# i pit people who let their dogs bark at people on the sidewalk/street **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 31, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258 "2015-05-31T15:00:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/21 "2015-06-01T18:34:20Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > On first read, I missed the fact that this dog isn’t behind a fence - he is racing down to the edge of his property and barking at people who have no protection from him should he decide one day that he is going to do more than bark. This gave me an idea for something that’s passive aggressive but might scare the idiot owner into doing the right thing: Next time you go for your regular walk, be sure you walk on the sidewalk in front of her house. When dog-monster runs up to bark at you, fall down screaming that he bit you. Carry on and scream in pain until the idiot owner comes out to see what’s going on. When she realizes she’s looking at medical bills at best, or a lawsuit at worst, maybe it will send a message. Oh, and be sure to report the attack to your local animal control officers. ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/22 "2015-06-01T18:42:50Z")
Is that a woosh? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/23 "2015-06-01T19:21:17Z")
> [@The\_Angry\_Badger](#): > > This. With some breeds, getting them to stop barking is really frickin’ hard. Not saying it’s impossible, but it can require an awful lot of time, effort and skill to do. > We had a dog once when we lived in an upstairs flat - this flat had stairs going to the ground floor, and a window above the door. She could sit at the top of the stairs and see people walking past outside, and she’d sit there barking at them for hours if you let her. As she was inside, it was no bother to anyone but us, but whatever we did, we absolutely could not get her to stop. I have a former guide dog breeder, and they have been bred to not bark. You go to an event where there are 100 dogs in a relatively small space, and not a bark is to be heard. On the other hand, they dogs in the yard diagonally behind me go off all the time. Dogs sometimes bark as a greeting. When I walk my dog in the school field, there is a golden in an adjoining yard who barks when she gets near. I know this dog and she is a sweetie - she just wants to come out and play. Still, if a dog is barking all the time he should be brought inside. If the woman can’t hear him bark, she also won’t be able to hear if someone steals him. I’d be really nervous. However, when my dog was an active breeder she was more valuable than I was. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/24 "2015-06-01T23:59:55Z")
You’ve “mentioned” it to the owner, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve made a direct request for her to keep the noise down. Try that next. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/25 "2015-06-02T01:36:46Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It is also dangerous. A dog that rushes up to the edge of the yard in an aggressive manner can give someone a heart attack, cause bicyclists to lose control, and make other dogs go apeshit. And, if the dog is actually behind an electronic fence, he could at some point not stop in time, and then he’s going to be on the wrong side of it and unable to get back without getting himself zapped. This dog’s owner is just begging for trouble. > [@JcWoman](#): > > This gave me an idea for something that’s passive aggressive but might scare the idiot owner into doing the right thing: > > Next time you go for your regular walk, be sure you walk on the sidewalk in front of her house. When dog-monster runs up to bark at you, fall down screaming that he bit you. Carry on and scream in pain until the idiot owner comes out to see what’s going on. When she realizes she’s looking at medical bills at best, or a lawsuit at worst, maybe it will send a message. > > Oh, and be sure to report the attack to your local animal control officers. This won’t work if there is an electronic fence and it’s set back far enough … Might be funny to watch tho! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/26 "2015-06-02T01:53:57Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It is also dangerous. A dog that rushes up to the edge of the yard in an aggressive manner can give someone a heart attack, cause bicyclists to lose control, and make other dogs go apeshit. Yep, I was walking down the street one day with my grandma. All of a sudden, an Irish Setter rushes towards me, scares me to death, but stops short at the property edge. I stumbled, fell backwards into the middle of the street and my head actually bounced on the pavement. Lucky for me it wasn’t a busy street and I managed to get up and keep moving fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/27 "2015-06-02T14:13:11Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Dogs sometimes bark as a greeting. When I walk my dog in the school field, there is a golden in an adjoining yard who barks when she gets near. I know this dog and she is a sweetie - she just wants to come out and play. Definitely. When our housemate’s Belgian shepard goes on a walk, she goes nuts and it’s because she’s overly excited about _meeting other dogs, people, cats, squirrels, rabbits, feeling the breeze in her fur, piddling next to that tree, dashing around down at the park!_ For several reasons, some of which confound me, our housemates don’t walk her as much as she should be walked. She’s a working breed. Working breeds are notorious for having to get their energy out somehow. She gets hers out by barking, unfortunately. One thing we’ve noticed is that she barks much less if there are people in the vicinity. We’ve got a window at the bottom of our stairs overlooking the street, so she sometimes sits here. If there’s somebody in the living room, she’ll only grumble, not bark, at whoever’s walking past. If nobody’s in the living room she’ll bark to high heaven. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/28 "2015-06-02T14:20:40Z")
…and all those assholes who try to talk to me with their “Good morning, neighbor.” and “Top o’ the morning, neighbor” everytiome I walk past their house. Put a shock collar on them to shut them the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/29 "2015-06-03T05:41:28Z")
To me, a properly strained dog ought to be alert but quiet until someone crosses the property line. That owner and her dog were not well trained. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/30 "2015-06-03T13:41:11Z")
Well, I thank you all for moral support. Right now I’m a lot less tense about the situation, because we’ve just had two solid days of rain. Meaning A) the dog spent less time outside and B) there were only a few crazy, er, DEDICATED exercisers out there to annoy it. 😃 I’ve gotten some good advice, and my plan is; 1. Confront my neighbor more directly. This goes against my socialization, but I’ll put my big girl panties on and do it. Make it clear that her letting her dog bard so much is destroying my ability to enjoy my own yard in peace and this is NOT ACCEPTABLE to me. Either she teach the dog not to bark at passing people (I’m fine with it barking if anyone actually enters their yard), stop letting it spent time outside alone (so she can make it shut up quickly), or I will make a formal complaint to the police. (Actually, putting up a fence the dog can’t see through would likely work as well, but be a lot of money I think.) 2. If she doesn’t take steps towards fixing the problem, I will write up a petition and take it around to the other neighbors. From past talks, at least some of the other closest ones are tired of it too. And then I will hie me and the petition off to the police station. Because I think they take people who show up more seriously than calls, and writing generally trumps words. Wish me luck! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/31 "2015-06-03T14:12:03Z")
In my opinion 99.9% of dog problems are caused by bad owners. 1. No or insufficient training. Lots of people especially don’t take their small dogs to obedience school, and spoil them, which results in a horrible little maniac that rules their lives. 2. The idea that A is good thus A+1 is better. So dog barks when someone comes to the door, is great. Dog barks everytime someone walks by, is better. 3. Some kind of attitude that if you don’t like everything a dog does, YOU HATE DOGS AND YOU ARE A BAD PERSON. This is not all dog owners but there’s enough of them out there to annoy me. 4. Lastly, the idea that dogs are just tools. Even so-called loving dog owners do this. They will excoriate you for not having a dog - meanwhile, their dog is outside all the time and is barking because he is bored out of his mind. He needs interaction and he needs exercise. In the end, you bought the dog - be responsible for it! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/32 "2015-06-03T14:29:27Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > To me, a properly strained dog ought to be alert but quiet until someone crosses the property line. A properly strained dog ought to be quiet even if someone crosses the property line 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/33 "2015-06-03T14:33:42Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > A properly strained dog ought to be quiet even if someone crosses the property line 😃 😃 I missed that. Good catch! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/34 "2015-06-03T15:21:54Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > …and all those assholes who try to talk to me with their “Good morning, neighbor.” and “Top o’ the morning, neighbor” everytiome I walk past their house. Put a shock collar on them to shut them the fuck up. Ah, this is one of the better user name/posts combos I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/35 "2015-06-03T15:36:21Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > In my opinion 99.9% of dog problems are caused by bad owners. I agree with this statistic. We’ve often joked that our dogs bad habits are the ones we’ve trained them to have. They pay close attention to the things that we care enough to be consistent on and totally ignore anything that we waver about. Right now there is still construction around our house and the dogs are very protective of me when I’m home alone, but in the last few weeks we’ve managed to train them to not bark at construction workers wandering by in the back yards. I only needed to be 100% consistent. They bark, they come in, no excuses allowed. I did have to warn one of the workers who thought that such quiet dogs would surely welcome a visitor - he came up our deck stairs and went to stick his hand over the doggy gate to say hello. That could have caused issues depending on how close the dogs thought I was. They are happy to make friends as long as they don’t approach me. Weirdos. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/36 "2015-06-03T15:40:12Z")
Maybe the OP could convince a screeching street preacher to stand in from of that ladies house? No matter how that ended somebodies problem somewhere would be solved. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/37 "2015-06-03T16:24:14Z")
Neighborhood petition is worthless. It just tells the neighbors that you’re the asshole who complains about her neighbors. Who is going to be next? You need to send certified letters to the dog owner stating how you feel about the barking and what the owner should do. Also, get some video evidence. When this doesn’t work you let the neighbor know that you are taking her to small claims court for harboring a nuisance animal. If you’re lucky the judge will give you the maximum judgment. She’ll do somethng when the dog starts costing her money. How about something more passive-aggressive? Set up a camera outside to get video of the dog. Go out across the street to get close up video of the barking. You don’t even have to be recording. When the neighbor asks, tell her that you are getting evidence of the nuisance barking for the lawsuit that you are planning. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/38 "2015-06-03T16:57:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > . . . Dogs generally bark for a reason. . . . . Generally the reason is: I can see you moving. It’s really hard to train a dog not to bark when you’re not there. This is especially true if they’ve always been victorious. Victorious? I barked and they went away: Victory! ---
**Author:** ![Jaymosch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaymosch/32/2820_2.png) [@Jaymosch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaymosch)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/39 "2015-06-03T17:40:53Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > When this doesn’t work you let the neighbor know that you are taking her to small claims court for harboring a nuisance animal. If you’re lucky the judge will give you the maximum judgment. On what grounds would a judge be able to award money to someone annoyed by a dog that barks when they walked past it? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258/40 "2015-06-03T20:03:08Z")
> [@Jaymosch](#): > > On what grounds would a judge be able to award money to someone annoyed by a dog that barks when they walked past it? A person walking by is not under discussion. A neighbor who can’t relax in their own back yard because the dog next door is always barking has had their use of their property diminished. I don’t remember the legal term, but there is one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-let-their-dogs-bark-at-people-on-the-sidewalk-street/721258.md?page=1)