I have a neighbor living behind us that has a dog that barks
incessantly. We’ve tried to remedy the problem with a humane dog
silencer machine and the neighbor flipped out.
“I have a neighbor living behind us that has a dog that barks incessantly. We’ve tried to remedy the problem with a humane dog silencer machine and the neighbor flipped out. The police and animal control have been out to his house multiple times, and he has threatened both my fiancee and me. He has since put up a blue tarp that rises more that eight feet above the fence to block the silencer signal. It is ugly, and I know it has to be against neighborhood code regulations. All the neighbors whose homes look at his yard are fed up with it but won’t do anything about it so it lands on my plate.”
and …
“Our neighbors have a little dog that is constantly barking. My son cannot even play in our backyard because the dog will bark constantly at him through the fence. Another problem we seem to have with the same neighbors are parties. They will have loud parties and barbecues on weekend and school nights. The later it gets and the more they drink, the louder the party gets. My children’s bedroom windows face the backyard and they can’t sleep well when the neighbors have these parties in their yard. They aren’t really the most approachable people. What can I do about this?”
Red Phone: Dear Tired Of Trashy Neighbors, Sometimes it seems less like we’re living on Easy Street and more like we’re having nightmares on Elm, doesn’t it?
Although the first caller’s attempt at regaining the peace was creative, we don’t recommend doing anything that might jeopardize the dog’s health or happiness. Tactics like that create more hostility and don’t address the root of the problem.
Red Phone received some flak recently on our comment board for its response to a similar question where we recommend trying first to address a neighbor in a non-confrontational manner then getting the police involved if necessary.
If you receive threats, which can be considered felonies, you should definitely reporting them to police at 846-0350, and if you are wondering if the tarp is in violation of the city’s laws, you can contact Code Enforcement at 846-0264.
Red Phone realizes there are cases when you’ve exhausted your options and you have to pursue other solutions.
In extreme cases, you may want to seek legal options, but this is usually not something a lot of people do usually because of the high costs, said Albie B. Jachimowicz, an attorney with Hinkle, Jachimowicz, Pointer & Emanuel, which has an office in Gilroy.
“Honest lawyers don’t really want to get involved with something like this,” he said. “We don’t want their money for small disputes.”
Many cases can be solved through a program such as the the Santa Clara County Dispute Resolution Program, Jachimowicz, said. The program provides mediation from third parties, who volunteer their time. Contact them at 792-2327 or vi***********@********ov.org, and let the Red Phone know how it goes.
