Update:
This guy has two fair sized dogs, a brown one which AFAIK has never barked in its life and a black labrador, which is the worst barker ( bellower!!! ) I've ever encountered.
~2 months ago I was in front yard doing some gardening (?) and walking past on the sidewalk was a young woman and her two small kids (~3 and 5). She stops and introduces herself as living up the side street, and it dawns on me later that she's practically neighbors with the problem-dog owner. Turns out she's just the other side of him, so she also shares a fence with this guy and his loud-mouth dog.
I had to wonder if she wasn't unconsciously seeking an ally in dealing with that dog, obviously it's a bigger problem for her than me even, since her house is a lot closer (my backyard is something of a buffer, my house is about 60 feet from the problem house. I make a mental note to either talk to her (i.e. knock on her door... she said it was the house with the palm tree, so I figured I knew where she lived), or start up a conversation with her should I spot her somewhere (likely walking by my house again).
Around a week ago I'm almost home from a bike ride and spot her and one of her kids and stop and talk. I ask her about the dog and she says it's a big problem for them. She's talked to the guy (something I still haven't done). She said he's unwilling to get rid of the dog. They (i.e. she or her mate) have tried squirting the dog with a squirt gun (with some vinegar added to water), with some limited effect. She said the owner had put a collar on the dog (citronella?), with limited lasting effect that disappeared, had done nothing more. She said another neighbor (further than me) with two children had talked to the owner. No one had called the city. She said the dog owner says he's set to retire at the end of the year. I ask what he does and she said he manages low income housing. The situation appears to be as I had surmised, that the dog barks when the owner is not home but stops barking when he gets back home. So, presumably, the problem will not be as bad after the guy retires, assuming he spends a lot of time at home (but who knows?). He was said to have been gone for a couple of weeks a couple of months ago but the house sitter wasn't helpful. I told her about www.barkingdog.net, a pretty advanced site I'd looked over a bit. We exchanged contact info. I emailed her later that day to clarify a few things.
I encounter her again last Friday, April 1, while skating to my workout, just a few doors from me. She's with her older child and her man is there and I stop, am introduced to her man, we all converse a few minutes. First thing he says is "poison!" I go, "I've had some fantasies," and my countenance darkens, I'm sure, but we don't go there again. He says the dog appears "disturbed," and I agree in spades! The dog has a very crazy look in its eyes when it's barking at you.
She says she's called the city! I go "you did?!" I say I will as well, and I did yesterday, Monday. I explained to the Animal Services representative that I hadn't talked to the dog owner because of the considerable difficulty I had in him doing anything about the problem of the hundreds of dog turds sitting in his back yard, which caused an insufferable stink in mine. She said they went out Friday to assess the situation and had warned the dog owner to do something to fix the problem. One reason I contacted them is that the ordinance (linked early on here) indicates that two or more adult complainers is sufficient to get the ball rolling. If the situation does not improve, two complainers can go into the office and sign complaints (separately, is fine) and a citation will result.
I again encountered my fellow complainer on the street yesterday (shortly after having called the city) and shared the latest info with her. That's the state of things.
This guy has two fair sized dogs, a brown one which AFAIK has never barked in its life and a black labrador, which is the worst barker ( bellower!!! ) I've ever encountered.
~2 months ago I was in front yard doing some gardening (?) and walking past on the sidewalk was a young woman and her two small kids (~3 and 5). She stops and introduces herself as living up the side street, and it dawns on me later that she's practically neighbors with the problem-dog owner. Turns out she's just the other side of him, so she also shares a fence with this guy and his loud-mouth dog.
I had to wonder if she wasn't unconsciously seeking an ally in dealing with that dog, obviously it's a bigger problem for her than me even, since her house is a lot closer (my backyard is something of a buffer, my house is about 60 feet from the problem house. I make a mental note to either talk to her (i.e. knock on her door... she said it was the house with the palm tree, so I figured I knew where she lived), or start up a conversation with her should I spot her somewhere (likely walking by my house again).
Around a week ago I'm almost home from a bike ride and spot her and one of her kids and stop and talk. I ask her about the dog and she says it's a big problem for them. She's talked to the guy (something I still haven't done). She said he's unwilling to get rid of the dog. They (i.e. she or her mate) have tried squirting the dog with a squirt gun (with some vinegar added to water), with some limited effect. She said the owner had put a collar on the dog (citronella?), with limited lasting effect that disappeared, had done nothing more. She said another neighbor (further than me) with two children had talked to the owner. No one had called the city. She said the dog owner says he's set to retire at the end of the year. I ask what he does and she said he manages low income housing. The situation appears to be as I had surmised, that the dog barks when the owner is not home but stops barking when he gets back home. So, presumably, the problem will not be as bad after the guy retires, assuming he spends a lot of time at home (but who knows?). He was said to have been gone for a couple of weeks a couple of months ago but the house sitter wasn't helpful. I told her about www.barkingdog.net, a pretty advanced site I'd looked over a bit. We exchanged contact info. I emailed her later that day to clarify a few things.
I encounter her again last Friday, April 1, while skating to my workout, just a few doors from me. She's with her older child and her man is there and I stop, am introduced to her man, we all converse a few minutes. First thing he says is "poison!" I go, "I've had some fantasies," and my countenance darkens, I'm sure, but we don't go there again. He says the dog appears "disturbed," and I agree in spades! The dog has a very crazy look in its eyes when it's barking at you.
She says she's called the city! I go "you did?!" I say I will as well, and I did yesterday, Monday. I explained to the Animal Services representative that I hadn't talked to the dog owner because of the considerable difficulty I had in him doing anything about the problem of the hundreds of dog turds sitting in his back yard, which caused an insufferable stink in mine. She said they went out Friday to assess the situation and had warned the dog owner to do something to fix the problem. One reason I contacted them is that the ordinance (linked early on here) indicates that two or more adult complainers is sufficient to get the ball rolling. If the situation does not improve, two complainers can go into the office and sign complaints (separately, is fine) and a citation will result.
I again encountered my fellow complainer on the street yesterday (shortly after having called the city) and shared the latest info with her. That's the state of things.
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