Hi.  Our neighbors have a BIG dog (rottie) that is left outside for hours and barks and barks all while chained up in the back yard.  The time of day varies, afternoon, evening, night.  I called the Borough Office today and there really isn’t anything they can do.  And I’m not getting close enough to this animal to see if it has a tag.  Isn’t there a barking dog law?  I don’t want to be a nasty neighbor, but I’ve got kids that take naps and the dog barking is just plain annoying (more so to me than them).  I actually use my deck and will not be chased out of my own backyard by a barking dog at 11pm.  However, I don’t want to disrupt my other neighbors.  Oh, to make natters worse, we live in a townhouse.  I really didn’t want to call the police and burden them with a ‘hey, my neighbors dog is barking, can you make it be quiet?’ call.  I have yet to meet this neighbor so I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.  What can I do?  Any suggestions?  HELP!

I believe there is an ordinance, although beyond using a tape recorder or camcorder of some type I’m not sure how you prove it and have a fine assessed.

I thought I had heard of these fines being assessed before but I’m unsure of the circumstances.

I believe the ordinance calls for pet owners to be fined between $50 and $500 if they allow their animals to disturb the peace in excess of two 15-minute periods within 24 hours.

I would make an attempt to meet them and discuss it first

CD

I think the specific ordinance is the Barking Dog Ordinance #2001-006. It can be reviewed in it’s entirety at the borough office or you can call the borough office 993-2963 extension #203 with questions concerning the ordinance.

CD

The details of the ordinance is that the dog must be barking for two 15 minute periods within a 24 hour period.

What I would suggest is that you call the police and ask that they stop by and ask that they keep your name anonymous and that they advise them that they have been receiving some complaints from their neighbors.

Even if you wanted to press charges the police are likely to give the owner a warning. Sometime people are unaware that their dog barks and also annoys others.

If the situation escalates you will need to file an official complaint and document the date/times that the dog barks. The police will not be able to sit around and wait to see if the dog barks for 15 minutes.

You also will want to take a look and see why the dog is barking.  Are kids playing nearby, are neighbors outside. etc.. Dogs bark. This is a fact of life, but when they constantly bark this is when it becomes a nuisance.

Also your written documentation, or video camera tapes will provide proof to the local judge.  There are fines for this type of problem if it can be proven.

Jeff Bruening
Councilman, Stewartstown Borough

PS. I drafted this ordianance and if you have more specific questions you can contact me directly via a private message and then share your name/phone number.

a reminder: when you do call police...make sure you call 911 and not the borough office. this way, if you have to pursue the problem further, or if you aren’t satisfied with the outcome, there will be an official logging of your call to police. our police and our office personnel aren’t there 24/7 but county 911 is.

Guy - is there another number to call county with? 911 seems a little extreme for a dog barking case.

you know, it’s a shame people have that perception of 911. calling 911 is not an “extreme” measure. it is merely an access. it’s a place you can call 24/7 when you need the assistance of police, fire, and ambulance. now, while it’s true that some of those services are ‘emergency services’, it doesn’t have to be an emergency for us to call 911. plus, when you do call, it’s logged in so that, in the event you don’t get a satisfying response, you can demonstrate that you did call...and how many times.  if you call a local # and leave a message, either with a person or a machine, there’s a chance it’ll get overlooked or lost in the shuffle. that won’t happen when you call 911.

Thanks Guy for the different perspective. I was one of those people that viewed 911 as an emergency resource. 

911 is for emergency service access!
I have written to get a response from York County 911 for an opinion for this matter.
It would be a shame for a true emergency to find a busy signal due to the fact someone has a barking dog!  I do agree that a presistent barking dog is a problem. However, it does not rise to the level of denying a person that is suffering a cardic event from getting care.
Using an emergency service to cover an “alleged” lack of responsibility on the part of our local system is not an excuse!  If this is really the problem, then fix it.

Craig Brown

Hi.  Thanks for all the advice.  For now I am continuing to yell ‘shut up’ out the window if it isn’t after 11pm and the ignorant people seem to move quickly to bring the dog in.  I may also write them an annoymous letter complaining about the dog barking.  I don’t want to be the neighborhood bad guy but dag! is is me or are people just getting more and more inconsiderate?
And is there a law about them picking up after their dog goes to the bathroom on their own property?  Their yard looks like a kennel.  It is getting gross.  Someone is going to get sick from all the dog poop laying around.
Momma
who really doesn’t want to turn into complaining woman…

Zort....

911 is for emergency service access as well as for contacting the police as recommended by Guyshook.

The borough police are too busy patrolling the area to be sitting in the office waiting for you to call them with a complaint. It is wise to call 911 who will be able to contact the borough police on duty at the time.

I’m sure York County’s EMS will tell you the same thing that Guyshook said in his post.

There are several 911 lines and the possiblity of all those lines being busy would be a rare instance, i.e. national, state emergency, or several motor vehicle accidents during inclement weather.

York County’s EMS 911 personnel are highly experienced when it comes to responding to calls and rating the importance of each call. It is highly unlikely that York County’s EMS 911 personnel would rate a barking dog higher on a response scale compared to someone who might be having a heart attack.

Before 911 service went into effect, people could call fire and ambulance company direct.

With what you have said, perhaps you think it would be better to disband the 911 service and have people call the fire and ambulance companies direct for quicker response.

JJH

Not True!
911 is an excellent service!  It should not be tied up with regular (non-emergency) traffic. Calling the police department directly is the proper procedure.  I did not express the idea that 911 should be disbanded nor would I.

Below is the reponse from York County 911 Services.

Quote **********************************
WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY?
? When you need immediate police assistance.Example: In a life-threatening or violent situation; during a break-in; or when another serious crime is being committed.
? When you need immediate help from the Fire Department. Example: Reporting a fire in your home or at any other location.
? When you need immediate ambulance service. Example: At the scene of a serious accident; or to aid someone having a heart attack or needing a poison antidote.

WHAT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY?
When the situation is not dangerous, or does not require immediate action, it is not an emergency. If you need the Police, Fire Department, Ambulance Service, or Poison Control Center for non-emergency situations, use their regular seven-digit telephone number. Please call the appropriate seven-digit telephone number; 854-5571 or 1-800-427-8347.

USE 9-1-1 PROPERLY
This emergency service will provide greater safety to the citizens when used properly.
Prank calls and false alarms are treated very seriously and callers can be identified through the voice recordings.
Do not dial 9-1-1:
? For old accident information.
? For non-emergency ambulance transfers.
? Any non-urgent assistance requests.
? Ambulance billing questions.
REMEMBER TO DIAL 9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES.

Quote ***********************************

Anyone who would like a copy of the complete document, please email me.

Craig Brown