It is very irritating and disruptive to your home when a neighbor's dog won't stop barking. It is always better to try negotiation tactics before you call the law for assistance. Using a few of these tactics might be easier for everyone concerned, especially the dog.

Approach the Neighbors

If the dog is barking when the owner is away from the home, the family might not be aware the dog is being a nuisance. It is always best to try to approach your neighbor and make them aware of the problem. For example, you could ask them to bring their dog inside at certain times if there are certain times where the dog barking is the issue.

Be as courteous as possible and keep negativism out of the picture if possible. Approaching your neighbor with an ugly and aggressive attitude is not going to help the situation.

Anti-bark Laws

You need to check the specific laws for your area. Two anti-bark laws are the consecutive-disruption and multiple-household laws. The multiple-household law is considered a catch-22 because it isn't considered illegal until after it has gone to court. However, on the other hand, the case cannot go to court unless the neighbors consider joining the pursuit in the legal case with you.

The consecutive-disruption laws are available for a dog that continues to bark more than a specified amount of times consecutively. For example, if the dog barks for thirty minutes and stops for a couple of barks; the time restarts. The dog hasn't broken any laws unless the time allowed is interrupted.

Is Abuse Suspected?

If you expect the dog is neglected or abused, you can contact animal control in your area. Situations could include the animal not having access to food or water. If you are trying to keep the peace, some authorities don't require you to issue the report using your name. This is a better scenario if you don't want to wage a battle with the dog's owner.

Contact the Police

If all other attempts have failed to stop the barking dog, it might be necessary to call the police department in your area. Keep in mind, there may not be much the police can do other than intimidating the owner by knocking on the door and letting them know the barking dog is causing a problem.

Using these guidelines should help you diagnose what your next step can be to resolve the issue. Professional guidance from an attorney might be necessary if the nice approach fails.