Sooner or later most of us will encounter a bad pet neighbor. Maybe it’s someone with a dog that barks all night. Maybe it’s someone who doesn’t like dogs or who hassles you about your own dog for some reason. But if you have pets you’ll probably have to deal with someone like this sooner or later. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make the situation better.
If you have a neighbor who actually mistreats his own pets in some way and there is real cruelty involved, then you will need to contact your local animal control. However, you need to be very certain of your facts before you contact animal control, especially if you have pets yourself. Keeping and taking care of pets can be somewhat subjective. We don’t all see eye to eye about how to do things. If you believe that dogs should live indoors and sleep on the bed and your neighbor believes dogs should live outdoors that doesn’t mean he’s treating his dogs cruelly. If you are concerned then you should go ahead and contact animal control to look into matters but be aware that your neighbor may hold a grudge. He could even retaliate. Animal control will abide by the legal statutes in your state, not by the comfort levels of your neighbor’s pets. So, consider carefully before you involve animal control. Many neighborhood relationships have escalated and turned bad because one neighbor called animal control on another. Be sure that there is real abuse involved first. Some dog breeds, such as Salukis or Afghan Hounds, for instance, are supposed to be very slim dogs. People have been reported for keeping them underweight when the dogs were actually being properly cared for.
In some cases you can talk to a neighbor if you are concerned about their pets. Remember to be polite and nonjudgmental. Listen to what your neighbor says. It’s often a good idea to document your conversation in case you need to refer to it later. It’s important to keep in mind how you would feel if a neighbor approached you about your pets and act accordingly. Be tactful.
In some cases a neighbor may need temporary help with pets. If a person is elderly or experiencing some illness they may be grateful if you offer to assist them in caring for pets. There may be problems in the family or your neighbor may have to be away from home a great deal temporarily. You can find out by having a polite conversation and asking if you can be of assistance. That’s a much better approach than automatically calling animal control.
In other cases you may have a pet neighbor who has dogs with some behavior problems. They may bark all night or the dogs may be allowed to run loose. Again, talking, without anger, may be the best solution. If talking doesn’t work, before you blow a gasket, you should ask yourself if your own dogs or kids ever do anything annoying in the neighborhood. Do neighbors have to put up with your dogs barking sometimes? Do your kids ever break a window? Do you have a teenager who plays the drums every evening? Do you leave your garbage cans sitting on the side of the street for days? Chances are that your own family may do some things that annoy other neighbors. Neighborhoods are usually a give and take so before you decide to hire a hitman for your bad pet neighbor, it’s a good idea to examine your own foibles first. Tolerance is often a good idea. As a last resort you can contact animal control about your neighbor’s barking dogs, but it should probably be a last resort.
If you have a bad pet neighbor who complains about everything your own pets do you may need to try some patience. The law is usually on the side of the person making the complaint. It’s very hard to prove that your dog did not bark and you can’t ask the dog. You’ll need to keep your pets well contained and make sure they don’t bark excessively. If you do receive a visit from animal control make sure your pets have their proper licenses and tags and that they’re up-to-date on their vaccinations. All you can do is explain the situation and try to follow the rules as far as your neighbor’s complaint.
It’s always a good idea to do a little self-examination and ask yourself what kind of pet neighbor you are. Do you find yourself complaining about your neighbors a lot? Are you or your pets causing problems in the neighborhood? Do your neighbors make complaints about you?
As with most things, being a good pet neighbor and having good pet neighbors depends a great deal on good communication. Keep those lines of communication open with your neighbors and you can all benefit, especially your pets.
