My husband and I recently moved from out of state and into a house next to neighbors with 2 little “yippy” dogs. Our neighbors are very friendly and we are eager to make new friends in the community, but the dogs are so annoying. They get let out at 5:30 am and then we hear them again at 11:00 pm when we are getting to bed. We’ve used earplugs and such but it get’s incredibly annoying.
Last night when our neighbors were gone my husband got so mad he threw a shoe at one of the dogs. How should we approach our new neighbor friends without upsetting them?
Walk over to their house, ring the door bell, put a big smile on your face, and when your new neighbors answer, tell them, using your most pleasant words and tone of voice, about the “yippy-yip”.
Make sure they understand that this is most annoying when you hear it at 5:30am and again late at night.
Keep the conversation friendly and the smile on your face.
Invite them over for coffee and cookies.
A responsible dog owner can and will find a way to quiet the barking. They understand that there are city ordinances protecting your rights to quiet, especially during the hours you mention.
If the noise continues, take another walk over to the neighbor’s house. Once again, paste that big smile on your face, even though you may not feel quite so generous this second time around, and state your case.
If this second go-around doesn’t get the “yippy-yip” to quiet down, you can either just learn to live with the annoying noise, or call the authorities. At this point in time, you’ll have to decide what their friendship means to you as calling the authorities will probably kill the friends deal.
Embrace your Personal Power with Life Coaching~
• How valuable is this friendship to you?
• How annoying is the noise?
• If you had to choose friendship or peace and quiet, which would you choose?
Joan Jerkovich, BCC
Board Certified Life Coach
Click HERE to anonymously send Joan your question!
