Have you ever lived next door to a house with barking dogs? I’m not talking about a little “yap” or “ruff” here and there, but continual incessant barking during the day or night. If so, you know how too much barking can destroy peace in a community, divide neighbors and ultimately impact the qualify of life in a neighborhood. I asked nearly a dozen experienced Sacramento area Realtors for their thoughts on how barking effects the process of buying and selling. Here is what they said.
NOTE: This is not an anti-dog or anti-animal post. I love animals and they should never be mistreated – even in situations where there has been constant barking.
Brian McMartin – Realtor: Clients react differently depending on the dog and the bark. If it is a dog that yips once in a while, most clients are ok with this. If the dogs barks incessantly while showing the home/yard, clients become concerned about their privacy and it can be a big turn-off. If the dog appears aggressive, most clients will ask to leave. From a listing agent perspective and having dogs in the listing you are trying to market, this needs to be addressed with the sellers. Animals (especially dogs) need to be addressed since dogs impact the showing of a home. Despite the size of the dog, clients become very nervous around dogs and it impacts their overall impression of the home. Additionally, if the home smells at all like any animal, this is a huge turn-off for prospective buyers and will affect the desirability of the home. Best case scenario – I ask the sellers to kennel the dogs or put the dogs with a friend and get them out of the home. Even if you have to mention in the MLS “need to get dogs out of home”, some agents will not show or go to the trouble of this and will ultimately affect the amount your home will be shown.
Angela Jones – Realtor: I can tell you from years of selling homes, anytime there is a barking dog my heart just sinks (especially if this is “the perfect” house for my client!). It is definitely a negative from the initial “bark” as you know this will impact your client’s backyard quality time even if they are dog lovers. If the house is one they want to make an offer on I will make sure they will be ok with the dog next door. If they decide to go forward I will make sure I note that there is a dog next door and it barked when I was doing my inspection on my AVID (Agent Visual Inspection Disclosure). All parties to the transaction sign my AVID including the listing agent, so there should be no surprises or lawsuits. 🙂
I definitely think barking dogs can impact property value and depending on the market (right now it is a seller’s market) there may or may not be an opportunity to place a “true value” of this negative impact. The flip side of this is what if the house next door doesn’t have a dog until after a week or a month or a year after you buy? There is no guarantee of the issue of the barking dog at that point. You can’t control this from happening, but if you develop a good relationship with your surrounding neighbors, you might be able to address it with your neighbor without a huge problem!
Kellie Swayne – Realtor: I can’t say that I’ve worked with a buyer who has offered less on a property because of noisy neighborhood dogs. However, barking dogs in the neighborhood have certainly deterred some of my buyer clients from submitting offers on a house. Many buyers I work with have pets that are considered an important part of their family. And, as such, are taken into consideration when purchasing a home. When a neighbor has a barking dog or one that does not take kindly to people (or pets) in the adjoining backyard, many times my clients will shy away from the house altogether. On the other hand, friendly neighbors and their pets are often a welcome attribute to a new neighborhood for potential buyers. While I’m not sure that barking dogs will have a direct impact on the value of a home (though, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have some statistics somewhere to the contrary!), they do, in my opinion, influence a prospective homebuyer’s view of the house and of the neighborhood.
Heather Ostrom – Realtor: When a prospective buyer hears the barking, it’s not always a matter of reducing price, it’s often losing a buyer altogether. Nobody wants to walk into that noise or feel like a prisoner to how they can or would enjoy their outdoor living space. Plus who wants to be the person that approaches and has to confront someone about the noise or anonymously report someone’s furry friend and fight that battle for possibly years and years if you’re a home owner (or even renter)? It’s often a sore subject with said “dog owner” and I have to believe, some folks become numb to the noise until it’s brought to their attention – based on experience. When confronting a dog owner with a barker, you either 1. run into someone who wants to help fix the noise, 2. come to compromise or 3. you are met with full on aggression for the perceived personal attack.
Doug Reynolds – Realtor: I recently showed a vacant house that was for sale. My buyer clients were saying many positive things about the floor plan, the condition of the home and the location as we were walking through the house. As is normal when looking at a home, we went into the backyard last. As soon as we opened the sliding glass door, two dogs from the neighboring house behind started barking uncontrollably and jumping up against the fence. The buyers, who were discussing an offer inside the house a few moments before, turned to me and said “Ok, onto the next house. This will never work for us.” I kept an eye on the house for a few weeks after that. It eventually ended up selling but for a little less than I would have expected, and it took a little longer than is normal in this current market. I think the barking dogs caused the sellers to have a more difficult sale and eventually take a little bit less money than the comparable homes in the neighborhood.
Erin Stumpf Attardi – Realtor: I think barking dogs of any shape or size at a neighboring property can definitely impact the desirability of a house. Most homeowners would like to be able to enjoy activities like entertain guests in the backyard, relax and read, garden, swim, or barbecue without the constant disruption and annoyance of a loud dog. Most of my buyer clients think of this immediately if we are touring the yard of a property and are greeted with a yappy or snarling dog. Some buyers will find this behavior forgivable if the dog stops barking after a minute or two, however if the noise persists during most of the showing…many buyers will generally pass on purchasing the property, especially if they have pets of their own that potentially will aggravate the neighboring ones. Does this have a negative effect on value? In a balanced market with normal inventory levels, I think yes – since the seller will likely have to reduce the price of the house to entice a buyer to purchase it. In today’s market, I think more buyers will be willing to overlook a barking dog just for the sake of getting into a house, and perhaps turn to alternative methods of quieting the dog — perhaps it’s a good opportunity to introduce yourself to the new neighbors.
Lynn Vockrodt – Realtor: A barking dog usually doesn’t interfere with our buyers choice if they love the home. Buyers know that they can complain to the county if the dog barks continuously or at night. I have never had a buyer come back to me with this complaint. After making these comments I will probably have an issue next week which may make me eat my words. 🙂
Gena Riede – Realtor: Being an animal lover, I must say that most of the time what I say to potential buyers when there are dogs barking in a neighborhood, is that first off their reaction to not buy a house based on that fact alone should be carefully weighed by a few factors. 1) How long will the dog live & remain an issue? 2) Will that neighbor move away resolving the problem? 3) Ability to report the nuisance to proper authorities for resolution. 4) The old fashion way of communicating directly with the neighbor to correct the issue.
So far in my real estate practice this has not had a negative impact on the purchase of a property. Barking dogs while selling a house also has not been an issue. If it ever was an issue, I would have no problem in approaching the homeowner or renter requesting their cooperation. I did have an incident where a past client bought a house & the property next door was sold to an investor who rented the house. The renters had a pit bull who charged the good neighbor fence, in need of repair, scaring my past client & making him feel uncomfortable in his own backyard. When contacting the police department my client was told that unless the dog was physically in his backyard, there was nothing the police could do. This issue was resolved by contacting the landlord who was unaware of the tenant’s dog & saw the liability this posed.
Jeff Grenz – Realtor: I was a part of a short sale “team” in 2010. We had a listing in a very affordable section of Granite Bay by Greenhills Elementary. Great home, great location, under $200,000 and we accepted a contract in a few weeks. Then summer came and the warmer temperatures raised an issue that wasn’t an obvious AVID (Agent Visual Inspection Disclosure) problem in the cooler weather. The next door neighbor’s dogs did not have a barking problem, but a “parking” problem. The subject home used an RV sized side yard as its main entertainment patio, as the kitchen and dining area opened onto a large concrete patio. It was perfect except in the heat of summer, the dogs “parking” history next door could be easily detected via nose. Short sale approvals took awhile to process in 2010, so this one bounced in and out of ASC (active short sale contingent) status a few more times and into the summer of 2011, where again, the problem, um, reheated. Ultimately, the lender didn’t want to recognize a discount associated with the problem and decided the owner might stay if their payments were less.
Tamara Dorris – Realtor: I think most Realtors will agree that when we are showing a house and there is a barking dog next door, we wish it would be quiet. I’ve had prospective buyers of a property actually mention how annoying the barking dog was, however, I’m not sure it would keep someone from buying a house. In fact, I recently sold a home in El Dorado Hills that I was sure they wouldn’t buy because there was a small dog with an incessant yipping next door. The buyers were specifically looking for a home in the hills where they could hang out in the backyard and enjoy the view, so that annoying barking was off-putting. They did end up buying it, but, I think that given two houses that met all their other criteria, and one did NOT have the dog, that one would have won. Bottom line: part of being a responsible pet owner is to be respectful to your neighbors. When my dogs start barking in the backyard, I bring them in or scold them. Why should my neighbors have their enjoyment hampered by my dogs? (and visa versa).
Steve Ostrom – Realtor: Here are the stories we have experienced and/or been told by our clients for reasons for frustration and/or an actual move. We have had a few homeowners move to the Roseville area to get away from barking dogs. I think it was more of a motivation to improve the quality of life and not an effect on property values. We once had a buyer from the Bay Area move due to a neighbor trying to poison their dog. Another buyer from Twitter, a few years ago now, that was in full battle with a neighbor due to the neighbor being unwilling to manage their dog’s barking. We have had sellers ask their neighbors to quiet their dogs or do their best to manage. Still should be a disclosure unless the issue of dog barking is fully resolved.
Summary: In short, dogs can be wonderful for neighborhoods because they’re companions, conversation magnets and parcel protectors. However, a “man’s best friend” isn’t always a neighbor’s best friend if there is out-of-control barking going on. Barking is not a selling point, so you’ll never see comments in MLS saying, “Classic neighborhood with a pool-sized yard, separate Living & Family Rooms, and um, the dogs next door bark all night long.” Ultimately if there is a big-time barking issue, and it really does negatively influence property value, it should work itself out on the front end of a sale with buyers being turned-off or making lower offers (as opposed to the appraiser bringing objective “dog market data” to make a negative adjustment in the appraisal report for “canine external obsolescence”).
Questions: Do you have any barking stories to share? How do you think continuous barking impacts the quality of neighborhood life or property value? What is the solution to stopping a barking problem? Do dog owners just not hear their dogs or do they not care? What’s the deal there?
If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Twitter, subscribe to posts by email or “like” my page on Facebook
Lots of good points here pointed out by my colleagues. I loved the statement, “man’s best friend” isn’t always a neighbor’s best friend.” As neighbors we all need to cooperate with each other so each person can enjoy the comfort of their home and yard.
Thanks for your contribution, Gena. Well said on the need for cooperation among neighbors. When neighbors ignore each other or let dogs bark, it’s not good for anyone.
Loved Tamara’s line, “Bottom line: part of being a responsible pet owner is to be respectful to your neighbors.” So true. 🙂 This is true for all items that cause visual or audio noise in the extremes. A happy neighborhood and set of neighbors are ones that care about each other and are willing to compromise. Great post Ryan, and such an important (yet such a touchy issue). We all would like to think all people are willing to fix the issue, but reality is, not all are not … and for most dog owners with “barkers” – most have told me, I wish they would have come to me first for resolution before calling animal control or PD. But it’s not always comfortable to be marked as the Dog Bark Narc. ~ I’m a dog lover, but I also like not being woken up at 12am, then 230am, and 530am by the sounds of my neighbor’s dog. 🙂
Great thoughts, Heather. I wonder if the owners hear the sound. Maybe they’re just used to it? Peace in a neighborhood is not overrated. When it’s disrupted, it can really be damaging to a person’s perception of the community too. This can cause people to move and also effect the real estate process too.
I like how you said “Dog Narc.” Hopefully neighbors (and code enforcement where appropriate) can solve issues like this. I’ve been there so many times with barking sounds. I understand if neighbors left town or there is a reason why a dog is barking, but if it’s something regular….. yikes!!
Some are used to it (re: owners of barkers) … I don’t know how they are used to it, but a few seemed sincere and tried to fix it right away. But many echoed hurt that they found out by a posting on their door in lieu of a neighbor asking them directly. I just don’t think that scenario always works if it’s a more aggressive neighbor or you know will likely not be so receptive to your kind request for a bit of audio “peace.” I’m definitely speaking of the “regular” repeat offending barkers – I think it’s fair to assume, during the regular daylight hours of a bit of barking here and there. At 2am at night, I’m not necessarily as lenient.
I think you’re right that it’s best for neighbors to talk to each other where possible and focus on building good enough relationpships where they can communicate about uncomfortable things. I can see how a neighbor might feel hurt over a situation. I know I wouldn’t be happy if someone “turned me in” for something that I could’ve simply handled on my own. I’d prefer neighbors be honest with me (and I know I’m far from perfect too). In a situation where a resident is nasty, mean, dangerous or has checked out of the community, however, I think a call to code enforcment may be the only remedy. Of if a dog owner has not responded to a cordial and diplomatic request from a neighbor, then it’s really something local government should handle.
This is why an HOA is alluring to many because community building is not easy work. When you combine a bunch of imperfect people and drop them into a neighborhood, issues come up. It’s a wonderful thing though when people can work together to solve problems. That makes a neighborhood stronger and better off.
Great point about HOA!
Thanks for a very interesting post! I write about pets for a living, and yes, of course, I have dogs. I work from home, and for a while I had a neighbor with a very loud, yappy, non-stop barker. Made it very hard to concentrate on my work.
These were very nice neighbors, and they wanted to work on the problem. As a pet expert, I suggested many things they could try, but the dog (a former stray) was nothing BUT behavior problems (couldn’t be put indoors because wasn’t house-trained, needed to be housed separately from other pets because of fighting, etc.) so the barking went on and on. They were just overwhelmed with this dog, who was more than they could handle no matter how much they tried.
Finally the dog bit a relative and was put down. Sad ending, but I can’t say I was all that sorry when the dog was gone.
P.S. I now live in the very quiet Southport section of West Sacramento, on a small res-ag property. Jeff Grenz, cited in the post above, was my Realtor! Very happy here.
Gina, thank you so much for stopping by. I’m not sure a pet expert has ever graced my blog. Since you’re here though, I have a cat question for you…. Just kidding 🙂
I’m no pet expert by any means, but it seems some dogs are beyond training. I’d like to think most can be trained and behavior can be corrected, but I would guess sometimes it just cannot happen. It sounds like this is what your neighbors were dealing with. What a sad situation for the family, though I feel your pain and can understand a sense of relief you must have had.
Jeff is a great guy. I’m so glad he was your Realtor. He knows his stuff. Congratulations on your purchase. West Sac has some wonderful areas and sincerely quiet acreage too in light of little traffic coming to and fro.
Very, very few dogs are “beyond” training, and those who are typically have medical or neurological problems. For dogs with extreme behavior problems not linked to health issues, the problem is more likely that owners haven’t the skills to cope with the animal, or the money and time to work with someone (like a veterinary behaviorist — UCD’s vet school has a wonderful program!) who can get the situation resolved to the satisfaction of all.
That’s good to know, Gina. Thank you for your expertise. I really appreciate it.
When I said “quiet” I did forget to mention the peacocks and the roosters. But do get used to them, I’ve found! 🙂
Roosters give you a built-in alarm clock. I don’t know what sort of sounds peacocks even make.
No dog is beyond training. I am a certified dog trainer, and have been working with homeless and rescue dogs for many years. Dogs bark for many reasons, and most people are thankful for their barks when someone is breaking into their home. However, incessant barking needs to be dealt with. Any owner needs to work on all aspect of dog behavior, no matter what the issue is, consult a dog trainer. Incessant barking can have many triggers, but ultimately, it is not good for the dog to be barking all the time.
When showing a home, a seller really needs to take the dog away from the house. They don’t understand why strangers are in their home without mom and dad being home. They will feel they need to tell everyone to get out, and they only have one way of saying that “BARK”. If there demands of out do not work, a dog may resort to something more drastic, a growl, lunge or bite.
Thank you Ann. It’s nice to hear your take. Thank you for working with homeless and rescue dogs. Great tidbits of wisdom here.
Great topic Ryan. This is something I’m sure many people have been exposed to no matter part of the country they are from. Have you developed that “barking dog” adjustment yet?;-)
Very true, Tom. In UAD format, the desciption looks like this: “A;Bark;Res” (kidding).
Ryan, thank you for opening up the interesting and often grating topic of barking dogs. Gina Spadafori is correct in stating, “Very, very few dogs are ‘beyond’ training…the problem is more likely that owners haven’t the skills to cope with the animal, or the money and time to work with someone.” As a professional dog behaviorist for the past 20 years, my experience of troubled dogs has been someone either got a free dog or they purchased an expensive dog (either way, they didn’t plan on spending any more money on dog ownership beyond a leash, collar, and bed). People in the middle tend to take a little time and money to ensure their dog integrates into the family–hence, no major barking issues. I liken dog ownership to child rearing–the expense includes education, time together indoors and out, exercise time, awareness of needs and unique idiosyncrasies, training aides, lots of appropriate toys, preventative medical, and behavior therapy as needed.
Once the dog develops bad indoor habits, it is relegated to the back yard. Once it becomes a beast in the back yard, it is relegated to the pound or foisted off “free” to the next unsuspecting sole where the pattern takes four months to repeat itself. Dogs bark in the back yard because their needs are not met. Period. Either they are unhappy or bored. Period. This includes finding dangerous ways to alleviate their boredom like fence-fighting/rushing, chasing cats, and barking at treed squirrels.
Behavior training is expensive and time consuming because it is one-on-one due to the nature of the individual issue, it takes time to train the owner proper handling techniques unique to their dog’s behavior and learning style, and finally, it depends on the family dynamics, dog, time and effort by all involved. Therefore, the barking, next-door dog is due to the owner chosing not to have time, desire and/or money to address their dog’s needs. Hence the reason most owners get pushed apart when approached that their dog’s barking is now a neighborhood issue. They are aware it’s a problem, even if they chose to ignore it.
What can a neighbor do?
1) Let’s not overlook the most obvious that you can offer to pay for the behavior training. Education is never a waste of money. Something good will result out of it, even if not the specifically desired outcome. Through training, the owner may realize dog ownership does not fit their lifestyle or handling abilities of that specific dog/breed. Where your observation may be met with resistance, the neighbor may be more open to the professional’s feedback after just a few sessions.
2) Recommend a “bark collar”. It’s a quick fix (without meeting the dog’s needs), but may do the trick enough to make the issue tolerable (to humans, but not the dog).
3) Recommend to take the neighbor’s dog for walks. A dog who knows his neighbor well will not rush the fence or bark at him. Of course, now you are in essence taking on the role of grandparenting the dog (what the owner is unwilling or uncapable of doing/giving to meet the dogs needs, you can fill in). There is liability exposure involved in this suggestion.
4) Recommend to let the dog hang out at your place when the neighbor is gone. This can simply be done by putting a “doggy door” in the fence, so that you can retrieve the dog when you are home (the times when the barking is an issue to you), and put him back into the neighbor’s yard when you leave. Of course, this may require you to pay for behavior training (how to handle the dog) and training aids (like xpens and baby gates), but the bright side is that everyone wins. There is also a good deal of liability exposure in this suggetion as well.
5) The last recourse before starting the sometimes very long process of involving local animal control officers is to keep a visible “cookie jar” handy. Go out multiple times per day in the back yard and becon the dog (giving it your own name works fine if you don’t know it) while shaking the cookie jar. At first, the dog will likely be wary of you, so drop a small but obvious piece of cookie through the fence. As time goes on, the dog will happily run up to the fence every time it sees you. Repeat for all family members. This takes time, but it does work. I have never heard of a dog having an adverse reaction to a standard, dry dog-biscuit given in this small quantity.
Of course, if you are ever concerned for your safely, be sure to consult a professional behaviroist before embarking on any endeavor with a dog. I hope this has been of help. Please feel free to reach me for further discussions or ideas.
Thanks so much Karen. I like your first paragraph in particular to help illustrate the reasons why dogs are often barking. They require so much work and people need to understand the responsibility and training involved in having a dog. I appreciate the time you took to respond. Thank you again.
Wow, that was an amazing and detailed answer. Thank you and a great read.
These are good comments, Ryan and make for a good qualitative analysis. To try to quantify an adjustment for barking dogs at the subject property or comparables, the appraiser could ask respondents to assign a percentage of value or ranking that can be used with the appraisers judgment. I’ve used this technique in the past to support adjustments.
Thanks Nancy. Great idea. I appreciate you sharing.
Neighbors who let their dogs bark non stop should be charged with domestic terrorism. (And I say this as a dog owners and a Vegan who loves animals)
Most people who have nonstop barking dogs are either total psychopaths or drug dealers. There is no reasoning with these people and you can often times expect retaliation to start from these cavemen.
No way in HELL I would buy a property next to a barking dog. Barking dogs are a SERIOUS issue in America and it needs to be addressed by harsher Federal, State, and Local laws.
A non stop barking dog can ruin your life and drive you insane. Barking dogs were used on the Branch Davidians to drive them batty and also used as TORTURE on enemy combatants!
Bob, thanks for your comment. It sounds like you’ve been in some bad situations before. I had a neighbor’s dog bark non-stop before and it was an incredible drain in so many ways. I tried to work it out with them too by being cordial (telling them in person) and writing a letter, but I eventually simply called code enforcement because it was a noise nuisance that the owner would simply not deal with for whatever reason. This dog woke me up every single night multiple times for far too long, which impacted my attitude the next day and how I felt all day too. Thankfully the neighbor has since moved. Some people shouldn’t have dogs if they aren’t willing to listen to them and care for them. After this experience I would NEVER purchase a house if I heard gnarly barking next door. Peace is not overrated.
I honestly would not be surprised if we start seeing HOA’s in the future that are dog free.
I have had boxers my entire life, whom I have dearly loved, but after being tortured by 2 neighbors with non stop barking dogs I did not get another puppy after my last dog passed away from old age.
Barking dogs are a SERIOUS issue. And governments need to crack down on irresponsible dog owners. That is a big part of the problem is often times the local LE refuse to enforce the laws, or act like it isn’t a big deal.
The real fact of the matter is that barking dogs were and are used to torture terrorist during interrogations! Why? Because it drives people insane and destroys their mind.
The laws that make you confront your neighbor are insane also. Most people (not all, but most) who have non stop barking dogs have severe mental issues, and the barking dog is a reflection of their problems. Or as I mentioned above many people with non-stop barking dogs are actually drug dealers.
I am to the point now that when I think about purchasing a house I do 2 things first
#1 it must be in a city with stringent dog barking laws.
#2 it must be in a HOA with a hefty fine and penalty for barking dogs.
You really cannot even begin to describe the hell of living next door to a non stop barking dog until you have experienced it.
Thanks for the comment Bob. I’m sorry to hear of your experience. I can honestly relate since I had a previous neighbor with a dog that was clearly just left to bark all day and night. It was maddening and a complete destroyer of any sense of peace. It’s too bad when dog owners (for whatever reason) do not take responsibility for their dogs. Here’s to wishing you peace in your home. 🙂
I own several rental properties and I suggest that everyone in the market to purchase a home (or rental property) check the property on different days of the week (particularly the weekend), at night, etc. Get out of your car and if you can hear barking dogs, remove the property from your list and look elsewhere. Even if you’re planning on renting the property, tenants will not tolerate barking dogs and you will have such a turnover, you will lose money.
Another thing I suggest is drive around the neighborhood and if you see “loose dogs” running about, especially pit bulls or other large, dangerous animals, look elsewhere — remember, loose dogs turn over trash cans, etc. and will use your yard for a bathroom.
Another good idea is the check the back yard very carefully — as well as adjoining yards — and if the grass is “spotty,” this is a good indication there is, or has been, a dog on the property. Dogs not only make noise, their excrement kills grass and everything else it touches and if a neighbor has a dog in his yard, when it rains, the excrement can be washed onto your property and kill your grass. Additionally, excrement attracts flies, which can transmit bacteria from the excrement to food, etc. Not only this, but neighboring dogs can infest your yard with fleas and ticks and if these pests get into your house and into your carpet, you have a prolonged and very expensive problem.
If you have young children, be extra careful about nearby dogs because dog excrement — and the parasites it contains — can wash onto your property and cause parasitic infections in children such as ringworm, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, etc. In addition to all the other problems that can result from these parasitic infections, roundworms can transmit ocular toxocariasis, which causes blindness in seven out of 10 of those affected by it.
Thank you CarlisleHall for the comment. I appreciate the time you took to unpack your thoughts. I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to tenants becoming weary of incessant barking. It can definitely impact quality of life, so they will inevitably look elsewhere. Your comments highlight how important it is for dog owners to take responsibility for their animals. We’d like to think we live in “parcel islands”, but what we do in our parcels can impact other people emotionally and even financially.
I dont think it gone leave any kind of the impact on the value of the property.
Thank you for addressing the important problem of the effects of dog barking on real estate values, both sales and rentals. An off-leash dog in the neighborhood can also be a concern especially for those whose family comprises children or elders.
Thanks lovepeace. I agree about off-leash dogs. Animals can be unpredictable, especially when seeing other animals.
Useful suggestions – I learned a lot from the analysis – Does someone know if I could possibly get ahold of a template a form form to use ?
Hi Asia. I’m not sure what you mean. Feel free to expand on your thoughts if you wish. I don’t have any templates for documenting barking noise. You can always make one I suppose. Best wishes.
I agree approximately off-leash dogs. Animals can be unpredictable, in particular while seeing different animals.
I bought my House in mid north rural S Australia wanting to get away from city smoke and noise.
All quiet on house inspection but as soon as i was moving my stuff in and being greeted by loud barking. My heart just sank and my anxiety went through the roof.
I felt duped! A deal struck between neighbours to not have their dog there when i came to inspect.
Funny about that, i though.
Now also having a yuppy dog to deal with as well. 4 complaints to my local council just talking to them did nothing in stopping my neighbours arrogance and vindictiveness. Being a small country Town they are more than likely friends with council staff.
The Ombudsman office is my last resort even though it should not be this way if council did its job what they are paid for.
After 2 years i decided in selling up and moving to a Residential park were no dogs are allowed. For obvious reasons. It is Human friendly instead of dog friendly.
My concern now is when potential buyers pop by to inspect and get put off by a welcoming bark.
It is a fact that we have far too many dog owners who know the problems they cause for their neighbours but simply don’t give a toss.
I’m so sorry to hear this Rainer. I love dogs and I’m actually now a dog owner compared to when I wrote this post. But for me it would destroy any sense of peace to have incessant barking (or loud music or something to that effect). I’m dismayed when neighbors don’t consider neighbors. I hope you find peace in the new place and I hope the new buyer isn’t swayed by barking. Blessings to you.