Noisy Pets and Body Corporates

Ever had a neighbour go off, leaving their dog to cry all night? Or perhaps you work from home and your neighbour’s pet whines all day? Maybe you’ve had a complaint from your neighbour about your dog and you’re not sure how to handle it?

Noise Pollution and Municipalities
Dogs can cause a lot of stress for neighbours both in complexes and in houses. And in terms of the local bylaws that some municipalities have in place, noise from dogs is treated as a form of noise pollution. Many municipalities are taking noisy dogs very seriously and are starting to get tough on owners, even having removed dogs from properties previously. The barking might be a now-and-then occurrence, such as neighbours who have gone away, leaving the dogs at home and in today’s cluster and townhouse complexes and estates, more and more people tend to complain owing to the close proximity of neighbours. And disputes are becoming more and more regular.

A Good Reason
But dogs are often barking for a good reason. I’ve seen those that are chained up all day, I’ve heard of those that are left without food or water while the owners go off to work and those who have insufficient shelter from the summer heat and rain storms or those that are simply anxious and distressed. Even those who should be indoor dogs being left outside, ignored, mistreated.

The onus is on the owner to make sure their dog is safe and looked after. All too often there have been stories of neighbours harming or even killing dogs for their excessive noise.

To make sure your dog is not a nuisance to your neighbours:

• Check their feeding schedule – if you feed once a day, say in the morning, and find your dogs bark more at night, reverse the feeding time to encourage them to sleep well at night. Also make sure they are sufficiently exercised and stimulated and that their kennels are in protected areas of the property (protected from the elements). Be sure to leave them with entertainment (from kongs to digging pits – all great ideas from the staffy forum).
• Spend quality time giving your dog basic obedience training to keep their minds active and help them be more responsive to you.
• Dogs will often bark at noises they can’t see, so if it’s possible, let them see out of the property onto the street on complex.
• If you’re out for long periods of time, consider a pet-sitter to provide company for your dog.

When Buying In a Complex
Exercise caution when looking for a property in a complex or one under the Sectional title Act as many complexes exercise a total ban on pets and you can be penalised for bringing your pets in if the ban has been registered with the Registrar of Deeds.

Disputes regarding our four-legged family members generate powerful responses and sometimes a mediator may be required, which could be for the body corporate to bring in. Get involved with your Body Corporate so that you’re up to date with the rules and can educate them on any grey areas regarding keeping pets on your property, if you’re able to.

Excellent Lisa, I'm sure that will prove very useful to many