On 'Being a Good Neighbor'

Living in a townhouse that's basically a large structure with three different, separate contained units, consequently, we're living very next to our next-door neighbors. Generally, this is all very fine with me, especially considering there's a 6-inch airspace between all our shared walls that manages to make eavesdropping virtually impossible (unless you're really tearing it up, I suppose, although I haven't yet been able to hear a single vocal peep from anyone!). In fact, so far the only thing I've been able to hear through those walls has been the guy in the 2-bedroom unit entering his interior stairs from his 1-car garage, occasionally running up those stairs like an elephant! Oh, and I think he may have dropped a rather large piece of furniture or something big and heavy last week... Otherwise, I totally forget we're sharing walls with anyone.

So where's the big 'but' here?

Well, the other unit that's located to our east with a backyard situated right next to ours, they happen to have an old, white poodle-ish lap-size doggie, whom they leave outside in their backyard, tethered beside a pet carrier kennel - - and this doggie is a yapper! I mean, he's the yapper of yappers, barking 2 and 3 times for every timed second! NO JOKE! And you better believe it, cuz yesterday, I had tried to lay down for a cat nap, and instead, I wound up timing it! Having now spent a solid 2 weeks living in my new diggs, hearing this same dog just last night, barking beyond 1 am into the 2am hour, it is officially official:

I cannot handle
the neighbor's *!@?#!* barking dog
any longer.

Facts to Note: 1) It is probably safe to assume, for the obvious reasons, that these neighbors put their dog outside because they don't want it inside... 2) However, I can't know for sure why they don't want him inside... If they put him outside because they don't like him barking indoors, I can't know that's the case, seeing we have that fabulous 6-inch airspace between all our shared interior walls, unable to hear if he's barking, if and when he's ever taken indoors! 3) Moreover, the dog does bark when outside, throughout the day and night and with little reprieve; and 4) I do know that the owners DO know this dog is yapper - -

Background Info: Their first day in their new place, all moved in, they had a small gathering of friends and family and they'd fired up their BBQ grill in the backyard. Over our shared backyard wall, I talked with them briefly and welcomed them as my new neighbors. In response to my approach, the dog, who I'd already heard barking intermittently, well, he went freakin' nuts!!! - - Two early 20-something boys, who spoke English, excused the frantic yapping with this comment: "He's just old." I then laughed, made a friendly statement directed toward the disturbed doggie, and told them their food smelled really good, and then told them I'd see them later and went back inside... and the barking continued, along with this intermittent shouting: ¡Cállate la boca! Translation: Shut your mouth.

Soooo, when it's so blantantly obvious to me that this dog is a nuisance (and sadly, neglected), and yet they don't seem to care, I haven't wanted to confront my new neighbors about their dog's incessant barking... Instead, today, I sought to contact my Home Owner's Association, hoping to let them do the dirty work. Just 15 minutes ago, I'd gotten a return call from my HOA and was told all I had to do was fax over a written complaint...

But first, I called my honey-man to tell him I was emailing some things to him regarding his new business license and "...oh, and I got a hold of the HOA to deal with the yapper... and all I have to do is..."

I knew how he'd respond: He sooo called me on it! Immediately, I grumbled and pleaded... "I don't want to try dealing with people who obviously don't care" - yada, yada, yada... I even tried throwing out this totally lame-O cop-out argument: "But they don't speak English! How can I even talk to them?"

Going through the HOA is the coward's way... I need to instead be a good neighbor and give them the chance to choose to do something about it. My honey-man totally nailed me when he asked me this: "If a neighbor has a problem with you, would you want them to just report you without talking with you first?"

* sigh *

It may take me until Sunday to muster enough courage to tactfully confront them - - Wish me luck this weekend!