Barking Dogs

“When you look closely at the situation of a chronically barking dog, you will usually find the animal's need for exercise and stimulation is not being well met. Of course, if the owner would take responsibility for training his dog, that would put an end to the noise. But if you go beyond that to address the question of why the dog wants to bark, you'll see that boredom, loneliness, and unexpressed energy are at the heart of the problem. When you hear a barking dog, you are usually listening to the sad tale of a neglected animal that desperately needs to have his life restructured. “ From: www.barkingdog.net

Inconsiderate Dog Owners Are Bad Neighbors.

It has been brought to our attention recently that some dog owners do not care if their dogs bark incessantly. A recent conversation with a dog owner brought that point home very clearly - "Dogs bark and I can't do anything about It. That's what dogs do, they bark!" - How's that for a retort? So much for trying to resolve a problem!

There are several good websites that give very positive information on training methods and devices to eliminate the barking problem without inflicting pain on the animal. However that entails a little effort and it apparently is much easier to just allow the animals to bark and yelp.

It seems to us that when all residents of a home are away working for most of the day, to just put the animals outside and allow them to bark and yelp annoying the neighbors is just bad manners and shows very little respect and/or concern for others.

Poor attitudes of dog owners has precipitated the City of Thousand Oaks to include a noise ordinance in the Noise Element of the General Plan.

The Following is from the City of Thousand Oaks web site;

"Any excessive barking (over and above the normal barking of dogs) is a violation of the City ordinance. Complaints from citizens will be investigated by Animal Control officers.

Citizens may request an Animal Noise Complaint Form from the Agoura Animal Shelter by calling (toll-free) (818) 991-0071. They may also file a complaint by sending a personal letter to the Agoura Shelter, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301.

Anonymous complaints are never considered. Complainants are encouraged to discuss their concerns with the animal owner prior to filing a complaint because situations can often be rectified at that level.

Within several business days after receiving a complaint, an officer will visit the home of the animal owner, discuss the situation, offer possible solutions such as the purchase of a "bark collar", and deliver a Notice to Abate which gives the owner 15 days to correct the problem.

If problem persists, the complainant needs to notify the shelter. A petition form will be mailed to the complainant for acquiring signatures of other neighbors also bothered by the barking and willing to appear in court (as explained on the petition form). Upon return of the petition form from the complainant, Animal Control will work with the City Attorney’s Office concerning further steps to be taken. These may include the issuance of a citation to the animal owner which will require his appearance in court and the possible payment of fines."

If you have had success with eliminating barking dogs in your neighborhood send an email to our webmaster Subject: Barking Dog and we will post it on this page.
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