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Letter Template: Neighbour's Dog Barking

By: Abigail Taylor - Updated: 9 Oct 2023 | comments*Discuss
 
Barking Dog Neighbour Home Howling Noise

If a neighbour's dog is constantly barking or howling it can be extremely frustrating and ruin your enjoyment of your home. There is no specific law that forbids a neighbour from having a barking dog. However if the barking is constant and can be heard from inside your house, then you may be able to rely upon laws restricting noise nuisance.

Approach Your Neighbour First

As a first approach to the problem, it is always worth speaking to your neighbour; they may be unaware of the problem. If a chat doesn't work, or you've been unable to contact them, you might want to try an informal note, followed by a more formal letter. Our examples below should help:

Informal Note to Neighbour About Barking Dog(s)

Dear [name]

Just a quick note regarding dog barking. The constant barking is very frustrating and can be clearly heard inside [my/our] house.

If the dog belongs to you, please could you try to stop them barking as much? If not, [I/we] will do some further investigating to find the dog's owner.

Thanks for your help.

Best wishes,
[Name]
[Your house number]

More Formal Letter to Neighbour About Dog Barking

[Your Address][Neighbour's name]
[Address / 'Delivered by hand']

[Date]

Dear [Neighbour's name]/[If unknown, just address as 'Dear Neighbour'],

Re: Dog barking

I live at [address], next door. I am writing in relation to a dog barking at your property. The specific dog barking seems to be a [colour and breed of dog].

The dog barking occurs: [select appropriate]

  • During the night / during the day / during early morning hours before 7am
  • When you go out and leave the dog alone for a period of time
  • When you let the dog out early morning
  • When someone walks past your property
  • When I go out into my garden

You may have previously been unaware of this noise. However it affects me because it can be clearly heard in the habitable areas of my house [and prevents me from sleeping / prevents me from enjoying use of my garden].

If this issue is not resolved, the Environmental Health Department may take action to reduce the noise, which could result in you receiving a financial penalty.

I am keen to resolve this amicably; we are after all neighbours! I would therefore be grateful if you could [try to reduce any noise between 11pm and 7am / stop your dog from barking constantly at any time for more than 20 minutes / not let your dog outside when you are out of the house].

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Kind regards,

[Your signature]
[Your name]

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[Add a Comment]
Has no one on here mentioned the wonder cure that is chocolate! A few chunks lobbed into the garden of the offending pooch - or popped through the letterbox - no more barking as the mutt will be too busy throwing up. Rince and repeat until the problem goes away.
Bobsyerunkle - 9-Oct-23 @ 1:20 PM
The dog barking by me is on a estate its not a direct neighbour but the dog is big and barks loud I can't imagine it not pissing loads of people off by me, happens late from 9 to about 11,prime TV time, I'm reporting it, selfish people not sorting their animals out but no surprise there some of the cretins around here.
Tgrem - 2-Jun-22 @ 10:32 PM
Would like to report a dog barking constantly at 56 Denton lane ol98pu
Cj1234 - 15-Apr-22 @ 11:57 PM
Dear all I'm making a complain because my dad's dogs barking early owners of the morning late at night I have tried talking to him but dint work out help me please meany thanks James Baker
Paull - 7-Aug-21 @ 7:20 PM
[Your Address][Neighbour's name] [Address / 'Delivered by hand'] [Date] Dear [Neighbour's name]/[If unknown, just address as 'Dear Neighbour'], Re: Dog barking I live at [address], next door. I am writing in relation to a dog barking at your property. The specific dog barking seems to be a [colour and breed of dog]. The dog barking occurs: [select appropriate] During the night / during the day / during early morning hours before 7am When you go out and leave the dog alone for a period of time When you let the dog out early morning When someone walks past your property When I go out into my garden You may have previously been unaware of this noise. However it affects me because it can be clearly heard in the habitable areas of my house [and prevents me from sleeping / prevents me from enjoying use of my garden]. If this issue is not resolved, the Environmental Health Department may take action to reduce the noise, which could result in you receiving a financial penalty. I am keen to resolve this amicably; we are after all neighbours! I would therefore be grateful if you could [try to reduce any noise between 11pm and 7am / stop your dog from barking constantly at any time for more than 20 minutes / not let your dog outside when you are out of the house]. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Kind regards, [Your signature] [Your name]
hi me ??? - 4-Jun-21 @ 10:44 AM
My next door neighbour is a single lady in her fifties who owns two dogs, a small spaniel and a large setter-type crossbreed. Since moving in about a year ago she herself has been absolutely silent - the best neighbour I've ever had in that respect - but her dogs more than make up for it. She is normally out at work for nearly ten hours a day, and also seems to spend most of the weekend out of her house, while I am virtually housebound. Her dogs seem equally housebound, and spend all day in the adjoining front room of her house. Every time anyone passes by her front garden, which amounts to around every fifteen minutes or so, they bark for a few minutes. Then the large dog starts to howl. This then starts the little dog off howling. This continues for a few minutes, usually until someone else walks by, which sets them off again. To begin with I put up with this for about six months after they moved in, thinking the dogs would settle eventually as they got used to their new environment. But, if anything, they became worse. I was initially nervous of approaching a lone older lady with this kind of grievance in case she might feel threatened. I have mobility issues myself, however, and have only managed to catch my neighbour twice to speak to her about it. The first time she made a good show of being apologetic and claimed to be mortified that the dogs were disturbing me while she was out. For a few weeks, she moved them outside into a shed while she was at work, and while I could still hear them, the noise wasn't loud enough to drive me to distraction any more. Then for some reason she decided to move them back into the house during the day and the whole sorry situation resumed - and if anything the howling became more annoying than before. I managed to speak to her a second time about it and her only response that time was "Well I'll be retiring in three years, if that helps" ! As I said earlier, the howling hasn't just started up again, but it has intensified. The howling doesn't happen when she is there (occasionally the barking does), so I imagine she doesn't believe me about the howling or its intensity. The dogs are clearly suffering from some kind of separation anxiety, but when I broached the subject with her she didn't seem to even understand what I was talking about. I now feel that I've done more than enough to try and settle the matter amicably, so am I now justified in involving an outside agency now that it is clear she doesn't seem inclined to do anything to remedy the situation?
hi me ??? - 4-Jun-21 @ 10:41 AM
We have neighbors an there dog in barks none stop every day we live in disabled bungalow's and everyone is moaning about it they have been asked to keep it quiet but they don't listen the poor thing is locked out day an nightand it barks from 16.30 till up to 0130 it's so annoying I love dogs but this one I don't it's not it's fault it's the owner's
Tez - 4-Apr-21 @ 6:09 PM
I'm sandwhiched between two dog owners both 1 door down on either side. 1 dog we hear all the time during the day and at night sometimes till 11pm. The other dog is completely quiet... I didn't even realise they had a dog! The quiet dog is taken for regular walks and is taken out of the house. The noisy one is left at home most the day. Our mutual neighbour takes it out for a walk as she feels sorry for it and it gives her company. The owners seems too busy to really care for it. When another neighbour approached them about the issue of dog barking they got into a heated argument. So I don't want to end up like that - hoping environmental health will take some action. Not sure what else to do? It's difficult to sleep with a dog barking. The children in the neighbourhood get disturbed too. Such a nightmare some days.
Aliya - 26-Oct-20 @ 11:09 PM
I retired & moved to a new home in SC with my cats. The first 2 months were complete bliss. Then, the neighbors moved in with 2 barking dogs. As soon as I began planting flowers around my home or sitting out in my screened-in patio, all I heard was non stop barking,After several minutes, the owners would say, “come in boys”. I approached the neighbors very nicely, about their barking dogs. The wife told me that they had tried everything. But, their dogs are not trained!! And she said that I must be flexible..It got worse before it got better!! The wife lied & told her husband that I threatened to go to the HOA.. This never happened! I approached the husband to talk but, he threw me off his property & called me a hypocrite..I told him that I will pray for you.. So sad but, the dogs are now under control with their barking but, the neighbors & I are not speaking..When the neighbors first moved in, the husband told me that they had moved 9 times.. Now, I understand why ..
Kat - 25-Sep-20 @ 6:11 PM
Super frustrated. My husband and I just bought our first house. Sadly to say, this is the worst location.The whole neighborhood has dogs that bark throughout the day. To make it worse, both neighbors on the side of me dogs bark ALL DAY....especially to the right of me. The dog barks throughout the night! 10pm-11:30pm, then 12pm-2am......3am-6am.The times often change, but still during the day, evening,night and middle of the night. Its ridiculous!!! Then, during the day he walks back and forth in his cage. Honestly,I'm trying to figure out when he sleeps. They don't tell him to be quite! One day their family was outside,he barked at them from his cage (he and another dog are in seperate cages outside )they simply ignored him. I have two dogs myself. They are trained and don't bark. Neighbors should be more mindful....not everyone wants to hear that noise.
Shar - 22-Aug-20 @ 10:36 AM
Super frustrated. My husband and I just bought our first house. Sadly to say, this is the worst location.The whole neighborhood has dogs that bark throughout the day. To make it worse, both neighbors on the side of me dogs bark ALL DAY....especially to the right of me. The dog barks throughout the night! 10pm-11:30pm, then 12pm-2am......my husband 3am-6am.Its ridiculous!!! Then, during the day he pastes in his cage. Honestly,I'm trying to figure out when he sleeps. They don't tell him to be quite! One day their family was outside,he barked at them from his cage (he and another dog are in seperate cages outside )they simply ignored him. I have two dogs myself. They are trained and don't bark. Neighbors should be more mindful....not everyone wants to hear that noise.
Shar - 22-Aug-20 @ 10:33 AM
I have a phobia of dogs and new tenants have moved in the flat upstairs with a dog that is barking at night, making me very anxious
AMonsoon - 21-Aug-20 @ 11:59 PM
Adam... I think I'm your next door neighbour (at number 9), if not it's quite a coincidence because right now I'm listening to a yappy dog from the neighbours house that backs onto mine! The howling dogs (who live next door to the yappy dog) was bad enough... but they don't yap at 5am! I shouted out my bedroom window the other morning, because the lady seemed oblivious to her screeching dog waking up the neighbours as she watered her plants!
H - 7-Aug-20 @ 4:23 PM
I have the same problem with a neighbour opposite my house. Our houses "back onto each other", with the back gardens filling the space between. While this space does give us some 50 feet of separation, their persistantly barking dog's noise is absolutely unbearable at times. It's not just that they shut the dog out in the garden when they're out. They shut it out in the garden sometimes from 10am, all the way through to 11pm, and it barks constantly (minimum of 1 bark every 5 seconds!). It's not even a guard dog. It's one of those little yappy things that is supposed to be a pet and a companion for the kids. I've tried the note through the door, with nothing done to address the noise. So Environmental Health is the next step. Unfortunately, a lot of people get dogs with the ONLY purpose of making a racket in the garden, thinking it's a deterrant for burglars. The mistreat their dogs in order to make t he bark as much as possible, as loudly as possible. I have no idea why this . isn't treated as illegal. It's cruel to the animals and it's a nightmare for the neighbours.
Adam - 7-Aug-20 @ 11:39 AM
I’ve been living next door to my neighbors for the past 5 years and never have I had a problem with them or their dog. But a few months ago I noticed they had got another pup I don’t know what kind of dog it is, but the only reason I noticed the pup was from the barking it does morning, noon and night . The dog is tied up from the early am hours to the late night. These neighbors are cruel to be doing this. I’ve called the non emergency number for LAPD but they can’t do anything , they referred me to animal control which will be quite a process to get them to get this to stop. This is such a problem I don’t know how to get someone to listen and come out and take care of the matter. For now I will continue to try to get this resolved .
Politz - 30-Jul-20 @ 5:50 AM
Hi We have neighbors 3 doors up from us ,who have a dog that is kept in the back garden.Never goes for a walk ,but constantly howls and barks at all times off the day and night .Which can be heard in our house .We both have to be up really early for work so it keeping us awake at all hours is not good What should I do .
Je - 11-Jun-20 @ 1:34 PM
I am experiencing the same problem you all are. I live in a subdivision. Let me start from the beginning. My neighbors moved in they had 2 shepherds that they never walk on a lease, they never ensure they stay in their yard. I have a pitbull that I would put on a cord attached to my deck. They would come in my yard and bother him. They have come in my yard and I have gone out to get him and they have tried to run in my house behind him. Now that he is TRAINED and older I don't put him on the cord when he goes out because he doesn't leave the property or go in their yard and responds to his name. One day we were outside one of the dogs ran over toward him I tell the girlfriend to come get him and put him on a leash. She responds NO I will not the law says I don't have to. Yes we do not have a leash law but there are stipulations behind it but didn't feel like arguing with this lady. Additionally they breed dogs. Ok so now they built a fence but still don't put them on a leash to walk them. One man outside of the subdivision said his grandchildren were in the yard playing the dogs charged at them. Additional information our HOA has been taken over by residents as Board Members. Well now the owners leave the dogs outside all of the time and if they are gone for the weekend the dogs stay outside until they get back and there is nonstop barking. I asked one of the members of the Board to do something he replied he had spoken to the homeowner 3 times regarding the barking but he gets all worked up. He further states that's the reason the police have said the residents need to file a formal complaint. My next question was you are a HOA Board Member don't you all deal with compliance. Reply I have talked to him 3 times. FIRST and foremost if the HOA Board Members are complaining about the barking they would file suit on the residents behalf. It is now 2044 pm and the dogs are still barking. I called the police earlier. The Officer told me that would have to hear them bark for one straight minute and if they were barking becuase they say his truck that didnt count. They would have to just be barking not because they heard or saw something. I also have PTSD due to military but also have a 7 month old in the home they bark she crys for hours. So fed up with. Please advise
Josie - 8-Jun-20 @ 3:48 AM
DO NOT PUT UP WITH NUISANCE NEIGHBOURS OR THEIR SO-CALLED NOISEY ‘PETS’, At the end of the day, it is THEY who are in the wrong- NOT you! Why don’t more people complain? Why is it always left to the chosen few (ie US) to put in a complaint?Why are there so many gutless neighbours who keep whinging, yet do Jack Sh#t about it?You know who you are:- ‘man/woman-up’ and put in a complaint to your local council (it’s all confidential, after all),
Count Crawfard - 6-May-20 @ 9:12 PM
Geez is anyone here literate? These comments are some of the most jumbled word salad I've ever seen.
Mike - 30-Apr-20 @ 9:39 PM
Hi We live in a house which has neighbours either side. On one side there are 2 children and in the other there are 3 children. With the current isolation situation and the upcoming Easter holidays we envisage noise from either side. Both sides are fairly noisy anyway and we appreciate they are children but we wanted to speak/write to the parentsand politely ask they consider us and try to keep the children’s noise/screaming under control Is there a way to do this politely ? Thanks
Shadow - 31-Mar-20 @ 6:48 PM
Please just get repossessed orders to get all the animals out of the house of the shepherd at 36Fullerton road milehouse Plymouth please you need to start getting this matter to end to give the neighbour's peace and quietplease it environment health matters as well as an noise environment matter please don't wait please work with the police officers to gain access to the house to take full access to the house pleasetalk to the court adap
Miss claudia - 5-Mar-20 @ 7:30 PM
Also I can't enjoy outside because every movement my family or I make they go berserk for no reason. I'm not at there yard I'm in my house like taking the trash out they start barking also come home at night they start barking for no reason I can't come home peaceful. It's very annoying and what really upset me is that the next door neighbor never walks there 3 dogs. Why they have 3 dogs if he or she are not going to walk them. They are neglecting them but it's weird they love them differently I see they care but they are lazy to walk there 3 dogs. Every single day 3 dogs bark all day and sometimes at night it's not fair they know there dogs barks all day why they can't put them inside. It's not that hard to put them inside I notice that some of my neighborhoods don't like there 3 dogs. It's not the dogs fault that there acting like this it's the owners fault. If these keeps up should I ignore or what should I do I have high blood pressure I don't want to have problems.
LinkGirl - 9-Jan-20 @ 4:55 AM
6 months ago the next door neighbor moved in they have big family because they have 4 to 5 cars. My neighborhood was quiet until the have 3 very annoying dogs. I like dogs but not those 3 dogs 2 black male mix medium size chihuahua and mix white terrior nedium poodle. Those dogs bark at anything like very small things there barking is very annoying. I'm not being mean but it's the truth I never encounter 3 very annoying dogs in my life. Ever since the family moved in I don't know the owner's name he or she never walk there 3 dogs at all. They act like that because they are stress and in the front house all day I feel bad for them. It's the owner's fault because that's how they act like this they need a walk. They love them differently like I never seen them play with them at all especially walking them. So what you think is the owner is responsible for the 3 dogs acting like this.
LinkGirl - 9-Jan-20 @ 4:34 AM
My neighbours have a Beagle X who mainly is allowed to howl when they are staying up late.Sometimes they shout at her to stop but mostly they seem content to listen to her.The other night she was still howling until about 2.30am and they were still up also, as I could hear them clumping up and down their stairs. I noticed that she wasn't allowed to howl the following night when they had to be up early for work themselves. They are generally nice pleasant people, just very inconsiderate.But how can you sit and listen to that howling in the same room as the dog?
Christine - 9-Dec-19 @ 11:24 AM
I also have a neighbour renovating her house and 3 dogs. The dogs get locked in the house whilst she goes to work. They will bark from morning until 5 pm. She lives in her caravan.So we have constant drilling or banging or dogs barking and howling. If you approach her she runs off into her house shouting, Don't shout at me in the street. It is impossible to resolve the issue. Any constructive advise would be great. She is fully aware of the issues asher family members have tried totalk to her.
Suze - 6-Dec-19 @ 5:18 PM
Hello can you give me advice about what to do if I been reported to council by my neighbour and everything what she said was totally lied.
Adam - 25-Nov-19 @ 8:47 PM
Our neighbours moved into their house 7 months ago, thieir house is situated further forward from ours so my house frontage is level with there rear, they put 2 small dogs in a wooden cage and left them there all night and day for a week while they stayed at the property that were moving out of so the dogs were left aloneexcept when they came to feed them during the day, the noise was horrendous during that time and I assumed would not be so when the owners moved in!?this went on for months during the winter they were left outside barking , howling and whining until my dad spoketo the owner about the noise. They seperated the dogs and put the smallest one indoors but they still barked as they couldn't see each other, this seams to stress them out as the one left outside howls and whines pitifully constantly barking and this is at night as well as during the day, I can hear them over my tv even when im wearing headphones listing to music! But the lack of sleep is the worst as i have to go to work! I cant even have a relaxing rest when im home as the yapping cuts through my nerves, and its dreadful trying to sit outside and have a conversation or speak to someone at the front door. The smell of dog poo is terrible too and its been strong smelling even in the winter months as the back yard is full of dog faeces so the summer will be worse! we cant even have the Windows open due to the stink as well as the noise! They have 3 toddlers too that play in the yard with the dogs, I had a look out of my Window and I can see mounds of poo everywhere and some of its been there quite some time the children's toys are surrounding by poo its disgusting!! Our houses are all privately owned in my street and ive lived there all my life and never seen anything like this on a property before.
Red - 15-May-19 @ 8:13 PM
I am 71, just retired and lived in my detached home for 26 years, and had no noise problems until a year ago. The next door neighbours who are quiet in themselves got a loud barking dashund, which barks loudly on and off all day starting early, outside my bedroom, when I'm not an early person, having worked nights most of my adult life. They also slam shut their side door on an off all day, and it bellows through my house. I've developed an irrational fear, live with earplugs 24/7, have installed secondary double glazing at a phenomenal cost, which doesn't work, the noise comes through the walls. I have written notes, the council have been involved, but the outcome...nothing. My last resort, except for moving, is to move my bedroom into a tiny back room....does anyone think this might help? It also doesn't help, a builder down the road playing his loud radio all day, it has been going on for 6 months and looks like continuing.Again the council were involved, I've written notes, but again nothing. All this is seriously affecting my health, all the neighbours need to do is plane their door if it's weathered, and control their dogs barking, and the builder to turn his radio down, or off preferably ......but nothing, it's all about self self self. Anyone got any ideas what I can do?
Sharon - 2-Feb-19 @ 6:58 PM
Any dog should not be outside without the owner or a responsible person. I have 2 large dogs and I am mindful if they bark I will shush them or they go in. They both have 2 walks a day and are behaved in and outside. It’s being respectful of others. Now regarding noise, unless you live on an acre of land or two we all have to live close to our Neighbours !
Bel - 5-Nov-18 @ 11:12 PM
My next door neighbour is a single lady in her fifties who owns two dogs, a small spaniel and a large setter-type crossbreed. Since moving in about a year ago she herself has been absolutely silent - the best neighbour I've ever had in that respect - but her dogs more than make up for it. She is normally out at work for nearly ten hours a day, and also seems to spend most of the weekend out of her house, while I am virtually housebound. Her dogs seem equally housebound, and spend all day in the adjoining front room of her house. Every time anyone passes by her front garden, which amounts to around every fifteen minutes or so, they bark for a few minutes. Then the large dog starts to howl. This then starts the little dog off howling. This continues for a few minutes, usually until someone else walks by, which sets them off again. To begin with I put up with this for about six months after they moved in, thinking the dogs would settle eventually as they got used to their new environment. But, if anything, they became worse. I was initially nervous of approaching a lone older lady with this kind of grievance in case she might feel threatened. I have mobility issues myself, however, and have only managed to catch my neighbour twice to speak to her about it. The first time she made a good show of being apologetic and claimed to be mortified that the dogs were disturbing me while she was out. For a few weeks, she moved them outside into a shed while she was at work, and while I could still hear them, the noise wasn't loud enough to drive me to distraction any more. Then for some reason she decided to move them back into the house during the day and the whole sorry situation resumed - and if anything the howling became more annoying than before. I managed to speak to her a second time about it and her only response that time was "Well I'll be retiring in three years, if that helps" ! As I said earlier, the howling hasn't just started up again, but it has intensified. The howling doesn't happen when she is there (occasionally the barking does), so I imagine she doesn't believe me about the howling or its intensity. The dogs are clearly suffering from some kind of separation anxiety, but when I broached the subject with her she didn't seem to even understand what I was talking about. I now feel that I've done more than enough to try and settle the matter amicably, so am I now justified in involving an outside agency now that it is clear she doesn't seem inclined to do anything to remedy the situation?
Thether's End - 30-Oct-18 @ 3:11 PM
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