Bark, bark, bark continuously!

[lakeside013104]

First off, I am a dog owner, have worked with dogs for years, play with dogs and love dogs.

Currently in an Elite RV resort in central FL with about 300 sites half of which are privately owned and the remainder are rentals. This place is clean except for the sites with oak trees and the park is dog friendly.

Our neighbors are often gone for the day or evening and leave their dog in RV while away. As soon as they leave their dog starts barking and does not stop until they return. The dog barks enough to cause his bark to become hoarse and labored sounding.

My question is: "When is the appropriate time to complain to the office and what kind of response should one expect to receive"?


Lakeside

[fla-gypsy]

Desert Captain wrote:

cdlaine wrote:
Sorry to be contrarian here...what dog owners don't know
what their dogs are like when they are gone? Really ? C'mon.

Charles

X2 Come on people you know darn well the dog owners are fully aware of their pooch's behavior, they live with it 24/7. I agree with the "speak to the management" crowd. It is not my job to correct a neighbor and the chances of that going bad are about 50/50.

I would definitely document the barking with my smart phone to prove there is a problem. I love dogs as much as anyone you have ever met but these chuckleheads make it hard on all of the responsible dog owners out there.

😞

X3, not only do they know they obviously don't give a flip either.

[TheLuvShack]

Record the dog barking. Report it to management. Many if not all have rules governing barking dogs. I have no patience with inconsiderate people. Do not approach the owners directly because many times the confrontation does turn ugly.

[Old-Biscuit]

Strike up a conversation with neighbor and ask if they are aware that their dog is a barker.......a continuous barker.
See what kind of response you get from them.

They either need to take dog with them OR one of them stays with dog and keeps it quiet.

IF EITHER OF THOSE RESOLUTIONS DOES NOT OCCUR.......

Then inform office that you have spoken with neighbors about their dog continuously barking and would now like some official involvement by staff.

[Jim_Shoe]

Follow the money. Who's profiting from your stay? The CG owner/operator. If you confront the dog owners yourself they may respond with a "Thank you. We didn't know", or you may get punched in the nose.
Check RV Park Reviews. There's a Y/N spot for "pets allowed". Some have size and number restrictions, but most don't. There's also a CG phone number. Give them a call and ask about their pet policy.
Last resort is ask at the office when you check in. Tell them that you don't want to be next to barking dogs. I've told them in the office that I'm a single RVer and don't need or want to be near the playground, pool, or dog walking area. Most would prefer to save those spaces for folks that do want to be near one or more of those things.

[ksg5000]

A polite conversation with your neighbor often clears up the problem and maintains the relationship with the neighbor. If that doesn't work then escalate matters.

Over the years I have had a few neighbors who's dogs barked for 8 hours until their owners got home from work ... neighbors were shocked when I had a conversation with them assuming that their dogs quieted down after a few minutes.

[paulcardoza]

Wow..... Might as well call the cops, Animal Control and hire a lawyer too? Have we really reached this point of paranoia, where we're afraid to talk to the person next to us?

rjxj wrote:
I would go straight to the office because I have seen to many times when you try that approach that it gets ugly. Sure, it seems like a nice thing to do but too many people just flat plain suck. Sorry to say that but I worked with a guy who had a dog in his yard situation go from politely asking the neighbor to keep his dog on his own property to vandalism to thousands of dollars of video equipment installed when video wasn't common and then to court. It was very ugly and it wasn't his fault.

You could approach the neighbor and it could go either way. They could end up having drink together and be great friends or he could end up vandalized. If he goes to the office and the offender does not know if anyone reported it or the management noticed it and addressed it. They might still end up having the drink. If they are the bad type and have an attitude they dont know who to target exactly. I'm paying to enjoy myself not get involved in bs.

Do the police tell you to get involved in stuff? To take matters into your own hands?
NO, they tell you to report the problem and consider you part of the problem if you dont. Seems harsh but that's how the risk factor breaks down. If it got nasty what do you think the first thing the management would say? They would say you SHOULD HAVE brought it to our attention.

[johnnyrv]

I would go to the office. They are experienced in handling these issues. Why risk a possible confrontation with a neighboring rig.

[azrving]

Desert Captain wrote:

cdlaine wrote:
Sorry to be contrarian here...what dog owners don't know
what their dogs are like when they are gone? Really ? C'mon.

Charles

X2 Come on people you know darn well the dog owners are fully aware of their pooch's behavior, they live with it 24/7. I agree with the "speak to the management" crowd. It is not my job to correct a neighbor and the chances of that going bad are about 50/50.

I would definitely document the barking with my smart phone to prove there is a problem. I love dogs as much as anyone you have ever met but these chuckleheads make it hard on all of the responsible dog owners out there.

😞

Exactly! You mean I wasn't a genius when we first tried leaving our dogs in the trailer and one of them started barking at everything. I I TESTED them. 🙂 I walked around the campground to listen before I ran off to enjoy my day while others would have had to endure it. So for the short time we left the dog had a muzzle. If we need to leave for longer times I will have to buy a shock type collar like the link above has. The dog can then have water and not bark. No complaints, no office visits, no attitudes, BRILLIANT! Let's party with the people next door!

[blangen]

In two posts above, reference was made to video as proof with the first post saying to capture video from beside their rig. The obvious argument is that the dog is barking due to your proximity to their rig. Whichever method you use (personal or office), begin the video from inside your rig and, if more is needed, let the video run while you leave yours and approach theirs. There is no argument if it begins while you're nowhere near their rig.

[Desert_Captain]

cdlaine wrote:
Sorry to be contrarian here...what dog owners don't know
what their dogs are like when they are gone? Really ? C'mon.

Charles

X2 Come on people you know darn well the dog owners are fully aware of their pooch's behavior, they live with it 24/7. I agree with the "speak to the management" crowd. It is not my job to correct a neighbor and the chances of that going bad are about 50/50.

I would definitely document the barking with my smart phone to prove there is a problem. I love dogs as much as anyone you have ever met but these chuckleheads make it hard on all of the responsible dog owners out there.

😞

[4X4Dodger]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Talk to the owner of the dog. Strike up a conversation and then inject ... "Oh by the way, do you know how stressed out your dog gets when you are gone ...." If they respond positive, they might do something about it. If they ignore it, wait a few days, THEN complain to the park office.

Also, if you are at the camper all day, why not volunteer to watch the dog? You might approach your neighbor and say, "Hey, Your dog is barking all day when you are gone. What would you think if I kept him at may camper when you are gone so he won't have separation anxiety so much?"... see what happens.

VERY GOOD answer and I wholeheartedly agree.

Person to Person CIVIL interaction is the best way to solve this if possible. And if I was the dog owner I would want to know this.

Added Edit: Too often as a society we elevate everything to the "Authorities" well before necessary. It's really an abdication of personal responsibility.

[coolbreeze01]

hitecpet.com/barkcollar.html

[lushy]

et2 wrote:
It's past the time for you. We have two rug rats. When we leave they get spray collars on. No barking from them. No complaints. They work as we use them at home to quiet them down when needed. So no excuses from dog owners they can't do anything about it. There are things on the market to help.

Not trying to get off topic, but what is a spray collar?

[austinjenna]

I also would go to the owners first to let them know, and its all in the approach that you take that can set the tone for the rest of the conversation. I agree with one of the above posters where they said to ask the owners 'If they realize how stressed their dog is when they leave...etc' this should open up a good dialogue and I think any dog owner would want to hear more about it.

If you approach them with 'Your Daxx dogs are barking all the friggin time' Then this is more confrontational and their defensive walls automatically go up.

I would certainly give the owner the first crack at it. If nothing seems to be done about it then I guess my next resort would be to go to the office but also in a nice manor and maybe with a recording, or ask them if you could call the office and have them stop over the next time your neighbors leave for the day so they can hear for themselves.

[cdlaine]

Sorry to be contrarian here...what dog owners don't know
what their dogs are like when they are gone? Really ? C'mon.

Charles