So, as most have figured out...I'm not a huge animal lover. I'm good with a goldfish, possibly a turtle, but beyond that it's just not for me. I don't mind when people have pets, just don't expect me to want to have them jump on me, sit on me, etc. To be honest, most of the time they scare me. Like children they seem to be a little on the "unreliable" edge of how they will react to a situation.
For instance...drives me crazy when I'm running and someone is out for a walk with their dog and they don't have it on a leash. The thing that drives me MORE crazy is when after I stop and wait for them to gain control of their dog I hear the comment "he/she is such a friendly dog..he/she is harmless". I DON'T CARE IF IT'S FRIENDLY OR NOT. I don't want it sniffing my crotch, thank you very much!
Okay - there is a reason for this ranting. The house next door to us is for rent. I had been desperately hoping for our good friends Luke & Katie to move it, but that's not going to happen. So, this morning I hear obnoxious barking outside in our cul-de-sac. A nice lady comes over to our house and says, "Hi, I'm going to be living next door to you now with my...." now get this next part...it's not with her one dog, or her two dogs, OR her three dogs..Oh yes, my friends, my new neighbor has FOUR dogs. They barked NON-STOP the entire time she was at the house looking at it and to top it off she told me "they're such friendly dogs". AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay - I will get over myself, just had to vent.
Now my disclaimer....For my friends with dogs...I really don't mind your dogs as long you don't expect me to kiss and cuddle them when I visit! :)
10 comments:
I honestly don't know what to say, except I'm sorry my friend!
You can come to my dog-free house anytime you want :-)
K~
I'm somewhat regretting my post now...don't want to make anyone upset.
Thanks for your offer! :)
I concur. I think getting licked by a pet is one of the the worst feeling ever! Some people love 'em. I could do with out them.
You can call the city and make a noise complaint about the new renter and also a complaint against the actual home owner. You can ask to remain anonymous. You can suggest to other neighbors to let the renter know it's too noisy. I had to take action in our last neighborhood.
If this lady was nice enough to come over and introduce herself, she's obviously half-way well mannered, and would probably be horrified to know the dogs are yapping all of the time. Or, do what I (the coward) would do and leave an anonymous note on her door.
If that doesn't work, then call the city. There's a thing called nuisance barking.
You're totally right Jos. I think she's trying to be a good neighbor and not cause a fuss. It's just my own dog "issues" that get in the way! I'm sure I'll get over it. I also need to balance my own opinions with being a witness to her as well. I'm sure I'll keep myself in check! :)
That is a lot of dogs . . . and smell that goes with them in the yard, usually. We have the same problem. We do not eat outside in the summer any more. The kids run fans in their rooms for 'white noise' to be able to sleep AND use ear plugs.
We have cats . . . inside. I enjoy the birds outside. Our neighbors have outside cats (which means dead birds and squirrels) and 4 dogs (total) on both sides of the shared fences. However, I really, REALLY like the PEOPLE.
Note: A friend learned the hard way that complaints lodged to the city are often NOT anonymous.
You're fun! I like that you're so open about your dislike of animals ;)
My solution to interacting with people in situations I'm not a big fan of... try and think of ways to bless or encourage them. Then my interest doesn't fall so much on myself but on being nice and I tend to take a personal interest in them and forget my original frustrations.
Um....... now I know why I love you.
This post killed me.
Hey Laura,
You probably heard that we just got a dog. She is an 18 month old Bichon named Lucy and she is awesome! But, like your neighbors, she is developing the habit of barking when people walk by the front of our house.
We just picked up an ultrasonic device similar to this:
http://www.petco.com/product/14558/Ergo-Systems-No-Bark-Trainer.aspx
She is slowly figuring out that when she barks, she gets an annoying sound in her ear (that humans can't hear, thankfully), and she is gradually decreasing her barking (maybe once or twice, followed by an "OK, I give up" groaning noise). And, unlike electronic collars, nobody thinks it's cruel to the dogs.
I heard that you can set these devices up within earshot of neighbor dogs as well. There are plenty of other potential solutions out there that you can track down via the Internet.
Anyway, good luck with your problem. They sound like the Bumpuses' dogs from the movie "A Christmas Story". :-)
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