I've got a very weird problem next door. My neighbor has let her bull mastiff dog stay outside when she leaves in the evening around 6:00 pm. This time of the year it gets dark around 5:30 so this poor dog sits by the gate and howls non-stop until she gets back past 9:00. (This means that he is less than 20 feet from the office where Al works when he gets home.) I let it go for the first few times because it's the neighborly thing to do, but after the 3rd time it became obvious this was only going to get worse unless it was pointed out to her.
The day after a particularly bad evening of over 3 hours of constant baying I caught my neighbor outside and mentioned it to her. I suggested she keep the dog inside when she leaves to which she stressed to me that it would be cruel to keep a 135 lb dog inside for all that time. In other words, I was dismissed as not being as important as a dog. I was floored.
It wasn't every night but on the 3rd evening during the same week I had enough. I called the security guard to find out what recourse I had. To make a very long story short, the guard contacted the home owners association about my call, who contacted her to let her know a neighbor complained about her dog.
Just as I figured all hell broke loose. I tried to talk to her a few days later but she cried hysterically and screamed at me that we should have just gotten used to the dog like everyone else. She actually looked insane as she was shouting at me.
Unfortunately this woman is going though some tough times. She and her husband are ex-pats and her husband as been transferred out of the country. She doesn't want to join him and believes she can stay here while he remains overseas. I suspect, but have no proof, that she is also having martial problems. Now she blames me for everything bad that is happening in her life and is telling all the neighbors how horrible I am. It's sad actually. I've decided to rise above and not mention it to anyone who knows both of us. Even if asked I'm going to state that I'm not at liberty to discuss this subject.
Keep in mind that DH and I have always been good neighbors. I have kept her 3 pet mice on at least 4 different occasions for over a week at a time. When her kid throws a ball over the fence I'm always pleasant when asked to retrieved it. I almost got bit by a cotton-mouth in her backyard when she asked me to come by to identify the snake for her. She has asked and I have given advice on many occasions and have thought of her as a friend. I have always thought the dog was too big for her but I never said as much. So you can imagine how disappointed I am to be so thoroughly dismissed just because I couldn't get used to a baying dog.
Another point. As everyone knows, we have only been in this house for 2-1/2 years. Previously we lived in a house that backed up to a very busy road. One which was very noisy. Very large trucks, thumping music, police and fire trucks all in a day's time. It was disturbing to the psyche. The number one reason we bought this house in this location is because it was quiet and peaceful. We should not have one day of having to listen to a nuisance barker especially since he wasn't here when we bought the house and we didn't force that woman to buy that dog. We don't live in a trailer park and shouldn't have to be subjected to that kind of mentality.
Based on her reaction to all of this I'm glad this has happened. It's been very quiet around here. She believes that I can have her precious dog taken away so she is doing everything she can to keep him from barking and howling. Added bonus: she won't be calling me to remove poisonous snakes from her yard anymore! I guess it's not a problem anymore.
4 comments:
Neighbours can be funny people.
I know the situation didn't pan out as well as you may have hoped, but sometimes there is just no way to produce an ideal result. There is no reason why you should have to put up with an imposition upon peace in your own home... and you did approach her about addressing the issue. She is the one who chose to value the dog's freedom (and as a dog owner myself, I would argue it was a ridiculous excuse) over her neighbor's peace of mind. I actually think that she knows that she made an inconsiderate choice and is embarrassed. But instead of admitting her error, she has reacted to this embarassment by dramatically over-reacting to your justifiable decision to take the next step in resolving this. You've done what you can, you've been civil, and you aren't talking about this behind her back to other neighbors. Her bad, not yours.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, lcr. I've given this much thought and I still feel I handled this in the best way possible while still knowing the results would be undesirable.
It's her loss. I wash my hands of her.
You won't have to babysit mice either.
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