We live in a crowded County neighborhood. When our Lab is outside and starts barking, we bring her in immediately. It's only common courtesy for your neighbors.

When my dogs start barking, it means somebody is trespassing on what they have come to know as their property. I want them to bark as loud as they can until I come outside and handle the problem.

My neighbors do not whine. They appreciate well trained watch dogs alerting to the ganagsta wannabes who seem to be tearing this town up lately with vandalisms, car breakins and thefts.

Hidden from my view by a 4 car garage, "Big Dog" chased something out of my yard just the other night when I let her out for a few minutes. It was something big, either a deer or a person, because I heard them hit the chain link fence as they/it jumped over.

Banned is probably too strong a word. However, until you live next door to an irresponsible dog owner who lets their dog(s) bark CONTINUOUSLY at anything that moves, you would like to certainly ban the barking.

This is more an OWNER problem. No, most of you dog owners don't want to read that. You are the ones I am writing about. You are the ones who ignore the ongoing barking of your dogs and when the police come to check out the noise nusiance your precious ones are creating, you feign ignorance to the noise. You say, "they were barking at someone who was trespassing." Etc. Etc. It's time YOU take responsibility for the noise your animal is creating. Quit blaming outside forces for the barking. Your dog is trying to tell you he/she is bored, needs your love, or worse, in pain. If your dog is barking ALL the time, then tell me just how you know when they are barking at a trespasser?!

Our society would never ignore a crying baby for too long. Especially one that is left outside in the elements at all hours. Babies cry for a reason, dogs bark for reason. See what that reason is and take care of your animal. If you are too lazy to tend to your animal's needs then please give the dog away.

Living next door to ignorant dog owners is a nightmare. Trust me, I've been through it to the point where I had to petition my city council to make the noise nusiance laws more victim friendly. It was ME who had to do all the work to gather recorded evidence, a written barking log in order to try to get some peace on my OWN property. It shouldn't be this way. Noise is noise...period! Folks in neighborhoods don't seem to want to make waves with their neighbors by reporting a nusiance noise animal...screw the neighbors. I'm not here to make friends...I'm here to enjoy the sanctity of my home. If I can't sleep at night what the heck do I care if my neighbor likes me? If their dog is what is keeping me awake then they are going to hear about it. NO ONE should have to put up with that!

If you own a dog and call it a member of your family, then just tell me would you leave a family member outside ALL THE TIME?! No, you wouldn't. So don't leave your dog outside to bark at all hours. Get a clue! A dog left outside is not a family member, it's a possession. If this post is making you angry and you own a dog...then more than likely YOU are a dog owner that is irresponsibly letting your dog bark. There's no excuse for your ignorance. Your dog's behavior is likely a reflection of you. SHUT THE DOG UP!

Sick,

I don't think any ordinance would affect you since this issue is not about dogs or their barking. It is about negligent or spiteful dog owners who choose to allow their dogs to bark for hours.

Jeanne,

Kudos to your effort. I couldn't agree with you more!

This is a "Do Unto Others" issue. We need to ban it only if the OWNERS are too inconsiderate or self-centered to monitor their own (and their dogs') behavior.

Let's ban talking while we're at it too. Or a baby crying in a restaurant. Ridiculous question!

True, Lassie.

What annoys me more than a barking dog is the three child care centers being operated out of my neighbor's homes.... one forty yards from my house, and two about 60 yards from my house. There's nothing worse than listening to screaming and yelling children all day long. I should ask the city to compose an ordinance forbidding 3 child care centers within a 40 to 60 yard radius of each other in the city limits. I would absolutely go crazy if God hadn't managed to have somebody invent air conditioning.

Sick,

Sounds like they need to limit those child center hours. I didn't realize they are open at midnight or 4 AM. Great meaningful point!

Next, let's make a law forbidding the trees to drop their leaves in the fall. The mess that makes is a nuisance. I can't believe my neighbor allows leaves from their trees to fall on my property.

David, get a leaf blower and blow the leaves back onto their property.

Lassie, I feel your sarcasm. :)

But, what about people like my wife, who works a midnight shift and attempts to sleep during the day? Barking dogs, screaming kids.... really, what's the difference?

Well tell me this. Would you rather have 3 kennels outside your house with dogs barking non-stop and at a higher decibel or kids who go out to play at lunch time and leave at the end of the day? I think your wife would prefer the kids but I could be wrong. Perhaps she might want you to not sleep too. WOOOOF!

I think we should keep the dogs and ban the owners. The dogs would be better off. Meow.