What’s the ordinance on barking dogs? What do you do to complain about them?

Do what I do: Invest in a good set of earplugs. Then, when your husband comes home, tell him that you’re uprooting all your belongings, along with your memories, and moving to a more isolated neighborhood where hopefully you’ll have no neighbors, no wildlife and no children nearby.

I’m joking. Who wants to move to Death Valley?

My first stop was www.cityofnapa.org, which prompted me to call the police department. Officer Jim Brown was kind enough to help me with my inquiry. “So who do people call to complain about a barking dog?,” I asked.

“Ghostbusters,” he jokingly replied. (Thank you, Jim, I needed that.)

Brown said he receives one or two calls daily on barking dogs. When an individual calls to complain about a barking dog, he said, two packets are sent out by mail. One packet is sent to the dog owner. This packet has several functions: it explains to the owner that the police department has received a complaint about the dog; it alerts the owner to the city ordinance on nuisance dog barking (Municipal Code 6.04.220); it lists possible causes on why the dog may be barking so much; and more importantly, it provides a comprehensive list of suggestions on how to prevent the dog from being a nuisance.

Some suggestions include putting the dog in another room for a few minutes at a time until gradually it becomes accustomed to your being away. This may help lessen the dog’s anxiety when you’re not at home. If the dog barks when hearing people’s voices, perhaps using a radio at a low volume can help put it at ease. In time, proper training should help your dog determine who’s OK to enter the house and who isn’t, rather than barking at every single thing or every single person that crosses its path.

The second packet goes to the complaining party and defines what excessive barking is. For example, if the dog barks at everyone, jumps a lot, is aggressive, growls at people, barks at all hours of the night, barks for no apparent reason and/or barks in excess of 10 minutes, this can be considered unacceptable behavior. The packet also instructs the complaining party to use a log to keep track of the dog’s behavior. It is preferable if two to three people complete the log, making the complaint more legitimate.

In the best-case scenario, the dog owner finds a way of keeping the dog from bothering the neighbors. If not, then the complaint is filed with all of the supporting evidence. A police officer is sent out and issues a citation to the dog owner, which is basically a ticket that has a date with a notice to appear in court. The Napa County District Attorney’s office then reviews the file. However, it’s rare when these cases are prosecuted, said Brown.

The police department only issues barking tickets within the city limits. To complain about a barking dog, call the police department at 257-9223.

What is Glad You Asked?

Glad You Asked attempts to answer readers’ questions. Bark up the right tree and send your questions to me at dmontanez@napanews.com or call me at 256-2224. Woof!