Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
In this Discussion
- Cherry_Pie September 2013
- Dr_William_Hayward September 2013
- flossy_log_lady September 2013
- lolo September 2013
- ManInTheIvoryTower September 2013
- MirandaJuly October 2013
- Schlabe September 2013
- YoursTruly October 2013
Neighborly Relations
This thread is about the highs and lows of neighborhood relations.
I live next to the best next door neighbor! Bought me a trash can when I moved in, brings my cans down when I forget, brought over pies. So legit.
But this post is about what just happened tonight;
One of my neighbors put a large breed dog in the back yard on a short leash in 50 degree weather and took off for the night at around 9pm, resulting in hour-long desperate bark marathon. I show up just behind my previously mentioned awesome neighbor to knock on their door only to discover she has assumed they aren't home, let herself into their backyard and let the dog out. Wow. Ballsy.
So I decide to knock anyway and poor brand-new-roommate is the only guy there and has nothing to do with the dog and claims he just got home (when I ask if he was wearing headphones the past hour). He only knows that the dog is being dog-sat, but also that there are cats inside and doesn't want to let the dog in. So that's sorta a weird combo. "Oh yeah I can totally dogsit! I just need to leash him all night in the backyard in the cold because he can't come inside. Problem solved, let's hit the bar!"
So Clueless Roomie starts frantically texting his new housemates as Awesome-slash-Ballsy Neighbor and I take our leave.
So I wonder if Animal Control would have done anything? Because if no one was home and ASB Neighbor didn't intervene that would have been my next move. Or the po-po.
Oh, this is also the house that has raging campfires that fill the neighboring houses with smoke multiple times per summer. Normally I could care less but this is not your little SE Portland fire pit, more like an attempt to signal their general on Mount Tabor that the advance is coming from the north. (ASB Neighbor spoke to them at least twice about it)
Advice: PortlandMaps will tell information about the owner of a property if the renters are causing an issue. Haven't taken that step yet but already found their landlord on LinkedIn. Mmmm... bad neighbors in the Transparent Society.
I live next to the best next door neighbor! Bought me a trash can when I moved in, brings my cans down when I forget, brought over pies. So legit.
But this post is about what just happened tonight;
One of my neighbors put a large breed dog in the back yard on a short leash in 50 degree weather and took off for the night at around 9pm, resulting in hour-long desperate bark marathon. I show up just behind my previously mentioned awesome neighbor to knock on their door only to discover she has assumed they aren't home, let herself into their backyard and let the dog out. Wow. Ballsy.
So I decide to knock anyway and poor brand-new-roommate is the only guy there and has nothing to do with the dog and claims he just got home (when I ask if he was wearing headphones the past hour). He only knows that the dog is being dog-sat, but also that there are cats inside and doesn't want to let the dog in. So that's sorta a weird combo. "Oh yeah I can totally dogsit! I just need to leash him all night in the backyard in the cold because he can't come inside. Problem solved, let's hit the bar!"
So Clueless Roomie starts frantically texting his new housemates as Awesome-slash-Ballsy Neighbor and I take our leave.
So I wonder if Animal Control would have done anything? Because if no one was home and ASB Neighbor didn't intervene that would have been my next move. Or the po-po.
Oh, this is also the house that has raging campfires that fill the neighboring houses with smoke multiple times per summer. Normally I could care less but this is not your little SE Portland fire pit, more like an attempt to signal their general on Mount Tabor that the advance is coming from the north. (ASB Neighbor spoke to them at least twice about it)
Advice: PortlandMaps will tell information about the owner of a property if the renters are causing an issue. Haven't taken that step yet but already found their landlord on LinkedIn. Mmmm... bad neighbors in the Transparent Society.
Comments
A couple of times I have done the "if this happens again, I am GOING to call animal control," accompanied by some attempt at education ("this is a puppy and puppies can't be left alone for this long, here is some information about training and age-appropriate expectations") and both times it totally worked and the dog was never an issue again. As a hyper-nervous dog owner who is CONSTANTLY worried that my dog is bothering my neighbors, I can tell you that even I am sometimes not aware that my dog is barking or whatever. It takes a lot of trial and error. Like we finally figured out we have to close the kitchen window when we leave, and then he won't bark. I think a lot of dog owners just get a dog and then basically never think about the dog again, when really it IS more like having a kid, you have to work on issues and creatively problem-solve. Most dogs CAN NOT just sit at home for 8 hours every day--they have to practice and work up to this and that takes time and effort and most people suck and are dumb. This leads to neighborhoods filled with hysterically barking dogs who are so bored/scared/uncomfortable they wish they would die. I HATE IT
It sounds like you have a great ally in your badass neighbor, and you should make a game plan together and have some sort of mild confrontation with the dipshit neighbors, along the "seriously, this is an animal control issue" lines, scare them a little.
I'm confused from your post--does the dog belong to the neighbors, or were they just watching it for a friend? If the latter then maybe it just won't come up again.
GOD
I get so upset about dog issues. People are horrible
I love my neighbors on the corner- ridiculously nice family that owns the local pizza shop. Twice they've lent me their car when mine wouldn't start in the morning before work. (!!!) Also when Andy cat was hit by a car the husband hosed down the street at 5:30 AM so I wouldn't have to see the blood.
On the other hand, my bro neighbors next door recently built a deck in their backyard where they spend a lot of time bro-ing out with their bros and their bros and bro-parenting their toddler. Now that the deck is built the neighbor-bros can see right into our yard and they seem to think it's appropriate to talk to us any time we are out there. Just wanting to chat about the weather, gossip from the street, whatever. I'm in my own backyard!! I don't want to talk to bros when I'm trying to read or eat breakfast or weed or shake out rugs in my own backyard!! Front yard: fine. Backyard: leave me alone! (We have a 6ft fence between our houses, fwiw.)
Yeah YT they were dog-sitting, so hopefully it doesn't happen again. And good point I will use the threat of Animal Control as a warning before I do anything drastic in the future.
We have other neighbors who's dogs bark from inside their houses down the street semi-often and no big deal. But this dude was outside, very loud and leashed about 25' from our house.
I think Animal Control would see this less as an abuse situation and more of a careless situation, and they would probably refer you to call it in to the police as a noise disturbance.
If a dog is barking for an hour it means something is wrong. He's scared, he's cold, he's too bored and needs a lifestyle change, he's in a situation where he's constantly hearing/seeing/smelling things he feels he needs to be on guard against, etc. I hate when people say "it's natural for dogs to be outside all day." News flash: dogs don't exist "in nature." WE INVENTED THEM. They definitely do not want to just hang out alone all day long with no idea of what their job is or where their people are. So yeah Dalas, I guess I agree-- I guess I'm not as concerned with 50 degree weather (although, how would you like to be chained up outside naked in 50 degree weather for hours?? Maybe you would like it you PERV) as I am about the nonstop barking.
Jerk is jerk, right? Approaching everyone only looking for personal advantage doesn't seem like a cultural difference, it seems just pretty jerky...I guess it depends on vibe/how it happens...
No worries! They've started construction on a new basketball hoop, and of course this is such an important project that it needs to start at the crack of dawn and somehow takes multiple days to accomplish!