As reported in today's paper, a neighbor dispute over barking dogs in Mokena has the village reviewing its barking dog ordinance, which prohibits animals from "disturb(ing) the peace by loud noises at any time of the day or night.".
And that has Tony Dina, the owner of a downtown barber shop and the recipient of a barking dog ticket, asking, probably a bit facetiously: "Does that mean if your dog goes 'arf' or 'arf, arf' or 'arf, arf, arf' that that's disturbing the peace?"
The Wife and I can't seem to escape barking dogs. In Chicago, it was the Rottweilers with their deep barks and ground-thumping charging to the fence when somebody walked by. In Crete, it's the subdued yet constant din of the yapping dogs down the street confined to a small ex-pen, their owner probably too lazy or old to give them real exercise.
The fact is this: If your dogs are barking to the point where neighbors are calling the cops, you've got a problem on your hands. And the problem is not with your neighbor or your dogs. It's probably with you.
Either train your dogs properly or get them out to exercise. Chances are, that's all they need. Dogs naturally bark like children naturally speak. A few barks every now and then are perfectly normal, but, you wouldn't allow your children to scream uncontrollably at all hours of the day, would you? Why then is it OK for your dog to do it?
Patrick Ferrell, is a staff reporter for The Herald News in Joliet. and the Sun Times News Group. Patrick covers education and politics. When he’s not ranting about something, Patrick can usually be found watching a race or careening down a ski slope. He resides in Will County with his wife, Laura, and the couple’s Portuguese water dog, Oscar, and bloodhound named Duke.
I agree with you Patrick, people need to be responsible pet owners. Let's not forget there are some really extreme people out there who will complain because they NEVER want to hear a dog bark. It depends on the situation, I would be wary of an ordinance that is too extreme. Dogs will be dogs, and even the happiest dogs bark occcasionally. Responsible pet owners need to be protected from the extreme views of some non-pet people. If the ordinance is too restrictive you are adding fuel to the fire of unreasonable neighbors. Rottweilers are bred to protect and alert. All the excercise in the world might not stop them from protecting "their" fence. Training and exercise may cut down on a dog reacting to their instincts, I don't believe you could ever stop it entirely, they are dogs!
You are right, Bill of Rights. I guess my larger point, which I failed to mention, is that dog owners that bury their head in the sand and say, "It's your problem, not mine," make it more difficult for us responsible dog owners to live in a world where we can appropriately share activities with these four-legged members of our family.
I think that some of the neighbors in Mokena-which is where I live need to let little things go like dogs barking unless its 6 am & continual. What about the people driving at excessive speeds down streets where its posted 20 mph and kids are present? Our Autistic son has been almost hit riding in the alley with supervision.