approach dogs' owner?

lyndausvi

dogs are not one size fits all.  Breads, climate, environments (city, rural, etc) all play a part in being able to leave a dog outside or not. I've had dogs who can be left outside unsupervised with no problems.  One dog I watch actually HATED being indoors.  After about 20 minutes she would beg at the door to go back out. She was happy and content outside unsupervised. I've also had dogs that could never be outside unsupervised as they would get into trouble.

wadingmoose

I guess, as with everything here, then clarity is pretty important.   Regardless, it is a training issue.  The reality is that people who let their dogs bark continuously while the owner IS at home aren't concerned with training at all and likely won't respond to requests to deal with the dogs.  Same with neglect.However, recommending that the OP call animal control on a dog that is outside in a secured backyard isn't going to do anything for the dog and his owner unless there is an abuse issue - not enough water, no shade, etc.  It does nothing to help the relationship between the dog's owner and the person with the complaint.  I would treat it as a noise complaint rather than an animal control issue - again, unless there are signs of abuse, but in general a dog being kept outside isn't typically considered abuse where I am.As a pet owner, I'd be less likely to work with my neighbors and my dog if I suddenly had the police, by-law or animal control standing on my doorstep without warning and much more likely to start pointing out the moron who uses his leaf blower at midnight, the kid across the street who plays his music far too loudly at inappropriate times, etc.

vallyhoo

Treating it as a noise complaint could still get the police or AC standing on the neighbor's doorstep. Or worse, nothing will be done as was the case when I have reported noise complaints in the past, after repeated attempts to talk with former neighbors.Talk to the neighbor first, unless he becomes irrational and confrontational.

robinmsw

Thanks so much for all the responses.  I'll try to cover a few things.  As someone noted, I live in Boston.  Extreme heat and extreme cold.  And everything in between.  They are out there in rain, snow, sun, etc.  (Even as a non-dog person, that alarms me.)  There is shade, but I don't know about water and all that.  At times, they go behind the house, so there may be something set up back there for them.I wondered about getting one of those bark control devices.  Actually, my fiance's brother lived here before I moved in and he used it on them, and it seemed to work for a while.  My only concerns are 1.) it's not dangerous to the dogs; 2.) effectiveness--I'm not usually home during the day, I just happen to have today off.  But it annoys the crap out of me every morning in the half hour they're barking before I leave, and the several hours after I get home from work.  So I wonder how effective it would be without "training" them throughout the day.  (My FBIL was in school, therefore home a lot more.)Thanks again for the suggestions.  I will probably hold off on calling animal control.  Perhaps until an extremely hot (or cold) day.  BTW, I did look into the city laws, and the noise ordinance is after 11pm and before 8am.  Sure enough, they're out every morning at about 8:05.  Bastard!!

wadingmoose

It'll still get the police on the front step, but she's also already done the PA note thing (which is fine to me) so it's not like he's unaware of the situation.  But to me, calling animal control is ineffective since the dogs aren't in a situation where they're being abused (from what we can tell) and aren't a danger to anyone.

wadingmoose

Our city has a noise ordinance, but extreme noise during the day can also be called in and dealt with.  Noise ordinances, I've recently learned, are primarily for construction type of things (again, that's specific to here, but it may be the same there.)I hate bad dog owners.  It makes the rest of us look bad.

vallyhoo

I hate bad dog owners. It makes the rest of us look bad.We agree on something.

ddumire

If the dogs in this case are constantly barking and left outside in all hours and in all weather, it is probably not an appropriate situation for the dogs.  I would look into nuisance laws and call the appropriate authorities.  Most likely these dogs are not receiving adequate stimulation or are too anxious to be left outside alone.I think every dog is different, but most dogs need companionship and want to be with their owners when they are home.  Leaving a dog outside unsupervised can be a problem if there are nasty neighbor kids, predators, rabid dogs, etc.  Leaving a dog unsupervised but restrained can actually harm your dog if it gets caught.  There is a dog barking incessantly at this moment down below my house because it sees kids in the street skateboarding.  I wish the owners would take the dog inside and give it a distraction!  I would not leave my dog outside all the time unless I lived on a farm and it had a shelter to sleep in and I was sure that it would be safe.

steverani

Call animal control or police non emergency number...usually they have a time limit and if they hear the dog barking nonstop for that amount of time they can fine the owner. I am a fierce dog lover and DO NOT agree on keeping dogs outside no matter what the weather is. Why have a dog if you just keep it chained up or left outside with no interaction?? You are already nicer than me to leave notes...I am surprised  not more neighbors have complained...Poor Puppies!!!

katiewhompus

The problem with most of the sonic bark deterance devices (not the collars but the ones that you could use for dogs no owned by yourself) is that they have a limited range. Most are only effective if the dog is within 25 feet of the device. I'm not sure how close you are to the dogs or if it would help. They also can be fairly pricey. Nothing else, buy one and keep your receipt, then return it (within the policy) if it doesn't work.Ditto other pp, my dog barks because she is a hound/guard dog. If someone comes within 5 feet of our front door she will let us know. With training she has gotten to the point where instead of barking at every sound she only barks at "threatening" sounds (such as the door knocker, loud bangs outside, etc). If people want some training tips on that I'd be happy to try to help.If I had a cop show up and say the neighbors complained about her barking, I'd be freaking pissed. I'm a really level headed person and would much rather have the neighbor say "Is there any way you could quiet your dog" than a cop show up. I used to work for a horse rescue and we had AC called on us every time we got new horses in. They arrived skinny and horrible looking after we got them out of horrible situations. If the people constantly complaining bothered to ask, we would tell them the situation. Instead they called the cops and we had to deal with that every time.