Yes actually, here at 5 Vista Estrella S. Although, we didn't know it until someone call animal control on us, twice, and we were warned, twice, Thursday last week and Tuesday this week. No one had called us or left a note on our door to let us know that our dogs are barking during the day when we aren't home. We are sorry that we are causing a problem, but if we aren't home when this is happening, then how else would we know. We never leave them out in the yard unless we are with them (because they bark at the door and I don't want to hear that). We never leave them outside when we aren't home and we never leave them outside at night.

We have lived here for 7 years with these two dogs and have not had any issues that we are aware of. I used to work from home 99% of the time so I was home with the dogs every day. Then the covid pandemic happened...the kids were stuck at home for a year and had to do school from home online. The dogs took to sleeping in my daughter's room all day beside her. Now, the kids went back to school a couple weeks ago, and I'm working away from the house maybe 50% of the time. Sounds like the dogs aren't happy that the routine has changed. Thankfully, when the second animal control call was made, the officer was still at my house when I got home, so we were able to talk about it. The person who called said that this was a new issue. So I'm glad for that, we haven't been bothering neighbors for years without knowing, but if it is a new issue, I wish they'd have just let us know. 

Here's what we are doing about it. Animal control told us to put shock collars on our dogs so they don't bark when we aren't home. No. We are not comfortable with that...especially as a first course of action. We are now closing all of the windows when we leave, to help lessen the barking noise heard outside, and we are leaving a fan on high by the front door, hoping to create enough white noise that the dogs don't hear outside distractions that may set them off with the barking. They even didn't hear the UPS delivery yesterday (when I was home in the afternoon)...and that I'm amazed at.

So far, no more animal control visits in the last couple days, so hopefully that means this is working? I ask that the neighbor making the complaints, please let us know if this is working from their perspective...is the barking less? Is it manageable? Is it pretty much gone and all better? Or is it still horrible? Please just let us know rather than calling animal control again so that we can try something else.  We'd like to fix this and we don't want to bother you, and animal control just telling us that the dogs are barking doesn't let us know if any progress is being made. Thanks so much!

David Darby, 281-414-0099, davidrdarby@gmail.com