Barking for Help

Dear Martha,

Our neighbor has a dog “Barney” that barks incessantly.  I mean daytime, nighttime, Christmas Day, 365 days a year.  I have talked to the neighbors, about it but they are creepy people who more or less ignore me.   I know why that poor animal barks all day; no one pays any attention to it.  When their children do pay attention to him, he gets so excited that the kids get overwhelmed, so they ignore him again.  It is a sad, vicious cycle.  I work at home all day and I feel like I can’t think with all that noise.  What should I do?

Sleepless in Vineyard Haven

Dear SIVH,

My friend Mike had a shivering, humping, explosively active Springer Spaniel, Freckles.  Freckles ended up like poor, chained up Barney because he was a ridiculously inappropriate breed choice for inexperienced dog owners.  Mike’s fed up neighbor poisoned poor Freckles out of desperation.  Who could enjoy such an animal?  Who could blame the neighbor?  Potential dog owners, are you listening?  Pick a mellow breed, neuter it, and then expect to spend hours every day on care and attention.  But I digress.

Try calling the ASPCA.   Find out what you have to do to get some action on this pup’s behalf.  This is what this organization was set up for. 

Contact an attorney.  See if a few hundred bucks spent on letter written by a card-carrying member of the Bar Association can buy you some peace.

Or if you really love animals and are experienced, conduct your own rescue operation.  Offer to baby sit the dog.  Teach it some manners and it will probably be happy to just lie on the floor and stare at you silently all day.   I once “babysat” (OK, stole) a nearly hairless, parasite infested, rotten mouthed, little hag of a dog.  She turned out to be the most charming of companions.  Hey, you never know.

Martha