Dear Spurtle,
The peace and quiet of Broughton neighbourhoods seems to be increasingly disturbed by various dogs making their presence heard. Of course, the numbers have hugely increased in the past three years, and no doubt they get stressed. In the past this was more of an oddity, with dogs being less commonly kept in cities.
The intrusion is annoying for a large number of households, as the sound reverberates round the buildings and is truly disturbing. It seems to occur mainly early in the morning and in the evenings, just when we are all blessed by the silence from traffic.
Yapping/throaty barking has negative connotations, being unpredictable, quite intimidating to listen to, and not soothing compared with, say, the dawn chorus or cooing wood pigeons (which we are also fortunate to enjoy). And often it is not easy to find out the exact source of the noise.
It frequently occurs just when all is quiet: one dog starts, with others joining the conversation. Perhaps they bark when taken out twice daily for walkies, or while they race around local green spaces, or might it be when they are left alone?
Does anyone have a solution to this problem, which will inevitably worsen with the sheer number of dogs now in the community?
Browned-off in Broughton
