BARKING DOGS

Hi Everyone,

I am only just finishing my first month in Spain and I feel like I am living in a dog kennel. Does the barking ever stop and do you ever get used to it?

Sorry, I should have posted on Living in Spain.

eileen66 - you do get used to it but remember it is not the dogs just silly irresponsible disrespectful owners

No, the barking never stops.

I've lived in three different places in Spain and the sound of barking dogs has driven me to distraction in every one of them. I now live in a 'quiet' village but it's anything but quiet. Some dogs bark all day and others bark all night. I have to sleep with earplugs in otherwise I'm awake all night because it's impossible to ignore. The Spanish locals don't like it either but they're powerless to do anything about it. The owners of the dogs keep them outside in the yard or the terrace and as this is not classed as 'outside', there is no law against it. 

It's just something we have to ut up with.

I have been planning coming to Spain for so long and did so much research that I cant believe how unprepared I was for this. I am by the coast and, stupidly, didn't think about dogs being kept outside of all the time this close to the sea where properties are so much smaller. Most of the owners seem to be out all day and then just ignore the barking at night. Tiny little houses and big, big dogs in small outdoor spaces. It's crazy and spoiling me walking around. It may seem a small thing but it's really getting to me. There is one that is chained and pulls on it hurting it's neck every time I go by. I just don't think I can stand to see that kind of thing every day and not be able to do something about it

I own a dog myself but don't leave him outside unless I'm here and call him in if he barks. There is a park with a dog mess bin which doesn't seem to be getting used.  A lovely little urbanisation so I hope I do settle and get used to it.

Hi Eileen.

Frankly, no amount of research can prevent people from coming across one problem or another in Spain, so you should never blame yourself for inadequate research. I also find that if one problem is so all-consuming, such as this one might be for you, you tend to then ignore other possible problems, so it kind of serves a function. Anyway, apart from the psycho-analysis, I'm wondering if you might find one of these nice mostly-expat groups who help rescue dogs? They might also have some ideas of what you could do. The problem is that if you report any of these dog-owners to the authority, you have to put your name on the denuncia and then they will know it is you who did it, and they wouldn't be happy bunnies. So I wouldn't go down that route. It could be that it is one particular dog setting them all off? Maybe you need to turn private detective and try and identify which one it is and then either you or a willing volunteer go and talk nicely to the owner, perhaps with a gift? Sounds barmy but I'm trying to brainstorm here.

The other approach would be to maybe get hypnosis which tells you that you like the sound of barking dogs. I love the sound of the train at the back of my garden for instance and that would be really annoying to some people. (I admit it is a bit far-fetched to like the sound of barking dogs, but it might be possible to re-programme your brain in this way - others must be able to sleep through it, so it would be good to know how they do it. The earplugs sound like a good idea too)

Anyway, perhaps others who have successfully handled this situation will have better ideas. The main thing is that you need to find a solution which works for you as you don't want this marring your experience. But as I said, as one problem flies out of the window in this life, there is usually another one lurking in the shadows. Just be thankful that you're not dealing with death or illness of a loved one etc. All the best with it.