DEAR JOAN: I am writing about a barking dog problem, and it’s not what you think.
We live in a very quiet neighborhood and are retired, so we are home a lot. Our next-door neighbors have two small dogs that usually spend all day in their backyard. Surprisingly, they tend to be very quiet for a couple of “ankle-biters.” They only bark briefly when somebody walks past, or in response to a dog on the other side of their fence, or for other normal reasons.
About once a day they go bonkers when their owner comes home (they know the sound of his car), but that only lasts for a minute at most, and the way they carry on actually makes me laugh.
Cute is cute, but a dog’s barking can lead to trouble. (Jill Johnson/Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Somebody nearby has complained about these dogs to the county and our neighbor has now gotten two letters notifying him to keep them quieter. He is doing his best to improve the situation, but cannot confer with whoever complained because they took the coward’s way out and never attempted to meet with him directly.
How can our neighbor defend himself and his dogs? We are the residents most affected by the barking, and we do not mind. There are plenty of other dogs in the area that bark more than these two, and for no particular reason.
Can the county do anything to take away his dogs? Shouldn’t the county survey all the neighbors to determine the seriousness of the problem, rather than rely on one person’s anonymous complaint? It is kind of surprising to me that I am taking the side of the dog owner, but I am steaming mad that somebody is being a cowardly jerk.
Barbara Hill
El Cerrito
DEAR BARBARA: The county is obligated to notify the owner when someone makes a complaint about excessive noise, but for a full investigation to be launched, two or more people, living in different households within 300 feet of the barking dog, must make complaints.
The law defines excessive noise as being “so continuously or incessantly as to unreasonably disturb the peace or quiet.”
Whether the county is officially investigating or not, it would behoove your neighbor to be proactive. If it is determined that the dogs are a nuisance, they may be taken away and euthanized. The owner also can face fines and fees. Plus, keeping dogs as quiet as possible is the good neighbor and responsible pet owner thing to do.
I’d recommend leaving the dogs indoors, where their barking would be muted. If that’s not possible, there are many anti-barking devices on the market.
First Alert recently sent me its Bark Genie automatic ultrasonic bark deterrent unit to try with my yappy dog. The device emits a high-pitched sound when it detects barking.
It stopped my dog in mid-bark, but it also made him not want to be inside the house when it was turned on. He moped around like I’d taken his favorite toy away from him. I’m now experimenting with the company’s handheld device.
The devices can be placed outdoors, and considering what’s at stake, trying them would be a good idea. There also are anti-bark collars that emit ultrasonic sounds or release a spray of citronella. Personally, I wouldn’t use a shock collar.
You also can write a letter of support, outlining your experience. Your testimony could be important if nuisance charges are filed.
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Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
NORWAY — The pigeons are back in the Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street.
A broken first-floor window on the back side of the vacant building appears to be the access point, and it’s not the first time they’ve gotten in through broken windows.
In July 2013, building owner Sam Patel was notified by Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman that the town would take legal action because the broken windows were a public hazard. The eight broken second-story windows and the lower half of the eight third-story windows eventually were covered with plywood.
Patel, a retailer in southern Maine, purchased the empty, partially-renovated, three-story, brick building in December 2012 from TD Bank. It was transferred to Patel’s limited liability company, Jasmin LLC, on Dec. 14, 2012. Since then, no action has been taken to reuse it.
Efforts by the Sun Journal to reach Patel were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the interior of the building was gutted by the former owners, but efforts to renovate and reuse the building ceased in 2010 when they lost control of the building in foreclosure.
The building remains empty. The first floor is covered with pigeon droppings and the tin ceiling appears to be rusted and broken in many spots. Temporary electrical lighting remains in the ceiling and a few pieces of lumber are on the floor.
A study of Odd Fellows Hall by Resurgence Engineering and Preservation of Portland several years ago indicated it would cost more than $800,000 to fully renovate the building.
The Odd Fellows Hall was named one of Maine’s 10 most endangered historic places by Maine Preservation of Portland in 2013.
The basement and first floor were built in1894 after the “Great Fire” destroyed much of the downtown business district. The other floors were added in 1910. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of Norway’s historic downtown district.
The third floor contained a high-ceiling ceremonial space for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Norway Lodge No. 16, which owned the building during the 19th century. The second floor had a kitchen and large dining area, along with law offices and a courthouse. The first floor traditionally has been storefronts.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Sunday marks the commencement of wood pigeon hunting season which continues until the end of October. The Finnish Hunters’ Association points out that many of the birds in southern parts of the country are at present from the second brood, therefore birds flying in pairs or alone should be saved at the start of the season.
If you go into the woods today…be sure to know your wood pigeon (pictured) from your stock pigeon. The latter is a protected species.Image: Erkki Sillanpää
Wood pigeon hunting traditionally opens the start of the hunting season. Abundant populations are the main reason for the pigeon hunt, with the fleet and unpredictable bird proving highly popular game year after year.
The Hunters’ Association also points out the importance of species identification. The stock pigeon, which is a protected species, is smaller than the wood pigeon and doesn’t have white spots on its wings. Its mode of flight is also different.
Hunters should also keep in mind that they cannot move in a field in which crops are unharvested without the farmer’s permission and that the shooting without permission is prohibited within 150 metres of inhabited dwellings.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
A true sportsman or sportswoman cringes at the thought of blasting away at pigeons released from cages only yards away. Gun enthusiasts and average citizens should join in the rejection of this “sport,” one with no sense of fair chase as should be the case when hunters go into the woodlands and fields of Pennsylvania in search of game.
The arguments against live pigeon shoots are sound. The birds often are only wounded and they must be dispatched.
At the infamous Hegins, Schuylkill County pigeon shoots of the late 20th century, youngsters would race onto the field and wring the necks of wounded birds. That scene helped doom the Hegins shoot, which was the site of anti-pigeon shoot demonstrations for many years.
The use of trapped animals also is an issue. It is the antithesis of animals in the wild, including pheasants rising from the cornstalks.
Now, the state Senate has before it a bill that would ban such shoots. A live pigeon shoot was held only days ago at the Wing Pointe Resort in Berks County. Again, there is outrage that live birds are being shot when clay targets would suffice, the same clay targets tossed before thousands of shooters who agree that it is inhumane to shoot pigeons out of the air.
The Humane Society of the United States endorses the ban. The National Rifle Association supports live pigeon shoots.
It is another example of the NRA, which advocates for Second Amendment rights, going over the top and actually hurting its own cause and harming the very sportsmen and gun owners that it counts as members.
The comments of Humane Society spokesman John Goodwin carry weight. Shooting live pigeons released from cages, he said, “is no more sport that shooting chickens coming out of a henhouse.”
Should the Senate pass the bill, it is expected the state House would concur. The hope is that a bill will pass during the session that runs through October. The Senate Game and Fisheries Committee voted 10-4 for the bill. We urge the full Senate to promptly pass the legislation and send it on to the House.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
NORTH PEKIN — The Village Board on Monday approved an ordinance that will allow residents to own chickens, rabbits, pigeons and doves in the village limits, and another ordinance that prohibits other farm animals.
Trustees Suzan Tisdale, Gene Wamsley, Russ Blumenstock, Alex Lambie and Kathe Curless voted in favor of the ordinances. Trustee Kenney Simmons was absent. Both ordinances take effect immediately.
The first ordinance requires residents wishing to keep chickens, rabbits, pigeons and doves to obtain a free permit from the village. A resident may have only six chickens, 12 pigeons or doves, and 12 rabbits. Permits only will be issued to residents of single family lots. The housing for the animals must be 10 feet from the rear property line and side property line of a lot. The pens cannot be in the side or front yard. The shelter must be kept clean, the ordinance said.
The pens and shelters must be covered and ventilated to protect the animals from bad weather. Electric service to the structure cannot be provided by an electrical extension cord. Storage vessels containing feed for the animals must be impervious to pests and vermin, the ordinance said.
Violations of the ordinance will result in a fine of $50 to $300. For each subsequent violation, the homeowner can be fined not less that $100 nor more than $500. A separate offense means each and every day the violation continues, the ordinance said.
The board also approved an ordinance prohibiting horses, bees, cattle, sheep, ponies, goats, mules, pigs, swine, hogs, ducks, geese, roosters, minks, foxes, or any other livestock, poultry or wild or vicious animals dangerous to humans. If such an animal is found in the possession of a resident it will be confiscated. If a police officer deems the animal an immediate danger to a human, it can be killed by the officer. The owner can be responsible for the cost of impounding or killing the animal.
Mayor Steve Flowers, who only votes if a super majority or a tie-breaking vote is needed, said Tuesday there have been multiple requests over the past few years for the village to allow chickens and other animals. The board thought it was appropriate to allow residents to have such animals to “offset food bills” because of the economy. He said there was no opposition to the two ordinances.
Flowers said the ordinance protects residents as well by requiring that all of the animals be kept in pens. He said the village does not want free-roaming chickens.
The village researched the Tazewell County ordinance and those of other municipalities and came up with the document passed Monday, said Flowers.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
