Villas and barking dogs
 

You can’t pick your neighbor. Most of the time you are correct that dog owners are reasonable and responsive. “Most of the time” is the operative phase.

We move in on Sept 5th, and have large dogs (Great Pyrenees and Labrador) and while I can't speak to other dog owners, we are very concerned about our dogs and barking. They grew up on 11 acres and are used to "protecting" us from UPS deliveries, and other strange creatures that might approach our property.

We have been working on calming them down when strangers come over. Our plan is to put in video/audio monitoring so we can know if they get excited while we are out - with two way audio we will also be able to talk to them and hopefully calm them. If they are still a problem we will bring in a professional trainer to help.

Coming from the country with the nearest neighbor being over a 1/4 mile away, we take the change to a postage stamp yard, and the ability to borrow sugar by reaching out of the kitchen window seriously and want to make it as painless as possible for both us and our new neighbors.

You won't need video/audio monitoring, you will know soon enough if they bark while your gone by counting the sticky notes on your front door. The villas are really close together as you must know and the neighbors don't expect to hear dogs barking all day nor is it allowed.

We have a villa and a dog. Our neighbor to the east has two dogs and the neighbor to the west has one. I occasionally hear them bark but it has never been a problem. We are in a block and stucco villa and the sound level inside is very minimal. Our dog stays inside when we are gone and has never made a mess.

You post concerned me, so I went back and re-read the covenant which states clearly that each owner is responsible to ensure they don't interfere with their neighbors "enjoyment" of their property. It then further clarifies the meaning by stating that "noise" shall be no more than "moderate" between 10 PM and 1 hour before sun rise.

There is no mention of restricting dog barking, and no definition of "moderate". So, I guess from what I can see there is no limit on dog barking during the day and up to 10 PM at night. Some third party would have to decide if a dog barking is preventing someone else from enjoying their property, and if our actions to control and moderate the dog barking is insufficient.

Personally, I find the sizzling of a neighbors bbq grills to be quite offensive and disruptive of my enjoying a vegan meal in my lanai...

I think we all need to get along, and anyone purchasing a CYV that does not like dogs or dog barking would have to explain to an arbitrator why they bought there knowing there was going to be dogs, and the dogs are going to be barking, when the CYVs are sold as the solution to seniors that want dogs that bark.

You are the exception to the rule and I commend you for being a responsible pet owner. Just my opinion but I believe the majority of dog owners couldn’t care less if their dogs barking disturbs you. My personal experience when I approached a neighbor with a barking dog, “dogs bark, you’ll have to get over it.” I learned they were renters, I spoke to the homeowner, and the offending dog was evicted along with his owners. Having audio recording, from inside my home, of the dog barking from 1am to 4am really helped my case.

Some dogs have serious separation anxiety. When they are home alone they can bark non-stop for hours, I don’t know how the dogs vocal chords can handle it but somehow they can.

Thank you for the kind words. It is sad that we can't all get along - but it is what it is.

I understand and agree with you about dog barking can be annoying. I know that as I get older being woken from sleep can lead to not being able to get back to sleep - not enjoyable at all.

I have read many places how renters can and do have annoying habits - sad they are allowed in the same villas with residents, but I understand the economic incentives to some.

My reason for wanting AV monitoring while away from our house is so I know what is going on and with 2 way audio, I can try to calm the dogs by talking to them. And if it turns out they are barking frequently I know I have to take additional steps.

You forgot to check enforceable local ordinances regarding dog barking as well as county. They have come out to our neighborhood on several occasions with warnings before fines. I have a dog too, not against having them. Also, not all CYV owners have dogs, some of them have cats and many no pets at all just wanting to enjoy the privacy of a courtyard. I'm not saying that your dogs will not be welcome but if they were to cause a problem there would be no arbitrator, it would be a knock on your door by the local police or sheriff department. The covenant you refer to was not written specifically for dogs, that is mostly aimed at people that might have frequent parties and a sizzling grille would not fall into that category.

Grumpy, there used to be a BarkBusters trainer in the area. If they live up to their name, and if you find your dogs are barking, that might prove useful to you.

Thank you

We lived in a designer that was over the wall from a CYV village. One woman on the other side had the barkiest little dog. Then she got another one that was even worse--they got into fights. However, the barking was limited to the times the little yappers were let out into the yard, or left on the lanai. It wasn't a problem at night.


Dogs are not randomly scattered across TV; they are everywhere. You might want to visit a house you are considering a number of different times of the day to see if you hear any barking around it. But I find that most people keep their dogs inside unless they are outside with them, even in CYVs. But it will be the luck of the draw.

We have lived in our villa for 8 years and have never been bothered by a barking dog. I know some others have had problems but it usually gets worked out.

September 6th should have some interesting posts. [emoji6][emoji240][emoji251]


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I agree but maybe the 7th, for sure by 9/11.

Didn’t you write somewhere that you had three dogs?

Yes, we are working on that and think we will have it resolved before moving in.

I would hope so as I know what your deed restrictions say about the number of dogs, no arbitration there either.

You are allowed 3 dogs and they are grandfathered in but when one passes away you cannot replace that third dog.

I feel bad for dogs that bark regularly. They're trying to tell their owner something. Or their neighbor. But no one's listening. Maybe it's just "hey I'm here I hate being left here alone come keep me company!" or maybe "I have major anxiety when I'm left alone I think I'm having a heart attack!" or maybe "there's a dead guy in the pool someone come take a look!"

Timmy is in the well:1rotfl:

Sounds like your going to fit in, Good Luck in your new neighborhood.

yes! owners have to take the time to figure out what our dogs are trying to tell us. all they usually get is "quiet" or "shut up" our furbabies deserve better.

You are correct. :bigbow:

Patents 111, you sound like a responsible dog owner, therefore should have no problems.

Bottom line if you have a barking dog (or dogs) you have to decide who/what is more important - your neighbors or you and your dogs. If you have this problem, you could have the best of both worlds if you get your dogs training. Just a thought. It matters little what is legal, fighting and fussing with neighbors can make your life miserable.

Agreed

We used a bark control device for our dog. It sends out a high frequency, inaudible to humans, 2 second sound. Doesn't hurt the dogs and they learn quickly not to bark. You can get one on Amazon for inside or outside the house. The outside device is the one we had...looks like a birdhouse and is about 30 dollars. Good luck with your move. You will love living life in the villages...once you get used to not being in the country any longer.

We have an older lab that for the most part is very quite. However, every Diesel engine truck that comes down the street will set her off. When she is out she might bark at those evil squirrels. Oh, the dog also barks at our neighbor so she will come over and give a belly rub. (To the dog������)

Sounds like Oh Rion, our 10 year older yellow Lab. :coolsmiley:

Thanks to all for your thoughtful insights and suggestions. I look forward to joining your community of delightful people. I am open to additional thoughts, but I now have a much better feel for this situation.

We originally were going to buy a CYV for our first house. Our VLS had us stay in Creek Side Landing for our 3rd lifestyle visit. We wanted the private space a CYV offered. They really are not sold as a solution for seniors with dogs. Pets are everywhere in TV, even in designers one can hear a dog barking. On our 3 day of our 7 day stay we moved to a PV. There were no barking dogs since Creek Side was a lifestyle area.
What changed our mind was the echoing noise level of those as far away as 5 or 6 houses. Entire conversations could be heard clearly, as well as phone calls. The walls were a reverberating enhancement. We sleep only a few hours a night, so that wasn’t the issue. We figured if I could here financial conversations in detail, from someone a few doors down, then they could hear us.

[QUOTE=thelegges;1675595]We originally were going to buy a CYV for our first house. Our VLS had us stay in Creek Side Landing for our 3rd lifestyle visit. We wanted the private space a CYV offered. They really are not sold as a solution for seniors with dogs. Pets are everywhere in TV, even in designers one can hear a dog barking. On our 3 day of our 7 day stay we moved to a PV. There were no barking dogs since Creek Side was a lifestyle area.
What changed our mind was the echoing noise level of those as far away as 5 or 6 houses. Entire conversations could be heard clearly, as well as phone calls. The walls were a reverberating enhancement. We sleep only a few hours a night, so that wasn’t the issue. We figured if I could here financial conversations in detail, from someone a few doors down, then they could hear us.[/QUOTE

And this is why we sold our back-to-back designer, could see into homes too easily and hear conversations on lanais.

Some barking is understandable, but constant barking dogs is just rude. These owners have no consideration for their neighbors.

We too are closing on a Villa but on Sept 6th. We use to have a 12 acre Horse Farm with 5 German Shepherds, in the middle of no where. When we sold that property and moved into a neighborhood we brought the remaining 3 with us. I found by walking them every day, individually, it gave them a better sense of their new surroundings so they were not so reactive to every noise or person they heard. I also kept a radio or tv on when I left to drown out the outside commotion. My neighbors commented several times how well behaved they were.

Thanks for the advice, the TV is a good suggestion.

We are really nervous about the entire "having neighbors" thing, but I am sure we will adapt!

I was nervous too but it all worked out. I would talk/meet your neighbors on both sides and explain your situation and tell them to let you know if any issues arise. It's always better to get a head of it with the neighbors then be blindsided later.

Unfortunately life is full of unhappy people who want everyone else to share their unhappiness.. I moved here to the Villages with my husband and two dogs.. I have a small designer home.. shortly after moving here my husband was diagnosed and passed from lung cancer, and was followed shortly after by one of my dogs.. Now it’s just myself and one 11 pound dog... she loves to chase the geckos on the lani and is only out there if I am home... if one runs up the screen she barks, if she keeps barking I bring her in.. my back neighbor called animal control, they said if it can be documented I can be fined.. now even if I am out there with her and she barks while I’m playing with her he yells across the hedge or loudly groans... I am putting my house up for sale.. I hope I find better neighbors.. everyone else around me have no problem.. it only takes one...

Nothing in the deed restrictions say this. It has been repeated so many times that a lot of folks trust it as fact.

So, the question is - If you get reported, how are you prepared to prove that you are 'grandfathered in'?

You are correct, the deed restrictions allow for only 2 there is nothing in there about bringing 3 dogs just because that is how many you own. It wold be interesting to hear if anyone ever complained about 3 dogs and what the response was.