Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Unregistered" data-source="post: 2682536">Thank you for your thoughtful and balanced reply to my post. There is nothing you have written with which I would disagree, but I would like to enlarge on one of the points you make. You say that "I am asking them to realise that the dog is not barking for fun or to antagonise you or cause you discomfort" and you are of course right. I can see that, as I am now in the fortunate position that the owner of the dog that was bothering me turned out to be decent and responsible and somehow "debarked" his dog. BUT it is rather more difficult to hang on to that idea when your peace, quality of lifestyle and even health is constantly being chipped away by a constant, annoying source of noise. When you're lying in bed watching the alarm clock tick over from 4:01 to 4:02 and you need some sleep before you have to get up at 7:00 but can't get it because of the barking, and this has happened most nights for the last 3 months, you aren't going to rationalise. You are going to hate that dog.All sources of unwanted noise arouse anger but a dripping tap or noisy machinery are inanimate objects so you don't feel hatred towards them, you just want them to stop. A dog is different as many of us have grown up in an environment where people project human emotions on a dog - "he's just like us" or "he understands what you say" are two common myths trotted out by sentimental dog lovers. So even though a dog doesn't mean any harm - and we all know that deep down - the victim of barking may well regard the nuisance dog as if it has human properties and it becomes THE ENEMY. Reason goes out of the window and people who are otherwise sane and sensible start to think dark thoughts. I'm sure that some people also have wished that neighbours who play loud music, do late night DIY or scream when they shag at night would die too but the fact that those neighbours are (sort of!) human beings usually prevents them from putting those fantasies into words, let alone actions. A dog on the other hand is sentient enough to arouse emotions but not on the same level as a human (as you rightly say yourself) so people won't exercise the same restraints if it's annoying enough.There was a case in America last year where a rich fashion designer beat his neighbour's dog to death with a hammer, in full view of security cameras. There was the usual knee-jerk reaction: Sicko! Psycho! Hang him! Electric chair! Torture him! Now I know no more about fashion design than I know about mineral deposits on Pluto but I do know that if he really was a psycho who got off on torturing dogs, he had enough money to indulge his perversion without getting caught. It is clear that he was driven to it by noise nuisance though none of the press would ever recognise the fact.And that, I am sure, is why some posters here describe killing their problem dog with a relish that seems inexplicable to anyone who has never suffered at the hands of a nuisance dog. I doubt they are relating anything more than fantasy but I for one understand those fantasies, even though I am somewhat ashamed to admit it. Another reason for such posts I am sure is to wind up the morons who write things like "doggies are lovely whatever they do and if you don't like them I will rape your mother" (with plenty of misspellings and obscenities thrown in). I've gone on far too long already so bottom line: I appreciate your fair and reasoned comments and am essentially making the point that until dog owners are forced by law or public opinion to ensure that their pets are not a threat to others, there will be a lot of anger out there which is needless and avoidable.</blockquote>

Name

Verification: Loading…