A grieving mother was left upset by an abusive note she received from a neighbor while attending a funeral.
The woman from Eagleby, a suburb of Logan City southeast of Brisbane, shared the note complaining about her dog’s barking on social media.
The note was addressed to her and said: ‘Shut your mouth, you damn dog.’
He said this was the third note from the same neighbor, as he recognizes the handwriting.
The last note was left on his door when he returned from his brother’s funeral and he claimed to have received another after his daughter’s funeral.
The woman had a defiant response to the note: ‘I’m not going to silence my guard dog, get over it.’
The resident said this was the third note she had received from the same neighbor.
The woman had a defiant response to the note: ‘I’m not going to silence my guard dog, get over it’
The woman also said there were 10 other dogs barking on her street.
‘I also deal with barking dogs and work in shifts at different times of the day and night.
“Have the courage to come see us when both cars are parked in front,” he said.
The responses on social media to the woman’s post were mixed, with some agreeing with her and others defending the neighbor for leaving the note.
“I’m sure there is a better way to deal with this but excessive barking could also be a problem, maybe it’s shift workers trying to sleep too,” said one.
Another agreed and posted that he has to put up with the constant barking of his neighbor’s dog.
Others suggested the neighbor was barking up the wrong tree and should have complained directly, rather than leaving an anonymous note.
“At the end of the day the note is rude, the right thing to do is to say something politely after knocking on the door.”
Another appreciated how the barking of dogs provided security in the community.
“I love my neighbors’ dogs because they let me know when someone is nearby, not only protecting their yard but also mine.”
One resident gave some friendly advice: “Some people will complain that the wind blows softly these days, because they need to get out of their boring houses and enjoy life.”
Logan City Hall website states that “excessive barking” is when a dog barks, howls, or whines “for 6 minutes in an hour between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on any day, or for 3 minutes in a half-hour between 10:00 p.m. pm and 7:00 am any day.’
The council encourages neighbors to talk to each other to resolve barking dog problems and offers advice on how to deal with barking dogs.