neighbors to get this dog to shut up, or should we say get the owners to get the dog to shut up.
This dog is a lonely dog and its owners leave for the day very early and come home very late. During that time this dog howls non-stop! Back in August they left the dog while they went on vacation for 10-days and that dog would howl from about 5:00 am to about 1:00 am with a couple breaks in the day. It was like nails on the chalkboard and all the neighbors where coming to me asking me if I did anything about the dog.
I already called the landlords months back and they told me it was my problem. But then again this is the same people who came up to me while I was still in escrow and told me that the 30-year-old fence that separates our property is OUR problem and when do I think we will get that fixed? If you would have seen what we were moving into (a foreclosure) that we needed to gut and remodel (which we did ourselves) I smiled and told them, “Hi, my name is Pie Hole, I am glad to meet you!” I called the city and I can let that damn fence fall down if I want it to, so that is not a priority. I even baked some cookies and brought it over to the owners and talked to them about the dog, the other neighbor kids offered to walk the dog – we are a loving cul-de-sac. Yet the problem only got worse.
Well, it finally happened. By day six of the dog being left while the owners where on vacation the whole neighborhood was calling. The dog finally was shut up and life was back to normal . . . until last night!
I was nestled in my bed (which our bedroom window faces their backyard) and I was just about to fall asleep and I hear the howling! I am tossing and turning, the hubs is sound asleep, of course and I just laid there fuming. I throw open my window and yell, “SHUT UP!’, Shut up, please shut up!” The dog shut up! It worked! I crawled back in bed and as I was just about to fall asleep, the lonely long howls start-up again! That is it! I have now come to my last resort. I am talking to Mailman “Newman” Glenn today (he hates dogs) and arrange a pick up and drop off of the dog about 20 miles away. If I am question, I know nothing and this post will disappear. . . I will deny, deny, deny!
So….Glenn is in fact, NEWMAN huh? A postal carrier with a gift for making things (and problems) dissapear! You truly are living the life of Seinfeld! I am so jealous!! Hope it turns out better for you than on the show. As I remember, that mutt made it back home 🙂
Glenn has amazing follow through. . . I don’t think the outcome will be the same! And yes, for some reason I think most of my life could be a Seinfeld episode. . . I think that is why I love the show so much. I even had PD1’s doctor asked me once, “did I tell you to put the balm on?” when she had a horrible diaper rash that turned into strep. I nearly fell off the chair I was sitting on laughing and had to explain my hysteria!
Hahahahahaha – so sorry bout that howling but I have the perfect plan for you and your neighbors should Glenn decline. Some years ago, a bunch of my friends lived on another street in the neighborhood. Right in the big fat middle sat a couple who everyone loathed. One night, they put a FOR SALE BY NEIGHBORS sign in their yard. They moved.
That is genius! I will chat up this idea to the fellow neighbors… I already had one neighbor pop over to vent about “the dog”. Thank You!
may I suggest a muzzle? Or perhaps an “unexpected freak storm” that occurs while your neighbors are away, conveniently blowing the dog into the next town.
More great suggestions! Mailman Glenn is on vacation so these may be the direction I will go!
I truly sympathise with you: sleep deprivation and any constant noise is unbearable. But I also feel so sorry for the dog. That is one very unhappy creature and those people should not be allowed to treat an animal in this way. Dogs are pack animals, not loners and this is real torture for him/her.
It sounds like a caring street, does anyone feel like offering this dog a good home? How about threatening to call the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or something similar? Or would they just have it put down.
Those kids sound fantastic, offering to walk it. I expect it just wants some company and games! What would happen if several of you neighbours all went round together rather than singly, and said either let the kids walk it, let one of us have it or move!
Yes, we feel bad for the dog especially this one since she is a husky and they are working dogs that are very social! I have talked to the owners about this and they are just don’t see it like that. I have even offered to go over and bring my pooch for some social time. Almost every person that lives in my cul-de-sac has dogs have tried to reach out. I think what makes everyone upset is that we are dog owners and know that they come with a ton of responsibility and to have this poor miserable dog be so lonely is hard and very exhausting.
Sweffling: a call went in to the organization that tries to protect the animal and they are so overwhelmed, that because this dog is well nourished, no signs of physical abuse and just lonely does not constitute a crisis and were directed to code compliance via the city!
Sounds like a lovely street and really good group of neighbours. You have tried everything and more that I can think of! Good for you, I’m just so sorry about the noise for you all.
Thanks you sweffling! see, Californians are all the fruity! 🙂