Are your neighbors complaining about your dogs? Here’s how to handle things.
When you live in a community of people, it’s not always going to be perfectly harmonious. There will be times when disagreements and conflicts arise between neighbors.
Mostly, these situations tend to cool off with time, but sometimes, they can keep escalating to levels you don’t want to see. While there are several reasons why a neighbor might have a problem with you, issues related to dogs and other pets are a common factor.
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Data clearly shows that a sizable percentage, roughly 66% amounting to 86.9 million residents in America, currently keeps an animal companion. When taking into account how many canine caregivers view their furry friends as valued relations, it is understandable how grievances about them have the potential to devolve into unpleasantness.
Let's explore how to keep peace with your neighbors in such situations.
1. Try To Reach a Compromise
If your neighbor is making a fuss about a small problem, try to first reason with them. Remember, it’s always better to meet in the middle, especially with people who live close to you.
Once you finish listening to their concerns, acknowledge their perspective and ask them what solution they have in mind. Their first few ideas may be aggressive and impractical but try to respond calmly.
If the complaint is about the dog barking and the noise, it could happen when they are trying to relax or are taking a nap. You could say that you are willing to bring the dog inside or out for a walk at certain times of the day.
Try to be respectful during these negotiations, and if they agree to an idea, make sure to implement it properly. You can even check in with them over the next few days to ask if the situation is still bothering them. In most cases, they will thank you because they see you are making the effort to create change. Remember, optics are everything.
2. Address The Problem if One Legitemately Exists
It’s easy to get angry at your neighbor for raising a complaint against you. Can’t they mind their business? However, before you go shields-up, it’s worth checking if there is an actual problem that needs to be addressed. If you get completely defensive and a real problem exists, then that’s not fair to anyone.
For example, if you’ve been allowing your dog to leave its business in the front yard and haven't been cleaning up, that’s bad. If their poops attract a lot of flies or the smell has become so bad that your neighbors have started to protest, you must seek a solution instead of becoming annoyed with them.
If you are too busy to clean up the mess, one solution would be to get someone to regularly clean the yard for you. Pet waste removal prices are surprisingly affordable, and you gain the benefit of a clean, odorless yard.
According to Scoop Soldiers, the benefits of pet waste removal are many. It offers health and safety benefits, especially to kids who might play in your yard. It also ensures that the grass stays clean and even. (The nitrogen from pet waste can cause yellowing and even dead spots.)
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3. Don’t Be Afraid To Assert Your Rights
Unfortunately, some neighbors won’t be satisfied, no matter what you do. Even if your dog is on its best behavior and the rest of the neighborhood doesn’t have a problem, some people keep complaining. This can make for a particularly toxic situation.
If you have tried listening to them, negotiating, and making changes, but they still complain, you need to take a different approach.
The first thing to do would be to start documenting evidence. This can be done via home security systems that you can use to keep track of your dog’s behavior. If they still complain and lie that your dog has been barking, you can stand your ground and confront them with evidence.
It also helps to have other neighbors on your side. Some of them may not want to be involved in the drama, but give it a shot. It can be as simple as getting them to state that they’ve never had a problem with your dog. If you can prove that your dog hasn’t been doing the things it’s being accused of and other people can back you up, then you’re set.
You can approach your homeowners association if you have one and get them involved. If not, a lawsuit for harassment is also a good way to show that you aren’t going to take things lying down anymore.
In conclusion, getting along with neighbors is quite a tightrope, but, after all, the need to see each other is most likely. It is easy to allow emotions to get the upper hand and fall to their level but it is still worth trying to maintain dignity.
Approach legal measures only as a last resort, since a lawsuit is a very big move. It's only appropriate if the neighbor does not want to cooperate on other terms agreed with you.
You may also like: What if Neighbors Say My Puppies Bark Too Much?
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