Last night our neighbor's dogs barked for
over an hour. Over an hour? Yes, a very long, loud hour. I'm sure
these neighbors weren't home or they would have brought their beloved Rex and
Fifi inside after fifteen minutes or so. I would say 'after a minute or so' but
my recent experience with local dog owners is they can easily sit out fifteen minutes without deciding to take the long walk over to the
screen door and let the little canines inside. No, they can wait out a
whole lot of noise. And, of course, that means the rest of us are waiting
out the noise, too.
Last night's offenders clearly weren't home. They were on an outing that kept them away from the house for a long time; and they'd decided to leave the four-legged guys outside so they wouldn't poop in the house or chew the arms off the sofa. Concerned about their belongings, these dog/homeowners thought they'd throw the pooches in the back yard and head out on their trip. I picture these folks at a friend's house, sitting on the deck, enjoying margaritas and fajitas, laughing and happily forgetting all their worldly woes. Good for them.
But I have a plea to make. PLEASE don't do that. Please don't blithely drive away, forgetting what you've left behind. Please don't make your dogs my problem. Because even if you just drive to Trader Joe's to buy some guacamole and Two Buck Chuck; even if you just hop in the car to pick up your children from school; even if you just drop off the dry cleaning; it's going to take at least fifteen minutes. And fifteen minutes of your dogs barking is a really long time when I'm trying to read, write, watch TV, enjoy my patio, work, talk on the phone, chat with my husband, host book club, throw a party, take a bath, sleep, or maybe think.
I work from home. I love my home. My husband loves our home. But our home with a barking, whining, howling, baying soundtrack is a whole lot less enjoyable.
Last night's offenders clearly weren't home. They were on an outing that kept them away from the house for a long time; and they'd decided to leave the four-legged guys outside so they wouldn't poop in the house or chew the arms off the sofa. Concerned about their belongings, these dog/homeowners thought they'd throw the pooches in the back yard and head out on their trip. I picture these folks at a friend's house, sitting on the deck, enjoying margaritas and fajitas, laughing and happily forgetting all their worldly woes. Good for them.
But I have a plea to make. PLEASE don't do that. Please don't blithely drive away, forgetting what you've left behind. Please don't make your dogs my problem. Because even if you just drive to Trader Joe's to buy some guacamole and Two Buck Chuck; even if you just hop in the car to pick up your children from school; even if you just drop off the dry cleaning; it's going to take at least fifteen minutes. And fifteen minutes of your dogs barking is a really long time when I'm trying to read, write, watch TV, enjoy my patio, work, talk on the phone, chat with my husband, host book club, throw a party, take a bath, sleep, or maybe think.
I work from home. I love my home. My husband loves our home. But our home with a barking, whining, howling, baying soundtrack is a whole lot less enjoyable.
