Dogs are ruining my life

April 13, 2007 11:26 AM

Loud ass barking dogs.

My girlfriend recently moved into a new apartment in Chicago. Her bedroom window faces the neighbors yard which is home to 3 big ass barking dogs. Her problem is, the dogs bark all night long with no avail until the owner brings them indoors. Most of the time, they sleep in a big dog house and come out and bark as they please. She's confronted the neighbor in writing and in person. She also called the police and was told that i was a public disturbance that the person could be fined for - she was instructed to phone the police next time it happens and someone would come out.
It so happens the neighbor is a retired Chicago police woman. During the last confrontation, my girlfriend was rudely told calling the police wont do anything and if she has a problem "[she] can move". What are her options?
If only we knew a Newman.

posted by AMP583 to law & government (35 comments total)

Don't listen to her hollow threats and call the police anyways.
posted by reptile at 11:31 AM on April 13, 2007

Well OK, I'll amend that. DO call the police anyway next time it happens. But be prepared for them to do nothing once they learn the dogs belong to a retired cop. But that's cynical. Just because she was a cop doesn't mean that their fellow cops liked her. Now that she's gone, maybe the CPD will enjoy exacting their revenge!
posted by iguanapolitico at 11:37 AM on April 13, 2007

I really, really feel sorry for your girlfriend. I'm no fan of dogs, especially big, loud dogs. They're a public nuisance and shouldn't be allowed in cities.

In my opinion, she has no good options other than moving. I'm a Chicagoan and strongly believe the Chicago police are corrupt and calling them will get her nowhere as long as the dog owner is a former cop. That said, she should at least try calling the police, as mentioned above. Who knows? It might work. But don't count on it.

If she owns the apartment, maybe she could call a lawyer for advice as well.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 11:39 AM on April 13, 2007

She also called the police and was told that i was a public disturbance that the person could be fined for

your girlfriend called the police, and their answer was that you are a public disturbance?
posted by phaedon at 11:44 AM on April 13, 2007

You might try your neighborhood alderman, too... I've heard that in Chicago this is one of the ways to mediate the corruption in the Chicago police.
posted by SpecialK at 11:44 AM on April 13, 2007

phaedon: I read that as 'it' minus the t.
posted by SpecialK at 11:44 AM on April 13, 2007

One night, get as close as safely possible. Tape the dogs barking.

Some night afterward, surreptitiously (cover up the stereo speakers) play back multiple sets of the recording, as loudly as possible, toward all other neighbors.

Be the first to meet the police that arrive after the multiple-house (including you) complaints of dogs barking, and point to her house with her big ass, loud barking dogs.

Rinse and repeat until something is done. If it seems like it's emanating from your residence - "that's how loud these dogs are, officer"
posted by cashman at 11:47 AM on April 13, 2007 [3 favorites]

You might try calling Animal Control to see if they can fine her for anything.
posted by chiababe at 11:50 AM on April 13, 2007

thanks specialK.

as for moving, or chalking this up to the corruption of CPD - fuck that. on the one hand, "noise pollution" is a public issue that is picking up steam in many major cities. look for allies; approach your alderman. secondly, there's a brotherhood with cops, you're better off recognizing it and adapting to it than acting like it is a form of intolerable "corruption".

its sad to see people capitalizing on urban alienation so as to annoy other people and then make said other people feel bad abount being annoyed. take the high road and put this dumb woman in her place.
posted by phaedon at 11:53 AM on April 13, 2007

Whether CPD are corrupt or not, cops in general look out for their own.

If this actually seriously continues to be a problem, get the media involved. Contact the Tribune's "What's Your Problem" guy, or similar (I'm not sure which media are aligned with which governing/political bodies).
posted by iguanapolitico at 11:55 AM on April 13, 2007

Holy cow... did your girlfriend rent my old apartment? Bucktown?

It was reason #3 on the list of reasons I was going to move from that place regardless of whether I was staying in Chicago or not. I'm so sorry.
posted by FlamingBore at 12:13 PM on April 13, 2007

"Most municipalities view noise complaints as a quality of life issue, but for people exposed to noise on a constant basis - it is a form of assault."

I used to have the most beautiful, spacious apartment ever - and it was right above a car wash. Over the course of a few months, it turned into an outrageous nuisance.
posted by phaedon at 12:22 PM on April 13, 2007

The Chicago police hold monthly C.A.P.S. meetings — you can find when yours is held by district.

I go to mine about 3 times a year, and it's usually sparsely attended. The floor is opened to citizen concerns at the end of the meeting. Two of the three times I've went, barking dogs were brought up.

Maybe some face time with officers who can see that your girlfriend is earnest, and when they're not stressed from an evening patrol, would be helpful.

And I third SpecialK and phaedon with contacting your alderman.
posted by limeswirltart at 12:30 PM on April 13, 2007

I don't know how well they work, but there are a few devices on the market that are supposed to stop outdoor barking.

Or you could go the extreme route -- kidnap the dogs, take them to the vet and have their voice boxes surgically removed. That's pretty much a permanent solution.

I'd probably start with the former, though. I'd probably be a little testy if my neighbors performed surgery on my dogs...
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 12:30 PM on April 13, 2007

Former Chicagoan here, who also had to deal with dog noise like this for years. (In fact, when I first read this, I seriously thought that perhaps your girlfriend had moved into my old apartment in Ravenswood!)

There are definitely a few steps she can take before having to move -- if she does some legwork and can show that she's taken many steps to try to resolve it, it will be harder for the police in the future to dismiss her in the future. Contacting her alderman and/or going to CAPS meetings are good suggestions already. My own 2 cents:

- if she hasn't done so already, find out if Chicago's noise ordinance has a specific animal noise provision.

- keep a log of the disturbances -- time, date, how long the barking lasted, etc.

- talk to the neighbors to see if they are also being disturbed and would be willing to work together to try to stop it.

- submit another letter to the neighbor (signed by any neighbors willing to get involved, too). Keep it completely businesslike, stating which ordinance she's in violation of, giving a rundown of the recent disturbances, and noting that previous letters/conversations haven't had any effect. Close by saying if the problem isn't solved, you'll contact the authorities [don't even say the police].

- in the meantime, find out if the neighbor rents or owns her place. If she rents it, most standard leases have a clause prohibiting the disturbance other tenants' or neighbors' "quiet enjoyment" of their own homes between certain hours. Either CC her landlord on the letter above, or write a separate one.

- still no improvement: contact a mediation service.

- if all of that doesn't work, then a call to the cops might engender more sympathy.

- if not, she can consider suing for nuisance in small claims court.
posted by scody at 12:47 PM on April 13, 2007

sorry for the repetitive "in the future" above. gah.
posted by scody at 12:51 PM on April 13, 2007

This isn't a total solution, but it partially worked for me and if your window overlooks the dogs, should work even better for you. Get a dog whistle and use it to train the dogs to follow your command of "No." Then when they STFU, tell them "Good dog" or "Good boy" even though it's a lie. Sure, meat is a good bribe to control dogs, and if you can slip them a something tasty a couple of times during the day, literally just a couple of times, they will never forget you. Sausages are good. Of course yelling "No" isn't very rest promoting, but the whistle is easy to blow. I used the meat bribe with one dog and the whistle and command with another. Combined, it should be even better. What kind of a moron lets their dogs bark constantly? Anyway, you can try this even without the whistle. They will learn to respond to your "No" and the whistle just makes it easy to get their attention in future.
posted by Listener at 1:30 PM on April 13, 2007

Is she close enough to throw extremely cold ice water on them? It worked for me. If she is a bad-ass law breaker who gives the finger to the Humane Society, there is always a pellet gun.
posted by Foam Pants at 1:39 PM on April 13, 2007

I could never pull this off myself, but what if every time she got woken up by the dogs, she pulled on some sweatpants, walked over to the neighbor's house, rang the bell, and (completely without malice or bitterness), pointed out that the dogs are barking loudly and asked if the woman could please bring them inside? Seems like sometimes the woman does this to quiet them down -- maybe she sleeps through it half the time. It seems sort of rude to ring someone's bell at 2 AM, but only in the same way the dogs(' owners) are being rude, so it's sort of natural consequences, no?
posted by salvia at 2:18 PM on April 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

Foam Pants writes "If she is a bad-ass law breaker who gives the finger to the Humane Society, there is always a pellet gun."

A pump action pellet gun is accurate enough over these distances and with care won't break the skin. Also very quiet when fired from a window. As with all dog training you'd need to be consistent with it's application though, maybe start on a Friday night or when you have a few days off. You can get the cartridge type but they can be a bit harder to dial in.
posted by Mitheral at 3:55 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

I liked cashman, listener, and salvia's ideas, but I think Foam Pants hit your best idea here - if there's any way you can get a hose, a few sprayings will shut them up (I used to work at a kennel, dogs aren't as dumb as they look, they don't want to get wet outside at night, because its damn cold).

BB gun's not a half bad idea - get a light-weight one like a Red Rider. I used to shoot cows in the pastures behind our house as a kid and its not powerful enough to penetrate skin unless used at really close range. I knew this from the nasty welts we got when we shot at each other.

But have the lights off in your apartment before you pull that thing out. She won't be able to find the bb's and the welts will be hidden under fur, but if she sees you doing that, you're going to meet a lot of her cop friends real fast.
posted by allkindsoftime at 3:57 PM on April 13, 2007

Am I the only one here who is appalled at some of the advice that has been given? Are you really serious about shooting these dogs with a pellet gun or spraying them in the middle of a freezing night with cold water? I'm surprised no one has suggested putting antifreeze in their water dish yet.

These dogs are barking because their needs aren't being met in some way -- maybe they're cold, scared, hungry, lonely. Please don't punish them for being dogs. Try to work with the people who are supposed to be taking care of their needs. I agree with those who have suggested contacting your other neighbors and trying to work together with the ones who feel the same way you do. I also like salvia's idea. But for crying out loud, hurting those dogs isn't an appropriate solution at all.
posted by kitty teeth at 5:05 PM on April 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

But for crying out loud, hurting those dogs isn't an appropriate solution at all.

Absolutely. I'm just floored.
posted by scody at 5:16 PM on April 13, 2007

Please don't do anything that hurts the dogs. This is not their fault; it's the neighbor's fault. And if they get injured or sick from something you've done, you'll have a whole new set of problems on your hands.
posted by curie at 5:45 PM on April 13, 2007

Get one of those ultrasonic dog trainers. They're quite the deterrent, without causing damage. You might think it is cruel, but if the humans are untouchable and unreasonable, then you'll have to train the dogs yourself. The owner has put you in a tough situation, but, honestly - you should be annoyed while sparing the dogs any corrective measures? C'mon.
posted by adipocere at 7:29 PM on April 13, 2007

Kitty - get a clue. Dogs do NOT only bark when their needs aren't being met. They bark when they're in alarm, they bark when a squirrel moves on the other side of the fence, they bark when their dog brain says bark for no reason, they bark to see if there's other dogs out there to have a conversation with, they bark for fun, they bark for...

I could go on. Its their way of talking, and sometimes they need to be taught how to shut up, just like humans. I've grown up around dogs, never had less than a couple of my own at the same time, worked in kennels and with professional hunting dog trainers, and I love the freaking things to death. But one thing I learned is that they sometimes need to be trained, and sometimes that involves a little tough love. I in no means approve of unnecessary cruelty to animals, but the sting of a BB to the ass isn't going to seriously injure any large dog.

That said, I recommended cold water as a primary option. If there's any way that or perhaps training them as others have mentioned could be accomplished, its a much better solution.

The OP made it clear that the dogs are ruining her life. If their owner isn't going to put a stop to it, somebody should.
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:57 PM on April 13, 2007

I could go on. Its their way of talking, and sometimes they need to be taught how to shut up, just like humans.

Perhaps you're also the type of person who would scold another parent's child in public if the child is being noisy. This is completely out of line, however, just as doing anything to hurt someone else's pets is.

You can believe that if I were the neighbor in this case (a stretch, since the neighbor is obviously failing in pet-keeping) and I found out you were responsible for harm to my pets or that you were scolding my children, you'd be in for a world of trouble, both directly from me and from whatever legal means I could muster.

I live right behind two constantly noisy dogs, but some of the advice in this thread is inhumane, but more importantly borders on downright illegal.
posted by odinsdream at 9:30 PM on April 13, 2007

To be clear, I am not arguing that physical pain isn't part of training a dog, but that it is absolutely out of line for anyone but the owner of the dog to apply such techniques.
posted by odinsdream at 9:31 PM on April 13, 2007

I successfully used an indoor sonic device for my dog (who was barking constantly after moving into a new apartment) -- it worked!
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 11:56 PM on April 13, 2007

Let the dogs out of the yard, then call Animal Control.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:30 AM on April 14, 2007

You should get this woman's phone number. Then every time the dogs bark, call her and ask her to quieten the dogs down. Over and over. At 4 a.m. in the morning, etc. Ten times a night. Keep doing it until she gets completely annoyed with you and her only recourse is to quieten the dogs down to stop the phone calls.
posted by dydecker at 7:50 AM on April 14, 2007

Do not shoot the dogs with a pellet or BB gun. It is against the law. Also, for the purpose of reducing barking, it is counterproductive. It will result in them barking more, because they will be in pain. You can also blind a dog, or other creatures, with a pellet gun.

I like the idea of training them to stop barking with treats. Broken up hot dogs are something I've found nearly all dogs like. You can often pacify even the meanest Doberman with a few.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:34 AM on April 14, 2007

This looks promising. I've purchased other products from this Chicago company with good results but have never used the Bark Free product.
posted by jeanmari at 6:49 PM on April 14, 2007

To be clear, I am not arguing that physical pain isn't part of training a dog, but that it is absolutely out of line for anyone but the owner of the dog to apply such techniques.

However the owner has abdicated that responsibility. Maybe a call to the SPCA for neglect is in order?
posted by Mitheral at 9:21 PM on April 14, 2007

Hey, I thought of another good one, depending on how far away the dogs are. Get a spray bottle and put vinegar in it and give the dogs a shot as needed. The SPCA recommended this for controlling various pesky animals. Doesn't hurt them but they *hate* it. If you're close, of course, don't aim right for their eyes or nose.

And not to debate but dogs bark for lots of dumb reasons. Like something moved, and they can't get at it. Or they are lonely. Or no one taught them what behaviour is and is not appreciated.
posted by Listener at 11:52 PM on April 17, 2007