Dogs -- from across the fence
BETTIJANE LEVINE’S article [“Neighbor vs. Dog: a War of the Woofs.” Feb. 22] stated the dilemma quite well.
When dog owners use the example of neighbors understanding a crying, colicky baby, implying that others should have the same forgiveness for barking dogs, the analogy falls short because babies are not left alone for eight to 10 hours a day. I love everything about my children, but I don’t expect their feces should be appreciated. That’s why they’re properly disposed of.
Why can’t the dog owner do the same? Pick up your dog’s poop on the sidewalk, the grass, the street and especially on the hiking trails and beaches. That would be everywhere that isn’t your private property. It’s the kind, thoughtful thing to do, and it’s the law!
VALERIE LOSKOTA
San Gabriel
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I have a business license and have been swimming handicapped dogs for over 3 1/2 years. Six months before my business opened, my neighbor visited me and informed me that she and her husband simply could never live next to a swimming pool with dogs in it.
Their mission was to get my business license revoked no matter what the cost. So far the legal cost has been $20,000 on our end. The neighbor has spent not a dime in legal fees because they can complain to the city attorney on a daily basis for free.
The rift has gotten so bad that the city of Culver City has just ordered me to put a building ($50,000) over my in-ground pool, to soothe one neighbor, or face revocation of my license. Our position is to better spend our money in court since there is no way possible (short of filling in the pool with soil for a garden) to satisfy this neighbor.
STEPHANIE SCHATZ
Culver City
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I have been in a protracted dispute with my neighbor over a barking dog for more than three years. I went through all of the correct channels (animal control, mediation), and we still are at issue over the noise pollution.
I don’t blame the dog, I blame the owner, and I have thought about drastic measures, but the bad karma is too stressful to think about.
KIMBERLY SIZEMORE
Los Angeles
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I recently moved into a home near a barking dog. Upon seeing and hearing the neighbor unable to quiet her own dog, I knew I was on my own.
I contacted the homeowners association first to be sure the cops would not be called. I got permission to quiet the dog with water. I placed a small step stool next to the side fence and draped the hose over it. Each time the dog went into its incessant barking, I would spray it with water. After just a few times, he stopped when he heard my door open.
That was the side barking dog. The back-fence barking dog was another matter. I went to Pet Smart and purchased a $40 dog alarm. It is a high-pitched sound that we cannot hear but drives a dog crazy. I could not work in my backyard without constant barking from two dogs. When they started barking I would stop work and hold down the button and point it toward them. Now they walk over, and just walk away without me even using it.
The key is to be smarter than the dog, and sometimes the owner is not.
SUE OLESON
Indio
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IF every neighborhood in Los Angeles had an area, as in New York where there are 45 dog parks, people wouldn’t be forced to walk their dogs on the streets and dogs wouldn’t be barking, because they would be tired from romping and socializing at the dog park.
We have been working for an off-leash dog beach in Los Angeles since 1996. There are over 60 dog beaches in California.
Because of the lack of urban space in Los Angeles and because of the people who stop more dog parks from being established in their neighborhoods -- the same people who complain about dogs pooping on their lawns or barking underneath their balcony -- we are in this no-win situation.
It’s time for our government leaders to step up to the plate and solve this problem.
DARYL BARNETT
Venice
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IT is not so much an issue of increased urban density that has spawned the problem, but rather new and changing attitudes among too many dog owners that their pooches, out of sincere affection for them, need not be subjected to discipline or training -- the very basis of a domesticated animal.
And heaven help anyone who dares call for such old-fashioned remedies: Not only will you find yourself stepping over big piles of emotional indignation and angry denial, but undoubtedly you will also be characterized as a “dog hater.”
What other reason could there possibly be to want a quiet neighborhood and a poop-free lawn?
WESLEY SMITH
Los Angeles
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BRAVO. The piece finally exposes dog owners and their so-called pet-dog-children, pet-dog-husbands or pet-dog-partners.
Pet laws that force nonpet owners to live side-by-side in condominium associations and apartment buildings with dog owners and their pets need to be rewritten.
Pet-dogs and their owners, aided by the multibillion-dollar pet industry, have taken over high-rise buildings, parks, hotels, outdoor restaurant patios and shopping malls.
CAROLE WADE
Los Angeles
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