People can be so very very petty at times. I am never shocked or amazed by it; they are just so petty. If you think I'm wrong, please let me explain what happened today (on my birthday). I got a visit from the mailman, and as he handed me a letter, he said, "I bet I know what that is." I looked at the front of it to see who had sent it, and it was from the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Department. He must see a few of these types of letters in his line of business, so I asked him what he thought it could be. He said, "I bet it's the city saying someone complained about your dogs barking."
First, (and when someone from the South starts a sentence off with "first," you know there's something big about to follow.) I have dogs; they go outside to have fun, do their business, and just chill. As really good pet owners, such as we have always been and will always be, if our dogs bark for more than a minute, we open the back door to let them in -- or at least see what has caused them to bark insanely. A minute is a good long time when you stand there and count it out, so I can see why someone would be upset if I allowed it to happen for more than a full minute.
The letter, the postman was correct, was, in fact, a warning from the city citing that someone had lodged a complaint against my dogs and, in doing so, put me at risk of having to pay a hefty fine for it. The criteria for the citation states that they can bark for up to 10 minutes solid without there being a reason to complain. TEN MINUTES! Or, they could be in violation if they barked "intermittently" and "excessively" within a 30-minute period. They don't. My dogs are out for more than 30 minutes at times, but they are not barking during that time unless a squirrel runs up the tree or a passerby walks past the fence, and even in these cases, it's literally for less than 1 minute because we hear them and step out onto the back porch to stop them. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
When Laura and I go anywhere, we bring the dogs in. She takes Rose with us most of the time, and I'm aware of no law or ordinance against an animal barking inside the house. We couldn't figure it out, but then we did. We live in a rented house owned by the brother of the complex owner of the complex we lived in for nine years. We were on the list to rent the house as soon as it became available, and you guessed it -- that upset someone (or two), and they've decided to report our dogs to see if we'll be nudged to leave the house. NOPE. No, we will not. They can pound dirt, kick rocks, or do whatever they think they need to do. We're staying right here.
Now, the thing is, if my books sell well enough, I'll move to Scotland, but Laura will likely stay here. I get it, it's a great house, and they wanted it -- we were first on the list when it became available, and we accepted it. For someone (or two) to be so petty as to falsify records, make false reports, and to lie about us is just nonsense. We've decided to buy vibration collars for the dogs. They don't shock, they vibrate when they bark, so they'll stop doing it -- which in my opinion is cruel to say the least, but I'm also not going to rehome them or pay a big fat fine. I can prove we have remedied the situation, and when I find out exactly who did it, let's just say they'll get an eye full. I will write them a "You-Really-Need-Jesus" letter and hope they take me up on the offer. (It's a free offer, anyone can take it)
If I were mean, nasty, and as pathetic as they are, you know I'd do something else, but I take Auntie Em's perspective on the whole thing...and I quote, "...now, being a Christian woman, I can't". She was talking about telling Miss Almira Gulch what she really wanted to say about her! I know the Holy Spirit likes to do that to me at times... I guess I have something like a vibration collar around my heart! Dang it. I guess I could accidently throw dog poop at them, but that's probably against another law. I miss the 80s. I really do.
((( UPDATE !! ))
The Oklahoma City Animal Control called me back. The officer was a young lady, and she was very kind. She said the warning was a verbal call-in, and they sent it to let me know of the potential for an issue. She said it was an anonymous caller, but I would know who they were if they wanted to file an actual complaint. She doubted very seriously that they would do that, mainly because there would be a hearing, and that person would have to prove the dog's excessive barking - which can't be done. I would also have their name, phone number, and address if they filed a formal complaint.
I bought a vibration collar for Kiah just in case, and it will arrive tomorrow. I won't make her wear it if she is in any discomfort. It's there to train her to stop barking, not to punish her for being a dog. The officer told me that these warnings are issued 99% of the time without anyone making a complaint. That made me feel good. We're still making sure, of course, that the dogs behave themselves. We aren't bad pet owners, and our dogs aren't bad either - we just have the misfortune of having really petty, nasty, rude, and inconsiderate neighbors.
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