Barking mad

Set the scene – Rural average, 11 houses in total, every house has dog(s). Everyone is pretty happy with their lot in life.

One house seems to attract all the dogs in the street, be it big dogs or small dogs – they all end up at the house at some time during the day. Being fed and generally just rolling around on the back door step until the owners come home and then the dogs disperse!

There is a new couple on the street, the dogs are treated like children, birthday cakes when they turn of age etc. Some of us dog lovers think they are mad.

Imagine a long weekend, Imagine from a property emits the sounds of barking dogs, not for 1-2 hours, not for 8 hours but for the entire 72 hours, dogs bark.

It is not the Bassett, it’s not the Springer Spaniel, it’s not the German Shepherd, it’s not the Bitzer or the Boxer. It’s not the Jack Russell nor the Blue Heeler or the Rottweiler. It’s the two ‘Children’ they have been left alone, left alone is something they are not used to, it is something foreign to them. They are not used to amusing themselves, they are not used to not being doted upon. They are not used to being locked out of the house.

They are driving everyone in the street mad. They bark day and night, they bark night and day. They bark without stopping. I pity the people next door to them. Their bedroom is less than 20m away from the kennels. My bedroom is perhaps 100m from the kennels. The people in the valley 4 doors down ring me and ask which dogs are barking?

It had got to the stage that a mutiny was declared. A poison pen letter was composed and dropped in the mail box.

They get home, they take offense at said letter, they decide the street is the enemy.

The noise continues, the neighbours move out because of the noise. They are burgled and because they have ostracised the street are unable to ask if we, the neighbours saw anything. They can’t even ask the neighbours to collect the mail now – they have to pay someone to do that.

If you have dogs, it’s fine to treat them like children. But if you treat them children, that means they will behave like children. You don’t leave Children unattended for 3 days straight do you?

Think of your neighbours, think of yourself. In times of need, you need your neighbours. Do not ostracise those that may one day be useful

Take it from someone who knows! **wink**