For first contact, the last paragraph might seem a bit passive-aggresive. I would delete it.

I'd wait and see how they respond to the situation before mentioning the authorities.

Good point, Parma. Thanks!

I would actually leave that part in as it is a headsup since you probably know the other neighbors better than he does. As a dog owner I would want to know before someone complained to animal control. A note or personal contact first is always appreciated! I think it is a friendly note.

Exactly as Parma says. It's a sweet note actually and I wouldn't mind receiving it. I'd feel bad they had been noisy (our non barking dog hasn't read his manual and won't shut up but he actually does when we're gone LOL...per our neighbor).

Or you could send them a bark collar...I'm in the market :oP

I think the note perfectly gets your point across without being too stern, although you might regret asking how you can help. :-)

I have a beagle, and I know how annoying that constant barking can be. We downsized to a condo a few years ago, and I'm constantly asking our neighbors if he barks while we're gone. They report that he barks for a few minutes and then settles down. It helps that he's rarely alone, and when he is, it's only for an hour or two.

I would appreciate getting a note like this if my beagle was causing a problem. Then again, anyone who leaves their dogs out for an entire weekend obviously isn't too concerned about the dogs OR the neighbors, so I'm not sure how they'lll react to this note. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

A very diplomatic letter!

I think it's a good idea and I wouldn't be offended. I think it's also good you added the dogs were cute so that they don't think you dislike dogs.

I'm not sure about the last paragraph. I think I'd leave it.

I did stop for a second when you said you tried to give them a treat. I personally think it's very nice but some people don't like that. My Grandparents dog has diabetes and he can't have a lot of things or dog treats. My Aunt has a dog that has a very finicky stomach. There are certain things he can't eat or he ends up with issues. Odds are they would be ok with that and you said they didn't take the treat but ....just throwing it out there.

The overall point of the letter is to let them know about the dogs barking and I would they'd be happy to receive this letter vs. someone calling the authorities. If they would have a problem with treats they could address that with you later.

I might take out the part about the treat. Some people might not appreciate you trying (without their permission) to feed their dog something. I know with our pup, we have been dealing with the possibility of certain food sensitivities, so someone feeding them (without our knowledge) could be a problem. You could ask about giving them treats. We used to keep dog biscuits for a certain neighbor dog years ago. LOL

I do think it's a nice note, hopefully the owner will acknowledge it.

tina

I think your note is really nice. However, shorter might be better unless you know this guy really well. And I would leave out the treat thing as others have suggested.
If it were me, I might cut it to this:

It looks like you may have been away from home for the past few days, so we wanted to leave this note for you to let you know that your dogs have been barking quite a bit. The older pup especially barked for much of the weekend (when I was home to hear it) and [DH] said she continued yesterday and today.

I was thinking that maybe if you let us know their names, we might be able to talk to them and calm them down if they get worked up. They are such cute dogs, and they just seem to have been bored or lonely since youÂve been away.

We wanted to make you aware of the barking since it's impossible for a dog owner to know what's going on while they are away.

Red

They are lucky to have you as a neighbor; I too vote for omitting the treat part,
personally I would leave the reporting part in, but that's just me; I figure you might as well make an impact, you don't want to be writing a few more of these notes.
Some people are dense, you have to spell it out for them.

The bored and lonely parts sound a little passive aggressive to me--like you are saying they are neglecting their animals (even if they are). I have 3 dogs and like the version Red came up with if you can't speak to them in person.

We had the same problem with our neighbors that left their inside dogs outside when they went out of town. Luckily we saw them outside all the time and I could mention to them that their dogs barked the whole time they were gone.

I did have a backyard neighbor knock on my door on Thanksgiving morning (10:00) one year. He said that my dog was outside barking non-stop. At the time we did have an inside dog that went outside to potty for 5 minutes at a time and did bark (because he had a bonfire going in his barbeque pit right next to the chain link fence). I just slammed the door in his face. Your situation is clearly more worthy of complaint especially if the non-stop barking lasted through the night.

De

Thanks so very much for the wonderful input and suggestions! I have revised the note and think that this is what I will drop by his house this evening. Let me know if you think any of this sounds strange. I'll leave him our phone number, and hopefully he will call. Depending on how the conversation goes, I will try to say in a friendly manner that the last thing we want is for some other uptight neighbor to call the authorities. The neighbor seems like a laid-back guy, but as stated above, he may also fall in the clueless camp. ::sigh::

Hi ****,

It looks like you may have been away from home for the past few days, so we wanted to leave this note for you to let you know that your dogs have been barking quite a bit. The older pup especially barked for much of the weekend (when I was home to hear it) and [DH] said she continued yesterday and today. I walked over to your fence last night and talked to them - that little one sure wanted to play! So cute!

I was thinking that maybe if you let us know their names, we might be able to talk to them and calm them down if they get worked up. If there is anything else that you think of that we could do to calm them down, will you let us know? They are such sweet little dogs, and I think they have just been having themselves a little "puppy party" by barking at all the squirrels while youÂve been away.

Let us know if we can help!

Perfect!!!!!

Love it!

Thumbs up!

Would you mind if I steal this note? Our neighbor 2 doors away just got a darling basset hound puppy. But she leaves him out all day and he not only barks but howls or moans or whatever bassets do.

I love dogs and have 2 Rottweilers. But this constant barking is really getting to me. Luckily my dogs are wonderful, they just ignore the barking.

My daughter told me to mail a note but not to sign it just in case the neighbor didn't take it well. I haven't decided about that yet.

Aunt Jen....You are so incredibly tactful with your note. If that was me writing it, I'm afraid my emotions would get involved. I still can't believe that guy left his dogs out for so long like that. Hopefully your Dallas heat has subsided this time of year so the dogs won't get affected.

Thanks so much for the encouragement! McMann, feel free to steal the note! I think if I were to receive a note from a neighbor saying that my dog was creating a nuisance, I'd want it to be kind and gentle (although I swear, I'm an animal lover and that darn beagle really got to me over the weekend!) - and I'd also feel better if I received a signed note. Just kind of a "hey, trying to be a friendly neighbor" sort of thing. If I were to receive an unsigned note, I'd feel a bit as if it were a bit passive-aggressive. But that's just me. I guess I just want to know who I'm dealing with - I like things to be out in the open, and as amicable as possible.

Deedee, I really don't think the dogs suffered at all. It was a gorgeous weekend, so they were actually fine left outdoors (and they do have a detached garage that's left open in the back, so they could seek shelter there if need be). I just really think they're in need of human companionship. They barked at every little movement on the block, and that's a lot, considering we have a park right across the street. They also went nuts barking at the squirrels that seem to be overtaking the neighborhood this time of year. ;-)

This isn't the same neighbor with the cats, is it?

They also went nuts barking at the squirrels that seem to be overtaking the neighborhood this time of year. ;-)

Those darn tree rats! Our neighborhood population has decreased dramatically since a few red foxes have taken up residence.

Good luck with the letter!

You mean the neighbor whose cats are now our cats? No, it's not him - but the guy is living in that guy's house (he's renting it out to him). For some reason, that house seems to attract irresponsible pet owners like a magnet.

Red foxes, eh? Wow, do you ever see them out and about?

Your neighbor is blessed to have someone like you next door. I hope he takes your note to heart.

My new neighbor got a new dog and doesn't have a fenced yard. The dog was a half grown pup. The dog started going into the pasture and barking and nipping at my horse. It was also chasing cars. I wasn't as diplomatic as you about the situation and marched over one Sunday morning and told them they needed to keep their dog out of my pasture. They ended up chaining the dog and then another neighbor called the city. The dog is no longer there and I feel pretty bad about the whole mess.

Now their son is driving way too fast in our neighborhood (narrow streets with lots of turns) and 2 of us have paid visits to the parents about the situation.

I feel like the mean-old-lady-at-the-end-of-the-street. I have never in all my years had neighbors who weren't basically responsible and considerate so I'm at a loss.

Good luck, Jen.

LindaJ

Very tactful and friendly note --

The one change I would make is to be as specific as you can about how much time the dogs spent barking. If I were inclined to think you were just a whiner, I might assume they barked for 10 minutes straight 3 or 4 times and you were just a complainer. If what you mean is that they barked from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm straight rested for a few minutes, then started again until midnight, I'd try to find a way to communicate that.

Though I admit, finding a nice way to word that would be a challenge...

It is a very kind and friendly note. It's a good place to start. You are much nicer than I would probably be. :)

My brother has a beagle, and they are very high maintenance dogs. Good luck-- I hope you get a good response.

Jen

Well, the neighbor returned home at some point yesterday afternoon, brought the dogs inside the house, and it was nice and quiet once again on our street. The current plan is for DH to go over and chat with him - if he's still at home - later today. DH is very laid-back and gentle in his delivery, so he might actually downplay the whole situation, but at least there will be face-to-face interaction, which I actually think is preferable to leaving a note. We shall see what transpires ...

Beagle owner here! And we live beside people with multiple barking dogs. Auntjen, I think you and your husband are good people and far too kind. I think that anyone who leaves a beagle and a new puppy outside and unsupervised for a few days is demonstrating no compassion for their dogs and no concern for their neighbours. I generally do believe that you can attract more flies with honey, so I wish you good luck with this situation. I would keep the authorities phone number handy though for the next time.

Jazz, we thought about getting a Beagle, but I fell in love with the English Pointer instead.

I read online that Beagles generally aren't big barkers unless left alone, and they like being inside with human companionship.

I'll never forget the day I looked out my window (here in the country) and saw 2 Beagles on the other side of the fence with their noses to the ground! I haven't seen them since, but I'm sure they got back home okay. lol. Beautiful dogs.

Well, how did it go? Was your dh able to catch him at home?

Red foxes, eh? Wow, do you ever see them out and about?

We did back in September. There were sightings all over the neighborhood (urban area near LSU). I'd see one in broad daylight in my yard and across the street. One homeowner had a den under her front porch and the kits would come out to play at night on her porch until their parents returned and shooed them back into the den.

Here is a link that might be useful: BR full time nature show going on every day

DH wasn't able to catch the guy, but the dogs haven't been outside the past couple of days. I'm not sure where they are at the moment. (Don't really know what the neighbor's situation is - I do believe he has a girlfriend who has a place of her own, so maybe she has the pups with her at the moment ... who knows. I'm just thankful for the peace and quiet.)

Natal, that's pretty darn cool! I've seen quite a few possums and raccoons in our area (and we're just on the outskirts of downtown), but never anything like foxes. There was a report of a coyote seen wandering through our neighborhood last year. There's a wooded area that buffers our subdivision from the freeway that leads into downtown. It's a wonder we don't see more poor wild critters end up as roadkill, but we rarely do. (Except for squirrels, and they're just not too bright. ;-))