Harrasing Neighbor

[nancie]

I need some advice. My neighbor has been harrasing me with letters because of my dog barking one time last night and one time a month ago. My neighbor has the newspaper delivered to his apt and the newspaper delivery person has made my dog bark. He only barked for a minute this morning when the paper was being delivered. He stated in hs letter that he was unable to fall back asleep stating "I see dental patients all day - with inadequate sleep. Whatever yuo did to control this irritating and unacceptable situtaion in the past, please resume. If it happens againm, I will involve the Property Management and any other authority necessary.

What am I suppose to do. I can not control the noises outside my apartment such as people talking in the hallways, music, paper delivery and etc.... I do not know when someone will walk by my door in the middle of the night.

I have been living in constant fear for some time now. I do not have anyone visit me (for fear that if someone knocks on my door then my dog will bark). I have a note on my door for UPS not to knock on my door becuase my dog will bark. I always leave a general note on my door telling people not to knock becuase my dog will bark.

I have completed the Good Citenzhip training classes and we are seeing a dog trainer to stop my dog from barking when someone knocks on my door.

I have a bark collar for my dog and fans around my apt. to block out all noises. Also, I keep TV's and radios on to block out all noises. I work from home so when I leave I have a dog sitter stay with my dog for fear that if someone knocks on my door then I will be blamed for my dog barking. My dog is rarely left alone. The most he might be left alone is about 1-3 hrs every few days.

This one night I forgot to turn on my fan and now my neighbor is threatening me. My dog only barked for a minute. My neighbor refuses to talk to me. He only writes me letters.

Is he a better person then me becuase he is a dentist? Do I have low rights as a person becuase I am not a dentist and I do not have the letter DDS by my name?

I am very afraid to contact my property management becuase if I am kicked out then I will become homeless (I have no place to go) and I need a home.

I have done everything in my power for my dog but this one time I forgot to turn on the fan and the paper delivery person delivered the papers in the morning and caused my dog to bark.

I hear dogs bark in my apt building all the time and various noises from the apts. But, everyone seems to always pick on me. I want to fight this because I have been picked on one too many times even if it was not my fault. One time another dog was barking on my floor and I was blamed for the noise. I refuse to take this abuse anymore.

I do not know how to stop the noises from coming outisde my apt. Tonight, I will have to make my dog sleep in my bathroom.

I called my local police station and was told that I would not be evicted. However, my neighbor is a dentist and he has more money then I do. (The poor people always looses and the ones with money always wins) I was told to file a harrasment case againt my neighbor. Can I do this?

Please help me. I do not want to loose my dog or be evicted. what can I do?

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Is he a better person then me becuase he is a dentist?

No, he most certainly isn't. If I were you I would send him a reply saying exactly what you put in your post about everything you do to keep your dog from barking. Keep a copy for your own records, just in case.

This will show anyone who reads it that you are a responsible dog owner and a thoughtful neighbour despite the fact that Mr Teeth appears to be a complete idiot!! (has he not heard of earplugs for goodness sake)

Good luck and don't let him spoil your life or that of your dog

[Jode]

I agree with previous suggestion of mailing out what you wrote here to both the complainer and your landlord. I had a similar thing happen to me when I lived in a condo that allowed pets. One neighbor kept complaining that my puppy barked constantly throughout the day. I knew this to be untrue and I had other neighbors that knew this was untrue, but the person complaining was on the condo board and had a lot of weight as far as getting people fined. This is what I did. I wrote the compainant, and the condo board a letter outling how well trained my puppy was and how I was home most of the time so there was a constant effort made to keep barking to a minimum. I also reminded them that although I appreciated my neighbors privacy and right to quiet that there is not much anybody could do to prevent a puppy from barking once in a while and that I did in fact want my puppy to allert me to possible intruders, therefore I was pleased that he barked at times. I went one step further. I borrowed a video camera and made a tape of my puppy at different times and in different situations. I taped him while I was home and while I went out for an hour or two. I sent the board a copy and kept one for myself. It might seem extreme but it worked. I proved to the board that my puppy was a well behaved little guy and I shut down the complaints. There are a lot of folks out there that just plain and simply don't love our pets the same way we do and will complain no matter what we do, but at least you will show that you take a strong interest in your neighbors concerns and that you ARE a responsible pet owner. Hope this helps a bit.

Jode

[lv4dogs]

Well said & done Jode!

If I were you I would do what the above mentioned. I'd contact your landloard before someone else does with a complaint. Show him the letters from the dentist (he is NOT better than you) You will be showing him that you care about the matter & are doing everything possible to stop the braking WHEN it does occur. You are showing responsibility & if he has any human in him at all he will be more than grateful that you stepped up to the plate before anyone else.

[nancie]

I want to thank everyone who answered my post. you all have really given me great advice. However, since I am a "dog owner" I have no rights where I live so it looks like I will be having to move out of my home I lived at for 6 years.

I spoke to the property management this morning and he was rude to me. He did not want to listen to anything I had to say and told me that my dog was disturbing my neighbor who had every right to live in a peaceful environment. And, I will have to get rid of my dog.

I will continue to fight this battle because I do not even care anymore if I am evicted becuase I will never ever get rid of my dog.

Again, thank you for your answers!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Sounds like property management is totally unreasonable! I hope you have some luck finding somewhere else to live where you and your dog will be happy

[Jode]

Nancie,

I don't know if this will help, but it is worth a shot. First of all I reread your original post and it does not say whether or not you are allowed to have the dog in the first place. Does your property have a no dog or a pet policy? If you are allowed pets make sure that your dog falls under the requirements if there are any such as weight limits and such. As long as you are within your property agreement maybe a local shelter or ASPCA could help you. I don't know if you could get him for harrassment, but he is not being very nice. Gather as many sympathetic ears as you can, hopefully some with pull. Will any of your other neighbors stand up for your dogs good behavoir? Yes, the dentist man does have a right to his quiet, but he needs to be reminded that it is not a quiet world even without little doggy barks now and again. I wonder how he would have reacted if instead of a dog barking if you had a toddler that woke up screaming because of a nightmare or something? I guess my point is that it sounds like you are trying your best to respect others in your surroundings, but they should respect you as well. Life is noisy!!! There are loud children, dogs, garbage trucks, etc etc.... I wish you much luck dealing with this. Hope all works in your favor.

Jode

[lvpets2002]

Oh blaaa blaaa to the to the Dentist && I had the same thing happen to me a year ago with a new neighbor & stated just the same thing your letter was & said my dogs was barking & they lack of sleep & well my dogs was not even barking till early in the morning hours (7:00am) & I said if you are not awake by that time for work then tough luck.. Well I saved the letter in case some thing happened to my dogs & then I would have filed charges. Well all my neighbors that had dogs backed me up.. I said look I have lived here for 22 yrs & you for 1 yr & so get a life & out of my face .. You know have not heard another word to this day..

[Kosy]

I am somewhat perplexed as to why your neighbor just doesn't buy some earplugs, as another posted also observed. That would make the most sense to me.

[pnance]

I don't get it. If you've lived there 6 years, is the dog new or is the guy new, or has this been a 6 year problem? Jode is right if you can get other neighbors to state your dog isn't a problem preferably in writing and video tape him during a normal day, in addition to the dog being listed on you rental agreement, he's out of luck. He knew he was moving into an apartment that allowed pets, if he doesn't like them, then he should have found one that doesn't allow them, those apartments, at least in my area are much more common than pet friendly ones. Sorry, people like him really annoy me.

[Giselle]

Nancie,

I highly recommend the Treat & Train. My relative bought it for me, but my Greyhound naturally doesn't like to bark at the door, so I have little use for it. However, it has helped with her Target and Down, and I HIGHLY recommend it for your situation. The Treat & Train is specifically made for barkers like yours. Basically, it trains dogs without you necessarily standing right beside him to correct his behavior. As time goes on and the dog begins to get the idea, your dog will run over to the Treat and Train everytime the doorbell rings as he anticipates the machine to give him treats for his behavior (lying down quietly in front of the machine when the doorbell rings). You control the machine even if you're standing at the door and your dog is 20 ft away. Here's a link:

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...l?sku=SI398YEL

Get it now! There's a sale! It's difficult to explain exactly how the machine works, but the accompanying CD and pamphlet will clear everything up. You can PM me if you need more information before you take the plunge. Good Luck!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Originally posted by Kosy
I am somewhat perplexed as to why your neighbor just doesn't buy some earplugs, as another posted also observed. That would make the most sense to me.

You could always include some in your letter to the dentist - a kind of peace offering (pun intended!)

[Den Anne Pen]

I'm kinda confused on this subject.
In Mass where i am from if you have a lease or tenent at will contract that states animals are allowed then you can NOT get evited by that the neibor NOT you has to prove that he is barking all the time like with a video or audio tape then he would have to loss moeny to go to court and even then if the judge did side with him you still have time to move out on your own. i won't stess about the guy i think he thinks he has more right then you and in a court they usally don't care what kind of job you have it comes down to him v you as a person not a denist