Common sense editorial in Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life/Ne...246/story.html
Neighbourliness goes both ways
Calgary Herald
May 20, 2009
There are no winners in the case of the Okotoks man charged with beating his neighbour's dog, but there is certainly a cautionary tale for those on both sides of the dispute.
Nigel Warren, 64, will be up on charges of injuring an animal when he goes to court June 16, after he bashed Bo, a Great Pyrenees, over the head with his cane. Bo lost eight teeth as a result of the beating.
Fed up with the dog's allegedly ceaseless barking, Warren went over to Matthew Pacaud's house last Tuesday to complain.
"It's bedtime and we hear bark, bark, bark. It's morning time, bark, bark, bark. The dogs bellow all day long. It's ruining our lives," Warren said later.
Finding nobody at home, Warren said he hit the dog with his cane in self-defence, afraid it would bite him.
Neighbourliness works both ways. Warren should have left the premises without touching the dog and waited until Pacaud returned to discuss the matter with him.
However, Pacaud should have shown some consideration for his neighbour and dealt with his dog's barking long before matters escalated to their current state.
Dog owners need to take note. Part of responsible pet ownership is ensuring your dog does not torment your neighbours with its behaviour, including barking. Few things are more annoying than the jarring notes of a dog's repetitive barking. Well, maybe there is one thing more annoying --an inconsiderate dog owner who allows it to go on.
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