Neighbours dogs barking

Lorenzo598
Level 1
Florence, Italy

Neighbours dogs barking

I have a property in the middle of the country in italy, well known for its relaxing and peaceful sourrinding.

Since a month a new neighbour come, with four dogs, they have a garder and the dog stays in their garden (but also sometimes they are free!!! wich is unacceptable), but worst... since we have a big outside property, everytime my guest walk there, the dogs bark and won't stop.

i tried to tallk to my neighbour to ask to kee the dog always closed and keep them silent, but he watched me as an alien, replying things like... "THESE ARE DOGS".

 

I'm starting to get bad reviews about it, and it get me worried, since this property is one of my main income

 

Did someone had same issues? anyone know about regulations? this situation is driving me crazy

11 Replies 11
Mike-And-Helen0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

You are reminding me of a neighbour who asked me to stop my pony running around and neighing. It is kind of what they do.

I don't know about Italian regulations but here in the uk going straight in with a complaint is a quick way to a neighbour dispute.

 

Can you sit down with him over tea and cake?

 

eta I read the first eight or so reviews and no bad ones?

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Lorenzo598  Bad, disrespectful neighbors are always a dilemma. Are there any noise bylaws in your area that the municipality would act on? 

 

It's possible that although the dogs are barking a lot now, they may quiet down as they get used to their new surroundings, and see people coming and going. Or they may just be imcorrigible barkers and it won't get any better.  

 

Same thing happened to a friend of mine here in Mexico. A neighbor had a dog that literally barked neurotically almost all night long. Although she didn't get guests complaining, it really disturbed her for the several months a year she stayed there herself. She actually liked the dog and it would come visit her during the day.

 

When she asked the owner to please do something about the night barking, the response was "You don't understand- that's what dogs do- they bark all night."

 

Ridiculous.

 

Lorenzo598
Level 1
Florence, Italy

these are new neighbours, totally ignoring my house is a "job", the only regulation is about barking at night (not allowed from 10pm to 8am), now im hoping some guest will complain for the night!

 

also on of my guest had to stay all day in home becuase dog were free (and neighbour was away)

 

bad reviews are not yet published, last two stays that are pending my review (i know they are bad because i was warned aout them 😞 )

 

my lawyer told e the oonly thing i could do is ask for a compensantion in case of loss income 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Lorenzo598  There are anti-bark devices available. While some involve a dog collar that gives the dog a mild shock or sprays a harmless but unpleasant substance in their faces, there are also ones that emit an ultrasonic wave, inaudible to humans, but painful to the dog's ears.

 

You could look into these- check out the distance range they work for. Your neighbor would never know you had this on your property if it wasn't in a visible place.

 

As for the dogs running around free, unless they are actually dangerous, I guess you should put a disclaimer in your listing info, explaining about the dogs aand urging anyone who is afraid of dogs not to book your place.

Lorenzo598
Level 1
Florence, Italy

I will look for the device

as for the free dogs, i would stress more on the fact that is unlawful to keep dogs free thinking that the world is its own property

 

thank you for your suggestions

@Lorenzo598  If there are laws in your area about dogs running free, then you should contact whoever is responsible for enforcing those laws.

 

My suggestion re the listing wording was simply to warn and ward off guests who would feel trapped in the house and give you a bad review, not to condone your neighbor's bad attitude.

 

You might need to go to the expense of fencing off an area of your own property around the house so the dogs can't get in, if your neighbor insists on being disrespectful and no authority will deal with making them stop.

 

There are many things which hosts have no control over that might be disturbing to guests, and the best solution to that is full disclosure. It may result in less bookings, but at least it will ward off bad reviews if the guests are forewarned and choose to book anyway. Not ideal, but sometimes the only choice.

 

I sincerely sympathize with you- if one of the selling points of your listing is peace and quiet, it's infuriating to have this situation.

 

 

Mike-And-Helen0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Lorenzo598 please don't look for electric shock collars for someone else's dog! Barbaric!

 

You say your guest had to stay in all day becaise the dogs were loose.

 

Do you share outdoor space with the neighbour or would better fences be an answer?

@Mike-And-Helen0  Did you think I suggested that? If so, you are totally  wrong. First of all, how would you put a collar on someone else's dog? 

 

What I suggested was one of the ultrasonic devices that emits a sound when they bark that dogs find unpleasant. It isn't audible to humans and isn't attached to the dog in any way.

 

As someone with dogs who lives next to a pet friendly AirBnB, I can tell you that it’s a huge nuisance for me. It is very difficult for most dogs to adjust to a revolving door of strange people and dogs on the other side of the fence. I do my best to keep my dogs quiet but it has significantly impacted my quality of life and my ability to enjoy my own property.  I derive no benefit from my neighbors’ business but have had to do all the accommodating. 

Roxy35
Level 1
Marcoola, Australia

Hi Lorenzo, I am sorry to hear you have this issue with dogs barking.

 

Please copy & paste the link to a very effective ultrasonic device-

https://ultimatebarkcontrol.com/products/dog-silencer-max 

 

I found these actually work, as long as there is a direct line of sight to where the dogs are situated outdoors.

You can also choose a cover for the device so that it doesn't "stand out" when installed on the outside of your property.

I am frequently working on my computer from home, but my neighbor's dogs make it difficult due to their incessant barking. It sounds like there are numerous dogs barking, and the noise continues throughout the day.

I found these item to be very effective: **

 

I can say from personal experience that these options have proven to be effective for myself and my parents.


**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines ]