Yap, Yap, Yap

We have lived in our house since March of this year. We live on a quiet little street with neat yards. Everyone uses the street as part of their driveway but I can deal with that issue. We have to do it sometimes too. There is the occasional stray dog roaming around. But all in all it is a peaceful place. Well, a few weeks ago it all ended.

While I have been on maternity leave I have enjoyed the stillness of our neighborhood until "Paco" the Chihuahua arrived on the scene. (I don't know for sure if his name is Paco but it seemed pretty fitting to me.) Across the street from our house this little dog that is tied to a tree in the front has destroyed the peace in the air and the sanity in my body. EVERYTIME we walk outside he barks. If the wind blows a leaf, he barks. If the occasional stray walk by, he continues to bark. If the owners are inside not paying him attention, he's REALLY loud. This goes on DAY and NIGHT! Especially if the neighbors are gone. I understand he may be skittish or need attention. I have even tried to go over and whisper in my best Mexican accent. "It's OK Paco. Stop Barking."

I am obviously no dog whisperer.........

So after numerous days and nights of barking I began to break. I could not get the barking out of my head. I would hear the dog over the dryer, Bear crying, the TV, Lakelyn calling my name (she's loud), and any other daily living sound. I started to open the door when he would bark and stare at him. It did not work. Ignoring did not work.........I would tell him to be quiet in a very stern voice. I did not care if the owners were home or not. I wanted them to hear me so they could fix the problem. Surely they heard him yapping all of the time. I began to wonder if they even cared. Finally I had enough. I told Jason two nights ago that I was going to type a note and tape it to their door. And I did just that. The note read like this:

Dear Neighbor,
PLEASE do us all a favor and find an alternate place to keep your dog while you are gone.
The CONSTANT BARKING IS VERY DISTURBING!!!!!!!
(In more than one way!)

Thanks for being considerate of our sanity!

Of course the font was very large and in bold letters. I did not sign my name or leave my number because all of that was irrelevant. The main problem had been addressed. I figured a note was the best way to keep me from saying something ugly and the best way to avoid a "neighborly" dispute. I ran across the street, avoided my ankles being bit by the grace of God and taped the note to the door. I peeked out every now and then to make sure the tape was holding and to see if someone had come home and found the note.

I went to the car rider line, picked up Lake and returned home to find that the note was gone. No cars were in the driveway. Did they get the note? I'm not real sure. The only thing I do know is that there is no dog tied to the tree today. So either they got the note or I just got lucky.

Either way it's a peaceful hood again............