We have neighbors on First Street who moved in a couple months
ago. They have two dogs in front of the shop that bark
incessantly.
“We have neighbors on First Street who moved in a couple months ago. They have two dogs in front of the shop that bark incessantly. At times, they will put the dogs in a shed at night, and the problem is fixed. The problem is that they do not continually do this and we are never able to sleep. The neighborhood has tried talking with them many times in a very reasonable way to try and get the noise under control but we have not been successful.
Unfortunately we’ve also had to resort to engaging Animal Control, the Sheriff’s and County Code Enforcement to try and resolve this problem. All of these agencies asked us to try community mediation, which we did try, but the owners REFUSED to participate in mediation. They simply do not care about their surrounding neighbors and the trouble they are causing for the neighborhood (which really surprises me that business owners like this are not concerned about the impact it could have on their business as well).
If they were really trying to protect their property they would keep the dogs inside the shop. Instead they keep the dogs outside on a cable line, with little shelters that they do not use. In the most recent rain, these dogs were just standing drenched surrounded by mud, whimpering all day long.
We have even offered to buy them a better shelter that may provide some noise control for us. They refuse to do anything to try and resolve this, which is really frustrating because we know how simple the solution is – just put the dogs in the shed or the shop at night and make some sort of attempt to control the barking during the day. At this point we are at wits end, it seems our only options are to take them to court to get an injunction to have their dogs put inside. There are costs associated with this and we’d prefer to not have to go down this path if this could be solved in a much more reasonable matter between the neighbors.
Unfortunately at this point the neighbors don’t even want to talk with us. They have been very confrontational. Are there any other ways to try and resolve an issue like this?”
Red Phone: Dear Kept Awake, It sounds like you have done your part to try to contact the owners of the dog. Now it might be a good time to contact the pros. The Gilroy police issue citations for noise disturbance to owners of dogs that aren’t properly maintained and bark a lot. On Feb. 12, a man on Wren Avenue was cited for just such an offense. But a word of warning, officers can only issue citations when they hear the dog barking. To report a loud dog, call 846-0350.
The sign stays
This call is in reference to caller – published in Friday’s Red Phone – who said a new stop sign at Welburn Avenue and Hanna Street is not needed.
“You’re right Red Phone, you can’t please everyone. For us that live in this area, that stop sign was really needed. We took our lives into our own hands just trying to get across Welburn Avenue from Hanna Street. There are a lot of other routes to take to avoid the backup on Welburn. So people get used to the stop sign because it’s staying! Thank you.
and…
“I am one of the people who is responsible for the sign on Welburn and Hanna. This is in response to the person who wants the sign removed. That person thinks that a slow down sign would control the speeders clocked at 60 mph in a posted 30 mph zone. They are still in that freeway mode of going as fast as you can get away with. It is good seeing the mothers taking their kids to the park and not making the sign of the cross before they cross the street.”
Red Phone: Dear Safety Conscious, Thanks for your words of advice. We hope the sign makes the area safer for everyone.
