Noisy Dogs

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alaninspain
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Noisy Dogs

Postby alaninspain » Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:53 pm

I know this subject has been touched on before but I searched for some information with no success. We have been pestered with noisy barking dogs each evening atound 8.00 which then continues until the early hours of the morning. Some of our neighbours have also complained but now want to do something positive instead of just whinging.
Does anyone know how we stand in law, and whether a denuncia will be effective? :(

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redsoxbrit
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Postby redsoxbrit » Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:25 pm

Oh poor you, I know exactly what you are going through.
We were plagued by a pair of noisy dogs that barked relentlessly night after night until we were tired to the point of tears. We did tell the people that their dogs were keeping us awake at night but they refused to believe us and said "but they are only small and WE cant hear them!" We took out a denuncia against them, much to the amusement of the local police, they said only the English would do that... When it finally went to court the judge dismissed it on the grounds of lack of evidence although we had recordings and a log of all dates and times - maybe it had something to do with the fact that the Señor concerned was a Mr BigShot in the town - or does that sound a bit too far fetched? :wink:
Anyway, in the end we gave them a taste of their own medicine. When they settled down for their siesta we played the tapes at full blast directly at their open windows (we went out of course) just so they knew what we were having to put up with. They couldn't complain, it was their dogs barking after all but everyone else did and when they came back from their summer break in the campo they somehow managed to leave one dog behind. Funnily enough the remaining dog doesn't bark much at all..... Bliss :lol:
I would certainly go down the denuncia route again, especially if a few of you get together, at least it shows you mean business and you'll feel like you're doing something positive. After all, even if that doesn't work there's more than one way to skin a cat.......(or dog for that matter!) :twisted:

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Postby ValL » Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:54 pm

There was a recent court case up in Catalonia where a dog(s) kept someone awake for some 200+ nights but there was sufficient evidence to convince the court to impose a large fine. The news article was sent to us by our lawyer for our information as we too have suffered neighbours dogs barking.

We have invested in a "super bark stop" which gives out an ultra sonic blast above a certain decibel setting. It only has a range of effectiveness of 20/30 ft but in our case it seems to have been effective, it is strange to hear them want to bark but it tails off :D They are legal in Spain. Ultrasonic frequencies make dogs ears hurt without disturbing innocent neighbours, unfortunately we have a dog that is outside the range which is a real pain at times.

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MrsP
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Postby MrsP » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:12 pm

The trouble is it's the owners to blame and if necessary they will take the dog away and gas it.
Sorry but I couldn't have that on my concience.
Get some ear plugs.
Chris

ValL
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Postby ValL » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:59 pm

Yes it is the owners to blame, earplugs are no use in our case as the noise was and sometimes still is during the day and early evening when we are outside. It got to the stage we could not hear ourselves nor guests speak, we could not be indoors and have windows open or listen to music or news/ hear on the phone, if they started up. Not a time you can wear earplugs. If the owners for what ever reason wont control their dogs then they have to take the consequences and if that means they lose their dogs that's their decision. I have nothing against dogs ( have had several in my time) and I don't like the idea a perfectly good dog may be put down.

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Gin Monster
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Postby Gin Monster » Sat Sep 01, 2007 4:51 am

It's not the answer you want to hear, but barking dogs in Spain will not go away...it is a part of life here and you either have to get used to it or go live in the sticks to get away from it.

alaninspain
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Postby alaninspain » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:41 am

Mrs P - why do you assume the owners will take the dog away and gas it? There are lots of remedies for reasonable people - dogs can be trained correctly and it is not as if they are guard dogs defending property. I am sure if owners pay hundreds of euros for dogs, they can afford to train them. It is not as if we live in the campo and are likely to be burgled, we have a secure urbanisation with security 24 hours.

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MrsP
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Postby MrsP » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:57 am

Not the owners, the policia. I was told by a friend that this happens as she reported a dog that was tied up, starving and constantly barking. She thought the dog would be tken away and cared for. That just doesn't happen here and the policia told her the dog would be gassed.
She is a dog lover too and was really upset.
Chris

frank
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Postby frank » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:33 pm

Gin Monster wrote:It's not the answer you want to hear, but barking dogs in Spain will not go away...it is a part of life here and you either have to get used to it or go live in the sticks to get away from it.
In the sticks? I think it's worse there! One starts and every other dog in the valley, or the vicinity, joins in! And everyone, without exception, seems to have a noisy dog. I don't know how the owners stick it! :)
Regards, Frank

No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?

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redsoxbrit
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Postby redsoxbrit » Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:04 pm

frank wrote:I don't know how the owners stick it! :)
But THEY can't hear them apparently :wink:

Angie P
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Postby Angie P » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:22 pm

We have had the same thing outside our apartment. literally every night since the middle of may, two sometimes 3 dogs gather right outside our bedroom windows and bark constantly throughout the night.. the problem with ours is that they dont belong to anyone, they wander around during the day all over the town, but on a night sit on the crossroads outside our flat.. facing the same way,seemingly barking at something that only they can see??

Any suggestions ( of the sensible variety please)!

Angie

ValL
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Postby ValL » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:12 pm

look up www.britishdog.net

they do a range of stuff including the "super bark free" which we bought to re train our neighbours dogs. It really works :D

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freecatsrus
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Postby freecatsrus » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:33 pm

Suggestion to Angie P, a couple of well placed buckets of water will deter them.

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concorde
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Postby concorde » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:47 pm

We have a nearby donkey, well I think it's nearby, I've never seen it, but oh boy, I have certainly heard it, usually at 3a.m.
Luckily it doesn't last long, but long enough to wake you up.

Barking dogs are a pain, as you say, it only needs one to start and the rest all come out in sympathy.

However last time, it was the cats, obviously in heat, and screaming and wailing like banshees.

A good blast from a powerful water-pistol would probably be a good way of shutting up animals right outside your house, but nothing can be done unfortunately about others , especially when they are probably miles away.

The trouble is, sound does travel, especially when it is deathly quiet around you.

Angie P
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Postby Angie P » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:23 am

freecatsrus wrote:Suggestion to Angie P, a couple of well placed buckets of water will deter them.
Tried that, and I end up looking like a nutter throwing water off the balcony at 2 and 3 in a morning, they run away, but as soon as you go back in, within minutes, they're back!
I have tried repeating this action numerous times throughout the night on many occasions... I will try that 'stop dog barking' thing next I think.. certainly worth a try!

katy
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Postby katy » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:26 pm

Don't have a problem with dogs barking except when the post is delivered (but mine join in too). As soon as the bike comes on the street they all start but it doesn't last long. They all bark if a stranger walks in the street too but its not a walking area so it is very rare.(all the dogs seem to have clocked who lives in the street.) I could not live with the incessant barking that some experience, I think it is very stressful. I knew a retired couple who were virtually forced to move because of their neighbours dogs. They left 2 on a roof terrace from around 10am to 10pm and they barked all the time, they could not hear themselves speak, have guests outside. Despite taking it up with the community, the police, nothing happened. They went back to the UK.

One of our neighbours has the annoying habit of sound their car horn everytime they leave or return to the house, even if they only go for bread! The spanish are supposed to be noted for tolerance but yesterday one who lives opposite me complained that flowers which have dropped off my hibiscus and other plants have blown onto the pavement outside their gate/wall :!: She suggested the pavement should be swept every day. I was going to tell her to *beep* off :twisted: but for the sake of diplomacy I gave her one of my lovely arrogant spanish shrugs (the one where you use your head, arms and shoulders 8)

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concorde
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Postby concorde » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:00 pm

Katy, I love those shrugs, and have been practising them for ages.

I don't know about a picture painting a thousand words but a European shrug speaks volumes, also apparently does rolling your eyes and saying 'Aye, Aye, Aye' in reply to everything.

I think I have cracked the secret of communicating and won't bother with my Michel Thomas tapes any more!

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Postby Miro » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:22 pm

alaninspain wrote:There are lots of remedies for reasonable people - dogs can be trained correctly and it is not as if they are guard dogs defending property. I am sure if owners pay hundreds of euros for dogs, they can afford to train them.
You are missing the point - people with barking dogs are NOT reasonable. To quote Cesar Milan, dogs can be "rehabilitated", people can be "trained". It is certainly the responsibilty of the owners to make sure their dogs are calm & well adjusted, but dog training is a completely unheard of concept in Spain, and the people who own these annoying dogs don't seem to hear them, and certainly don't give a **** if they bother neighbours. And as for spending hundreds on their dogs - they spend thousands on their cars, but have you seen the way they treat them?
I have called the police in the past to complain about a dog barking, only to get the response "dogs bark, so what?" A denuncia I would expect to be met with similar contempt - it doesn't surprise me that someone commented that only the English would do such a thing. The fact that Spaniards aren't bothered by the problem, (apart from the fact that they are accustomed to all sorts of noises which we find offensive, such as mopeds with no exhausts), is largely due to the fact that they see domestic animals in a very different light to most Northern Europeans. To us they are part of the family, and we would no sooner leave them barking or howling than we would leave a baby crying without finding out what the problem is. To them, they are just farmyard animals that make a noise. (There are of course exceptions)
When I complained directly to a neighbour across the road once, the response was a barage of missiles such as bottles, and I had to board up a couple of windows to avoid them getting broken. This particular owner had his dog tied on a short chain, on a terrace in the sun all day, with little or no water to drink. The police said because it was on private property they could not interfere!
Where I live now, there is an unseen dog barking all day long in front of our building, and another in an apartment somewhere behind us that howls incessantly as if in mourning. In the Uk or USA the owners of these dogs would find themselves prosecuted by the RSPCA or Animal Protection Societies, and be banned from keeping animals.
But this is Spain. The chances of changing this shameful situation are about as likely as mopeds with silencers becoming the norm rather than the exception. So unfortunately, it's just one of those negative aspects of life in Spain which you have to get used to if you want to enjoy the positives. Swings and roundabouts
Last edited by Miro on Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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annie_d
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Postby annie_d » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:29 pm

Precisely! This is Spain.
anyway, anyway, love from me.

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Postby katy » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:33 pm

Sorry but I don't see any positives in living alongside a barking dog. I agree that it may be impossible to stop the barking but I would not stay there. Even it something were to be done, (taking the dog away etc.) these idiots would just get another one.


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