Complaining About A Barking Dog Just Got Easier In Fort Collins

I have dogs, but I still think that a dog left alone outside, barking angrily for hours, can be one of the most annoying sounds in the world to a nearby resident. In Fort Collins, it has been a hassle to alert animal control officers about dogs barking uncontrollably, but new rules implemented in the city should make it much easier to report animals causing a disturbance, and hopefully, reduce frustration levels in the process.

According to the Coloradoan the city has made some big changes  in how they deal with barking dog complaints.

Under the new system, animal control officers now can just leave a note on residents’ doors to let them know someone complained. And punishments are civil tickets, rather than criminal punishments.

This means complains can be made anonymously, and officers an leave a warning or ticket for homeowners who are not home, or who pretend to not be home. (In the past whoever complained had to document all kinds of details about the offending animals and then police would have to talk to the dog owner, in person before anything could be done.)

This new system seems much simpler and hopefully cuts down some people’s frustrations. My main worry is that this might make it too easy for people to complain about barking dogs. If they think their neighbors won’t know who is complaining, I’m sure some people will be much more apt to complain.

Let me just say that before you call the police to complain about your neighbor’s barking dog, maybe you should be a decent human being and go knock on their door and ask them to quite their animal down, or let the poor thing inside. I know a lot of dog owners become almost immune to hearing their dogs barking, and a friendly, “Hey, I’m trying to do some work and your dog has been barking like mad for 2-hours in the backyard, could you let him/her inside,” could diffuse a lot of situations.

Here are some steps on how to properly handle a barking dog situation from the Larimer Humane Society, which will probably have to be updated with the new rules.

[Coloradoan]