To My Next-Door Neighbors: You live in the suburbs. Deal with it.

The BBQ Pit
1

In general, you have been good neighbors. Haven’t had any problems with yardwork, always try to keep things clean, been friendly, nice kids…

But… You have WAY too many pets!

The three cats I can stand. They are in general nice kitties, don’t bug us or our cats too much, and are just fine.

Two dogs on the other hand… Your yard is quite small! You can’t have a normal dog in the yard, let alone a grayhoud! And yet you have both! The greyhound has a ton of energy. It’s used to living on a freaking racetrack! One small little yard will not work for it! If it learns to jump the fence, believe me, I will not be happy.

Moreso, your family does not have the TIME to take care of two dogs. This is a single-parent family with a working mom and busy children. These dogs take a LOT of time and effort to keep happy, and you aren’t able to provide it to them! So they’re miserable, either in the garage, house or yard, not getting paid nearly enough attension.

And when dogs are lonely, they tend to bark. Loudly. Frequently. Often when I am making attempts to sleep. This isn’t something that is exactly friendly! We’ve done our very best to be nice and make room, but this is grating upon me to no end!

When you brought the dogs over from when you moved, that I could understand. You didn’t want to give them up for adoption, the kids liked them, etc. But you just got the greyhound YESTERDAY! After having two dogs (one died, a death I could not fully mourn) starved for attention and room, you got ANOTHER one, and a freaking GREYHOUND. At least get something SMALL!

Ugh… No other family in our neighborhood has a big dog like this. Maybe there’s a reason.

2

Lousy robins.

Oh, shit…wrong thread…

3

Can you call Animal Control?
Most suburban areas don’t allow that many animals.
I know here in Baltimore, you can’t have more than three, depending on exactly where you live.

4

“Adopt a 45 MPH Couch Potato”
Greyhounds (and whippets, their half-sized embodiment of canine perfection counterparts) need daily exercise (our angel likes about an hour hike in the local trails or playtime of about 1-2 hours in the dog park, and believe me, nobody is happy when we miss it) but could probably, maybe, get by with fifteen minutes of intense exercise.

So, observe, see if they’re getting out, if the dog seems happy…
if you don’t think so, engage your neighbor in casual conversation: “Oh what a beautiful dog! Is s/he a rescue? Which organisation? Oh, you’re so beautiful!! Yes you are, yes you ARE!” Then, call up the rescue organisation and let them know that the adopted dog’s new family is, in your opinion, not fulfilling their responsibility to the dog.

They really are the most wonderful dogs though, give 'em a chance and you’ll probably be knocking down your back fence and setting up a lure course yourself.

Also, if you’re really bothered by the barking, it might be worth checking out www.bullysticks.com . These will keep them happy and busy. A dog with smoked dried bull dick in its mouth is a happy dog.

5

Is there a Greyhound Rescue organization nearby? Call them to let them know what’s going on with that dog.

I was under the impression that people who wanted to adopt retired greyhounds were checked out beforehand…

6

A lot of people think getting 2 dogs is better because then they’ll amuse each other and won’t require as much personal attention.

In fact, a lot of people have more than one child for exactly that same reason. :slight_smile:

7

Another reason I like having a mastiff. She rarely barks and we have to take her for a drag every night, as walking would require her to expend energy she could be using to sleep.

I don’t think I would call animal control unless the dogs were being mistreated. However, I WOULD mention to the owners that the dogs seem lonely and under-exercised and frustrated, and maybe suggest anti-barking collars or something. Also, you can simply call the police about barking dogs (check and see what your area’s noise restriction times are).