Neighbour's 'sick' note about barking dog horrifies Aussie woman
The shocked resident said she would be reporting the incident to police and will look into installing CCTV.
A neighbour’s “disgusting” note threatening a woman’s barking dog has sparked outrage among locals.
The woman living in Townsville, Queensland said she found the handwritten piece of paper in her letterbox on Wednesday, and immediately felt “sick to the stomach”.
“What happened to the days when a neighbour would come talk if they had an issue?” she wrote on a community Facebook page, including an image of the note scribbled in Sharpie in her post.
“Please find a way to shut your dog up. It barks non stop. The whole neighbourhood yells at it,” it reads. “My next option is to open your gate so it runs away. Failing that I’ll poison it. I’d prefer to do neither of those things.”
The horrified dog’s owner said she is at work the majority of the day so she is unaware if he is barking throughout the day “as he doesn’t bark too much” when she’s home.
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Locals horrified by 'extreme' note
Numerous locals were disturbed by the “extreme” message, with the majority urging the woman to report the incident to police and install security cameras at her home.
“I would definitely be reporting that to the police. There are more civil ways to address the issue and they are blatant threats,” one person commented. “I understand getting annoyed at barking, my neighbour has a pug that barks a lot and at night too, as much as it annoys me I wouldn't threaten that wtf,” someone else wrote.
“That's disgusting. Who's to say you don't have small children living there that could be the ones who come into contact with the poison? I would definitely report this threat!” another pointed out.
Woman urged to find solution for barking dog
Others argued that while the note was “not on”, the woman clearly needed to find a solution for her dog’s barking.
“I’m sure they have had enough of it barking so what else should they do. They have brought it to your attention so you can now do something about it,” one man said, to which the pet’s owner said she would have preferred a “knock on the door and a nice chat”.
She later confirmed she plans on reporting the threatening letter, looking into more security for her home and checking on the dog’s anxiety.
Barking dogs are the most common animal behaviour problem reported to the City of Townsville council. Local law states that a pet owner must ensure it does not make excessive noise for a “total of 6 minutes in any hour from 7am to 10pm on any day” or for a “total of 3 minutes in any 30 minute period from 10pm to 7am on any day”.
The council urges residents to approach their neighbour with any issues or give them the Dear Neighbour letter.
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