Barking dog case in Suffolk hits snag

I grew up in the country with dogs. Our dogs barked only in the middle of the night when there was something SERIOUSLY WRONG rather than "amiss" and my dad knowingly would grab his shotgun and run outside. If those dogs were barking for anything other than "seriously wrong" I doubt if they would have lived very long. To an untrained dog, "amiss" can mean a mouse, rabbit, the postal worker, a chicken, etc. Our dogs didn't bark all day long at anyone who came near the property nor did they bark at us when we came home or when we were home. Chronic barking is bad for the dog and if your neighbors are close enough, bad for the neighbors regardless of whether you are in town or in the country. Elsa lives in town, in fact, in a nice neighborhood of relatively close-set properties where I'm sure most of the homes have electronic security, patroling police officers, and street lighting. There is no reason at all that dog should be barking so much to distrupt the peace of a community.

Evidentally, those who think dogs don't bark because something is amiss have never lived in the country. My dog barks for one reason. Something is out there. I want her to bark because I want to know what's coming down my driveway or out of the woods.

Dogs bark because their owners haven't trained or socialized them properly. In most cases, they aren't cared for either and in all cases it's a clear sign the dog is neglected. They aren't barking because something is "amiss", they are barking because they are nervous or bored. Have you ever lived next to a German Shepherd that is neglected? I lived next to two that are left alone outside all day and night to bark at EVERYTHING from rain and wind to their own owners arriving home because they are suffering so incredibly from separation anxiety. To say I "might" have a hearing sensitivity because I can very clearly hear a huge German Shepherd with a very loud bark in every part of my home and on my property is insane. The man who lives on the opposite end of the block from us can hear the dogs and the people on the wetlands trail in the valley 1,000 feet away can hear the dogs. If anything the Elsa's owner who lives around the constant noise should have her hearing checked because if anything, she's suffering from hearing loss.

1. PEOPLE have the right to quiet enjoyment of their property, their castle, their American Dream. In fact, its medically required for people to be able to relax and being force fed noise from barking dogs is not relaxing. Unlike the smoking ban sweeping this country, where the victims of that toxic could at least escape to their own home, victims of barking can't escape it because it is present in their own homes.

2. Dogs allowed to bark for hours a day, every day, week after week, month after month are simply neglected. Dogs need to be trained, excersized, socialized, and de-sensitized.

Its not for anyone to decide whether Mrs. Carter is being too sensitive. It's the dog owners who need not infringe on Mrs. Carter. If your dog start barking, bring it in. Take it for wakes, excersize, train.

Last time I noticed, dogs bark. You know, they can't talk like people, but they do let their owners know when something's amiss outside, and in the city, things happen that cause the dog to become alerted, and nature makes them bark at that something that alerts them. Sure, it's annoying, but that's the nature of dogs. Seeing as how it's winter and windows are usually closed, I wonder if Mrs. Carter's hearing is a little too sensitive that she can hear as good as a dog nd maybe she should have a doctor check her hearing?