Barking Dog Complaint

[Robin_n_Jack]

This may be the wrong forum, but I wasn't sure where it should go

Yesterday as I was taking Jack for a walk, a neighbor stopped my next to the elevators. We are renting a condo in a mid rise building right now, and she lives down the hall. Apparently, she received a letter fining her for "very loud dog barking"

"The funny thing is," she said,"I don't have a dog. So I told them you had one, and maybe it was your dog"

"My dog doesn't bark…" I started

"Oh, I know, I never hear him, either, but maybe while you are away at work"

"No, he can't bark. He is a barkless breed. If it is actual barking they are hearing, it is not coming from our apartment"

Now, Jack has been known to give a short yelp of a bark when he is startled, but I really don't think anyone else could hear it.

Anyone else ever had to prove that their dog doesn't bark? I know I probably sound, to them, like a proud owner, you know "my dog is too good to bark." If it isn't barking they are hearing, but his whining and yodeling, I am perfectly happy to pay the fine, but if they are hearing barking, it isn't us. Jack was a rescue, so I don't have any papers on him, but he is most assuredly a basenji.

[Ninabeana26]

I just always say "google it" if they don't believe me. Haha. Although I do say that just because he doesn't woof doesn't mean in any way that he isn't VERY vocal when he wants to be! He can whine & yelp with the best of them…not to mention the screams which really sound like they are coming from a small child we're murdering! Haha.

[Robin_n_Jack]

Haha- yeah Jack does that too, and I usually tell people that he can make plenty of noise and be very vocal.

There is a new lab mix on the floor (very very young puppy, and both parents work all day) my bet is that, if there is noise, it is coming from there.

There has also been a problem with one of the tenants going through and complaining, in turn about each dog barking, whether they have been or not. We know that he is lying, because the retired couple (read: home all day) on one of the floors lives next door to one of the accused and has never heard a peep. I am afraid I am the next in line.

Ah the joys of condo living. Thank god I am moving in a month and a half.

[TuckerVA]

Tucker barks. But it's a modified bark… When someone knocks on the door he makes a 'barking sound'. Really SOUNDS like a bark, but I'm in denial.

He's never put two of them together, however, and I've heard him do this maybe a total of 15 times in almost 2 years.

He's actually rather silent aside from all of the snorting, snoring and sighs... He makes lots of weird noises when he's in and out of sleep, also. Sighs with a bit of tone. Maybe 5 baroos in 2 years and some whining when I first started leaving him home alone. He whines when people he likes get out of the car, also, even if it's just when they run into a store or something for a few minutes.

[etzbseder]

I fully understand that denial. I am getting over it with Medjai. He lets out 1-2 barks a week, depending on what dog walks by the window when he thinks I'll take him out.

I've read that Basenjis mimic sounds they hear. This leads to why some dogs baroo much better and more often than others. My parents dog and the dogs around them bark all the time, so I figure that's how Medjai learned, as his parents don't bark at all.

[Robin_n_Jack]

Yeah, Jack has only done the one short bark since coming home from my sister's house over the holidays where there were 2 other dogs that were big barkers.

But still, the one bark I think is hardly grounds for a fine, if they are actually hearing it from my apartment. I really think that whoever complained is either a) lying, or b) hearing it from another apartment, not mine.

[lvoss]

Can you video tape Jack while you are away from home? That would tell you whether or not he is making noise while you are out. That would allow you to show what he is like on a typical day when you are not there and if he is making noise when you are gone then you would know.

[BasenjiDiva]

Cory and Jayden have let out infrequent single "barks". Once, immediately after I informed someone that Jayden was a "barkless dog", Jayden let out 2 barks in a row with a few seconds between the two barks. (Just to make me look stupid!!) We told our neighbors that if they hear a barking dog, it isn't ours. If they hear a woman screaming in agony because she is being tortured…..it's our dogs.

Pat

[Robin_n_Jack]

@BasenjiDiva:

We told our neighbors that if they hear a barking dog, it isn't ours. If they hear a woman screaming in agony because she is being tortured…..it's our dogs.

Pat

That is hilarious!

Are you describing the sound of the dog? Or yourself after running around after them?

[Ninabeana26]

@Robin_n_Jack:

That is hilarious!

Are you describing the sound of the dog? Or yourself after running around after them?

My guess is, a little bit of both :p

[BasenjiDiva]

@Robin_n_Jack:

That is hilarious!

Are you describing the sound of the dog? Or yourself after running around after them?

That too!!

The dogs scream when they are caged while I go run errands. The noise that comes from me is more of a muttering sound punctuated by "drop it!" or "leave it alone!" or "get down!" or "get your head out of that shoe!" etc, etc, etc. :eek: Occasionally there is an added plea: "Why can't you two take a nap and let me get something done?!"

Pat

[Robin_n_Jack]

Can I tell you how great it is to know that I am not the only one pleading with my dog to get his head out of my shoes?

[LiveWWSD]

HAHAHA… OH the amount of times my neighbors must have heard " Hey, go play with your brother....no don't bite your sister in the face... I swear kids I will put you both in jail if you can't play nice". Thank goodness they all know I have dogs. I am waiting for a new neighbor to come up to me and talk to me about how I raise my children. Oh what a fun explination that would be....." Look I don't know about you Mr or Miss neighbor,but I like to keep my kids furry and able to be locked in a kennel".

[Robin_n_Jack]

I usually say, "Jack, if you don't knock it off, I will eat you!"

Some of my friends have heard me saying this, and now add condiments afterward…like, "mmmm, soy sauce!"

I wonder what my neighbors think of that?

[Knipper]

I live in a townhome, and had a complaint last year from neighbours that Blaze barked too much. Animal control came out and rang the doorbell. The female saw Blaze "is that a real Basenji?, oh my god I have never seen a real one, he's so cute" blah blah blah. She loved him! Then "he barks? I thought they were barkless." I told them that he is barkless, but man can he scream like a little school girl when he's mad. They looked at each other, looked at Blaze, then looked at me. "well we got a complaint about a barking dog here" I said "here? …at this address?" "yes" "barking? ...not screaming" "yes" "can't be him" "nope... guess not... we'll go tell your neighbours off for you" "...ummm.... thanks?"
And off they went to the neighbours... haven't heard a thing since...

[Robin_n_Jack]

Awesome! I really hope the same thing happens here.

[BasenjiDiva]

@LiveWWSD:

HAHAHA… OH the amount of times my neighbors must have heard " Hey, go play with your brother....no don't bite your sister in the face... I swear kids I will put you both in jail if you can't play nice". Thank goodness they all know I have dogs. I am waiting for a new neighbor to come up to me and talk to me about how I raise my children. Oh what a fun explination that would be....." Look I don't know about you Mr or Miss neighbor,but I like to keep my kids furry and able to be locked in a kennel".

My youngest loved his "Johnny Jump-up" as a baby. Everytime the friends of his older siblings came over, they would spin him and swing him as they walked by him. One evening the mother of one of the children called me and said: "Okay…I have to ask you what is going on over there. Adam came home and told me that you hang the baby in the doorway! Before I called Child Protective Services, I thought I'd give you a chance to explain."

I know what you mean.....If anyone heard me admonishing Cory and Jayden to stop grabbing each other by the throat and biting each other in the head, they'd think I was raising little monsters. I have had to explain to guests that they are playing and not fighting. They drag each other off the bed and couch. They do body slams. And they want to do it INSIDE....not outside.

Pat

Pat

[ELERICKSON40]

Trixie can bark. I have heard her several times. It is normally just one bark but she does do it. Her big sister barks all the time. We have decided that Josie likes to tell on Trixie when she is doing something bad! It cracks me up! Josie will start barking and come to me and bark and look at me like do something, I always tell Josie "I know I see what she is doing". LOL

[Robin_n_Jack]

I was talking to my husband last night about the one short bark that Jack does now. He thinks it is the funniest thing ever, because when he does it, he scares even himself. He looks at us like, "what was that?"