Barking Dog Problem

It is a beautiful Tuesday in Phoenix! I am grand dog sitting today and I have to say that these two Dobies are easier than if I had grandkids. They play, they sleep, they play, they sleep...What a dog's life! NO, WAIT....that is mine, too.

If you have been following along here at THE DOUGHNUT HOLE 503, you know that Debi now has two Dobies, Akkadian (the older dog) and Osiris (the Puppy). They are here today because one of Debi's neighbors complained via ANONYMOUS NOTE that the dogs were barking constantly and were a nuisance. Since I am not with them 24/7/365, I cannot speak to whether the complaint is true or not. All I can say is, Akkadian never barks unless someone is coming in his yard, and Osiris has not found his bark, yet. Now, the note told Debi that her dogs start barking at 7:30 in the AM and never shut up .

This is an outright lie, to that I can attest. Debi does not go to work before 10am, Jim before noon, and the dogs sleep with them. They sleep in Deb's room, then when she gets up, they go to Jim's. And, to be honest, Ihave never heard Akkadian bark longer than 5 minutes, then it is only because someone is in or near his yard. He is very protective. The little one yelped today in what I thought might have been an attempt at barking, but his voice has not dropped yet.

What bothers me about this is the note left in the mailbox...unsigned. They also left a copy of the barking dog ordinance we have here in Phoenix. Which, by the by, says that the first step is to TALK to your neighbor and tell them there is a problem. How can someone know there is a problem if no one tells them? Not signing your name when you complain, well, that is sheer cowardice.

But it points to a more real problem in our society. People hide behind chat room names and say just about anything they want and do not have to prove it. The "in your face" confrontational attitude as seen on TV and movies has permeated our society. Talk radio persists in promulgating this attitude, and therefore, our society seems to think that it is ok to say whatever you want, as long as you don't have to put your REAL Name on it. Newspapers that allow comments should require that people put their real names and addresses in the comment. That way, they can be held accountable for what they say. Some of the mean comments might stop then.

Yeah, I use a moniker on this blog, but you'll also find my picture, my name, and my email. You don't like something I say, email me. We can talk like real people.

Debi is helping with the funeral route this morning for the fallen Gilbert police officer who was shot during a traffic stop last week, then she is doing her regular shift. She has asked me to go talk to neighbors for her, so she does not have to knock on their door tonight at 10 when she gets home. I'll try to be tactful. (quit laughing... I can be tactful). I will offer the neighbors my phone numbers and tell them to call me during the day when there is a problem.

I watch out for my granddogs.

Doughnut (aka ...Don Shields)