Here’s the situation. We have neighbors who live directly across from us, they are Latino, and there’s 5-6 of them that live in a home no bigger than ours, they have a few add-ons and have lived in this neighborhood for a very long time. They do not cause any disturbances and keep their yard clean. They are genuinely good people. However over the past three years they have been chaining this small white poodle to a pole under their car port. Understandable I wouldn’t want my dog to get muddy when it rains, and have a bit of shelter. They leave this dog out there for hours at a time, not three or four but ten to twelve at a time, sometimes it’s over night. This dog will bark and bark and bark, and not at anything, just barks. It is the same high pitched bark over and over for hours at a time. Sure dogs are meant to bark, it’s their way of communicating. If our dog barks for awhile I will go see what’s up, usually its at the mailman, or kids, but she stops.
I have seen this dog get off her chain and chase the mailman, who has unloaded a can of pepper spray on it. I have rescued this dog from larger dogs that sometimes roam our street, I literally had to use a bat one time to rescue her.
In the past I have had conversations with these neighbors, and they spoke great English. But when confronted with the issue of keeping this dog quiet they say “No habla English.” Which is frustrating because I know they can!
I called Animal Control and they came to our address. After detailing what was going on the officer said that we had to file a formal complaint, it’s got to go to the city prosecutor and then to court. the whole process is understandable but damn we have full time jobs, we are full time students and have a family. this will not only take time from our schedules but also from our lives. When explaining this to the animal control officer she said, “I have many calls about this dog, but I cannot do anything until a formal complaint is filled.” and continued with “Truthfully though, if you want this resolved call the police when the dog is outside and say that there is a disturbance and a police unit will show up.”
Today in the pouring rain they once again chained this little dog up to the pole, and from 830am to 12 noon this dog barked non-stop. I saw the owner and said “Sir will you please control your dog.” He returned my question with a string of profanities.
SO what do we do? I have spent time day dreaming about paying someone to dognap the animal to making meatballs with crushed glass in it. I have even thought about getting birdseed and spreading it in their yard and give them a headache with birds. They know it’s a problem but they know no one will do anything about it… How could someone sit in their house and listen to a dog bark for 10 hours??
I wanted to add that there is someone home all the time…