No dog barking in NJ

JaJae · 02-24-2007, 03:52 PM

Clifton is the town next door to where I went to school so I figured I'd share this. It was a top AP story on yahoo news for some reason...

The city of Clifton is not going to the dogs. At least not if the City Council has anything to do about it.

Later this month, the council is expected to introduce an ordinance setting a limit on how long dogs can bark.

Noisy canines will be defined as those that bark for more than 30 minutes on two consecutive days.

The city already has nuisance and "noise laws that can be used to address annoying and disturbing noises such as constant barking." But officials said those laws are sometimes difficult to enforce.

Police have to investigate complaints, and the city Health Department sent 11 letters last year warning that a summons could be issued if the barking continued, health officer John Biegel said. Clifton has issued 3,756 dog licenses this year.

Getting a summons is rare, because the person who complained must go to court to sign a complaint.

Fines for the new ordinance could start at $250, Biegel said.

Does the town really have nothing better to do? And does our media really have nothing more important to push?

It must be a slow news day at AP if this is their #5 top story today... a small town in northern NJ passing a noise ordinance law is a top story on this planet. It's a shame really.

But ok, I know we got some pet lovers in here... Who here has a dog who would get them fined $250?

motivez · 02-24-2007, 04:33 PM

If the dog is really causing that much of an issue for the rest of their area the owner should be required to deal with it, through obedience training, some sort of collar, etc.

It really isn't any different than the guy who lives next door blasting a stereo all the time.

I think though that anyone who isn't an insecure vindictive asshole would at least discuss it with the owner before taking it through the courts

Diamond Cross · 02-25-2007, 10:52 PM

You'd be surprised how much and how long dogs can bark.

My previous next door neighbor's dogs would barki ceaselessy at night for hours upon hours until the people got home (they had night jobs). They would not quit and would often keep me and several other neighbors awake for hours on end. The police had been called on them several times and it got so bad that there was even a pertition going around town. Eventually they began keeping their dogs inside and that solved the problem.

They've moved since then.

I often also hear dogs barking in the distance for hours on end. It's annoying as hell.

ballz2wallz · 02-25-2007, 11:56 PM

Seriously, the dog behind me (about 5 feet from my bedroom window) barks at ALL hours of the day and night. The fucking people come home and let him out...it happened at 1 am last night...and the dog is GUARANTEED to bark. I'm seriously gonna kill that thing one day. Rat poison or something.