Dog barking
The role of the Community Safety Team in dealing with dog barking complaints is an advisory role.
What we will do
We will not become involved in enforcement action, because under the Civic Government Act 1982, section 49 (3) enables those affected by such noise nuisance to take their own legal action.
In the first instance we recommend you speak to your neighbour about the problem their dog/s are causing you. Many people work and are unaware how frequently their dog/s bark or don't notice the barking. Advise them the frequency / times their pet/s appear to be causing an issue, including the type of bark, i.e. distressed, territorial.
What you can do
Consider what help you may be able to offer your neighbour, if any, in helping them to resolve the problem you have raised. i.e. dog sitting, walking etc. (you may not wish to offer any help).
Check the barking you are hearing is specifically coming from their dog, it is not uncommon in residential areas for more than one household to have a dog and the barking may be from several households.
Next steps
If you feel you are unable to speak to your neighbour then please contact us on 030 33 33 3000 or email us on communitysafetyteam@dumgal.gov.uk. We will then raise a case and we can send you diary sheets to complete over a 2 week period. This is useful to help identify when the problems are at their worst. Any patterns which emerge may help the owner understand why their pet is barking at a specific time and assess the severity of the problem.
Once in receipt of your completed diary sheets, we will contact the owner of the dog/s, to raise the issue with them. We will offer them supportive advice regarding what may be causing their pet to bark to excess and suggest some possible solutions or sign post them to where else they may find help.
We will keep you updated with our progress.
Further information
You can contact us on the details below:
- Email: communitysafetyteam@dumgal.gov.uk
- Call 030 33 33 3000
