3997 Valley of the Dogs

Yes, there is.
You can use the article 659 of the Italian penal code.
It is concerning the breach of the peace...
All the best,
Massimo

What about talking to your neighbour first? If you can't sleep through the barking, the chances are they can't either.

We also live in a farming community, and dogs bark pretty much whenever they hear noise. There are also hunting dogs that bark all Sunday in hunting season. But there's not much we can do about it, and it's certainly not something that I'd want to get heavy about.

massimo is right ... there are laws here and the police man from your commune could come and check and maybe even agree with you... its actually quite common in italy though for dogs to bark all night as has been said...

the problem is that depending on who owns the dog, their standing in the community and yours... it will be quite a careful exercise in diplomacy i would think to resolve the situation so that you get some use of your outdoor space and some fresh air at night without the continual barking...

for instance a common occurence here is the fact that during the summer people start work early... around 4- 5.00 am ... little tractors..or big...depending on the harvest are parked in villages and started up early.... its followed by an apology almost each time they do this ... but the apology is termed like this... sorry about the noise...but this is the country we have to get up early...and really anyone moving here has to accept that this is how we work... and basically god helps anyone that complains... so if you have to complain be as nice as you can about it...

Richard,

Do you live there or just go for holidays? And how well do you know the local community?

I think English Teacher & Adriatica made a sensible point - talk to them. Perhaps ask other neighbours how they are affected and what - if anything - they've done about it. And try talking to the offending neighbour first before getting the coppers to turn up!

Many dogs don't like being left on their own, inside or outside, and bark all day or night. Perhaps your neighbour can train his dog? Also, a viable point is that it's in the countryside. Even here in the UK you are affected by early morning noise (we live near fields, have stables next door and people walking their dogs early) but if you move into such an area, you've got to accept it as a way of life. :)

I wouldn't use the full force of the law just yet... you might antagonise the locals, which will impact on your future within the community.

Good luck!

S :)

I agree with Iona, the Law must be the last solution.
First of all I think it is preferable to speak with the neightbour.....even if I know that sometimes it is not so easy....
All the best,
Massimo

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Italians must have a high tolerance to barking dogs!!The number of properties we rejected as they were surrounded by pens of barking dogs!!

In our valley the dogs are asleep all day but at night are more lively and likely to bark!l Luckily they are some way from us.

I would ask you neighbours if they could keep dogs inside but I'm sure that will not be accecptable as they are guarding and probably chasing rabbits!

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Hmmm why not get cats to chase the rabbits?? If they're spayed, they're less likely to get too noisy at night... ;)

Just below our old house was a small farm where two dogs barked in chorus practically all day and all night. As it was that just that far away not to be intrusive, I found it quite a reassuring noise. But what amazed me was they never got hoarse.

I love dogs and I can't fathom why the Italians rely on them quite so much in rural areas for security. Where we are it's not exactly crime capital of Europe so why keep these poor creatures tied up or roaming loose in the yard barking themselves demented? It strikes me as being rather cruel. And they terrify the life out of ramblers. Many a time I've been out walking with friends who've insisted on making a 1 km detour rather than walk passed even a locked farm gate for fear of the dog(s).

Barking dogs at night are a fact of life in most countries around the world. I reckon you will be wasting your time and alienating your neighbours by making a fuss about it. Realistically I reckon your choices are 1.learn to live with it or 2. sell your italian house and by another one in Leeds or somewhere similar

just outside Rome, where our villino lies, many properties are empty during the week/Winter and so the poor dogs are left to guard the houses. With the lie of the land, valleys/hills we are awoken by dogs half a mile away but to be honest, would never try to track the owner down to complain - it's like living next to a railway line or church with striking bells , you get used to it after a few nights - you could always put in double glazing.

Thanks to everyone who has given constructive feedback.It was very useful to here your views and experiences.
I should explain though that i also have dogs in the UK and occassionally they
bark,however never for prolonged periods and certainly never long enough to upset the neighbours.
In Italy we are surrounded by small farms,but alot of residential houses as well.There are tractors,irrigation pumps and other normal farm activity going on which i would not dream of complaining about.Our nieghbour also has dogs which bark occassionally,again i would not dream of complaining about them.
It is the owner who leaves a dog tied up or in a cage outside which barks for hours and hours on end which i find unacceptable.Church bells are lovely,however if they start up at 9 at night and ring constantly all night every night you would probably take a different view.
We will certainly contact the owners of the dog to see if they will be more reasonble,however it is good to be re-assured that if ALL else fails that there is other action which we can consider.
Many Thanks
Richard

We have bells ringing throughout the night on the hour and half hour. The first night in our new house my son stumbled into our bedroom at 4.00 am having had a sleepless night to ask who it was that kept ringing the bells every half hour!!

That first week in a freezing house stuck to the side of of a hill with rain lashing down and perpetual mist the noise made us feel very home sick and as is we had arrived in the most desolate place on earth. However, once we had sorted out some heating and cooking facilities could take a hot shower and saw that the sun did come out sometimes the noise faded and in fact we would miss it now!!

Jackie

Hi Richard, I've sent you a PM...

[QUOTE=Flyingveepixie]Barking dogs at night are a fact of life in most countries around the world. I reckon you will be wasting your time and alienating your neighbours by making a fuss about it. Realistically I reckon your choices are 1.learn to live with it or 2. sell your italian house and by another one in Leeds or somewhere similar[/QUOTE]

Don't bother coming to live in Leeds, it's even worse for dogs barking and cats doing their poo in your gardens.:mad: I love it when we go to our house - so quiet and peaceful you sometimes can hear your heart beat.:p

Lorraine