It may be happening again.....

My first complaint

Ah, I knew things were going too well...my neighbors have all been so nice, I haven't complained about noise, even Baci seems a bit more calm. Or so I thought.

Last night, after being gone for no more than FIFTEEN MINUTES, I returned to find a note stuck on my screen door. "Crystal; Your damn dog barks constantly when you leave and we can hear her throughout our entire house. Perhaps you should consider bringing her along when you leave." Unsigned. Cry me a freaking river, wussie!!!

Even though they were too wimpy to come and talk to me in person, or even to sign their name to their complaint, I know who it was since they said they can hear her throughout their entire house. I have two houses connected to me, one with a couple living in it (hence, we) and the other with a single woman. Whom I have never met. Meaning, there is no way she could know my name is Crystal. And it appears to be a man's handwriting. So, therefore it must have come from the couple on the one side of me.

First, let me say that if she really does bark constantly, I really do hate that it is bothering them. In her four years with me I have never had a complaint that she barks constantly while I am gone, not even in the apartment complex where I could hear every single thing that went on in the apartments around me. That is why I have to say if--likely she did, because I can't imagine they'd have made it up, but it does seem a bit odd. In two months time of living here, all they have had to say about Baci is how cute she is. Once, the lady of the house said that they occasionally heard her barking and I told her that I was very sorry for that, that I hoped it wasn't often enough to bother them. She assured me that it was never often enough to bother them and then went on again to talk about how adorable she thinks Baci is. That was about two weeks ago.

I find it hard to believe that in two weeks time Baci has done a 180 and started barking maniacally every time I leave the house, enough to out of the blue start bothering them. With that said, whether she has been bothering them for two weeks, two months, or most likely FIFTEEN MINUTES, why couldn't they have just said something to me? Why feel the need to place a note on the door damning my dog? Seriously, if this had been something that they had complained about multiple times, I could see the use of the word damn. But this is the first time they have ever complained about her!!! The first time ANYONE has ever complained about her. I hardly feel that such a harsh note was necessary--a polite comment over the fence would have sufficed in my opinion. You know, I am NOT THERE, so how would I know that she is barking incessantly without someone telling me? Funny enough, a couple of hours prior to the note, when I had been gone for an hour or so, I passed the lady out front as I was going into my house--the perfect occasion for her to say something if Baci had been barking like crazy for the last hour. All she said was a happy hello, how are you and continued on her way--not at all how I would expect a woman who has been listening to a barking dog for the last hour to behave.

Now on to the second part of the note, that I should consider bringing her along with me when I leave. Can we get serious, PLEASE? Can you imagine me bringing Baci to work with me? Or the grocery store, pharmacy, pretty much any store other than Petsmart? Even if she was a perfectly well behaved dog, those places don't allow pets! So I guess they are advocating that I leave her locked in the car while I go in shopping. Or how about for 8 1/2 hours while I am at work? Especially when it is 100+ degrees outside or below freezing--that will go over well. I guess on the positive side, I would only have to do it once! Either she would die and no longer be an issue or someone would call the cops, and rightly so, to have me arrested for animal cruelty! These people, though a bit odd, seem intelligent enough, so I can't believe that they suggested such an idiotic idea.

I am starting to think they must sit around stoned out of their freaking minds all day long. Every time I have been home during the day, weekdays and weekends, they play Bob Marley, nonstop, full-blast, all day long, every day. I can sing along when I want to. Have I complained? No, because I realize that we live in townhomes and you are going to occasionally hear things from the homes on either side of you. They turn it off at night, so I have learned to tolerate it during the day. But, other than getting stoned beyond belief, why would you listen to THAT MUCH Bob Marley? I love me some Marley, but eventually, you gotta turn it off. Maybe that is why the guy is so obsessed with his lawn--he has a huge cannabis garden in his house and he thinks if he keeps the outside of it looking all perfect, it won't draw attention to what is going on inside. This guy has a serious issue when it comes to his lawn. He is out there at least every other day, mowing, trimming, edging, and picking up what little he comes up with. Yes, sometimes it is EVERY DAY! Edging and trimming are things that I see myself doing every couple of mows, maybe once or twice a month. Ever think that maybe I am sick of hearing your mower or Marley? Hmmmm???????

Anyways, sorry about the tangent, I am just irritated. Had they spoken to me about this or even just left out the word "damn" I would not be upset by it. Well, I would be upset that Baci is bothering them, but not that they had said something about it. I feel like they handled this so terribly though, and in the process took the wussie way out and made themselves look like fools. Next time I see them, I am going to make sure to apologize for Baci bothering them, and I might have to say something about how I thought it was a little harsh to damn my dog in their first complaint to me, and that, as much as I would like to have her with me, it is impossible for me to take her to work and other places with me. That takes care of letting them know that yes, I know it was them who left the note, and also to get it off my chest that I think they are idiots, all in a very tactful manner.

And just so you know I am not a complete bitch, I left her confined to the upstairs today rather than her crate, so that hopefully she won't feel the need to bark while I am away.

Oh, and one other thing: let's presume that she really is barking like crazy while I am gone, just for shits and giggles. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make her stop, other than what I tried today?

A quote for you

Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. ~William Dement

Now if only I could find an excuse for the insanity during the day.... :)