12:30 pm on a Saturday morning:
It is the middle of winter holiday break and my husband and I have not made it out of bed just yet. Mind you we are not still sleeping, however our children who are downstairs watching cartoons are not privy to this information. Earl, the pitbull who is outside, is barking like the vicious attack dog that he is. He barks for about 5 minutes. Earl does not usually bark. Something must be up...
We are "interrupted" by knocking on our front door. My first thought is that the neighbors dog has gotten into the yard and making Earl nuts. My oldest daughter bounds up the stairs to tell us that our neighbor Jared is at the door complaining about the dog barking and that he is keeping the new baby (who will be 2 this year) awake. My daughter has told him that we are still sleeping.
We have been friendly with our neighbors Jared and Sara since they moved in a few years ago, however, the tone of our relationship changed noticably since the primaries when their yard dawned a Mike Huckaby sign and ours Obama.
So, now it is the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday, Jared is standing in our doorway, and the evil Obama supporters are still sleeping.
Steve gets dressed and goes downstairs. Jared asks if there is anything we can do to make our dog stop barking. He says "Everyone has a right to a dog" and then suggests that we should get an anti-barking collar for Earl. Since Earl has only been barking for about five minutes, Steve asks if he is barking when we are not home and if the barking is constant. The answer to this is no. Steve tells Jared that we will not be getting any special collars for our dog, but that we will do what we can. Jared leaves. We go out back to find Earl barking like mad at a rogue Wal-Mart bag that has gotten stuck in the tree by his kennel. Problem solved. WTF?
Steve and I go back and forth about what we should do. We can not move Earl's kennel to the other side of the house because it gets the most shade where it currently is positioned on the side of the house and he is only in the kennel when we are not home. The problem is that Steve has become a wreck every time Earl barks. I think Jared can stuff it because I work from home 2 days a week and am home by 2 the other days and I know that Earl is not a problem barker. He is just a dog and dogs bark. I am not over there telling them to shut their baby up.
Tuesday...recycle day... a few weeks later
It is about 2 p.m. and I have just gotten home from the office. The recycle buckets are still at the curb. It is windy and I noticed that Jared and Sara's recyclables are starting to blow all over their yard. Since we are in the center of a cul-de-sac our yard seems to collect any garbage that gets free on trash days. So I go over and start picking up the trash and returning it to their recycle bucket. This when I notice that it appears that they are recycling ALL of the garbage. A bucket flowing over with literally every scrap of garbage that they have accumilated over the week. I thought I over did it with the recycling, but there were saucy lasagna pans from dinner, used paper towels and napkins and a large box full of styrofoam peanuts that blows open while I am standing there and covers their lawn with a nice layer of non-recyclable snow.
I go inside. Earl is out back going nuts. The dreaded Wal-Mart bag has once again found its way to our tree. My dog is barking at their garbage that has blown into our yard. The bag blows free. Earl attacks. I pick up the rest of the trash that has found its way to our yard.
I am looking forward to the next time I see them and can recommend to them that they get some sort of wind resistant gadget for their garbage. I am starting to become bitter towards my neighbors.
A few hours later, I am leaving to take the girls to gymnastics and there is a tiny tiny Chihuahua puppy trying to get at a pizza box in my recycle bucket. I assume that the dog belongs to my neighbors on the other side since they seem to have a revolving door of animals. I approach the dog and as he starts to freak and run next door, I notice that he has broken free from some sort of cable. The little guy weighs about 3 pounds and was tied up in the back yard. I take the dog next door. I am hoping that no one is there. My plan is to take the dog to gymnastics with me and announce Free Puppy Tuesday. The door opens and the old man that we think has moved in with our neighbors thanks me and points to the dogs broken cable as if to say... "ahhh that is how he got out"
I am saddened by this.
Today I peak through the fence. There is Sr. Chihuahua. Tightly secured.
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tying or chaining dogs is illegal in Austin at least and I think it is a new Texas law as of ~a year ago.
ReplyDeletenot to belittle your problems but this may make you happier....
I've lived in this appartment for about two years now. There are four units kinda like split level town houses. I live in unit B. I was the only resident when I moved here as ALL the previous tennants had been recently evicted for various reasons. My first new neigbor in apartment D was a schitzophrenic(4realz) who made his living by selling his scripts to gangbangers and homeless junkies. He also enjoyed sitting in his car and blasting classic rock hits. His car is parked about three feet from my front window. Nine calls to the cops later and he was gone.
During this time a girl moved into unit C. She had a pention for screaming obsenities at her newborn infant or whomever happend to cross her path. About a week after the gem in D got the boot I came home early from work to find that she, Unit C, had been running an illegal daycare on the property. Nine little kids running around in the street screaming and a few that couldn't walk yet inside a car parked in the lot, windows barely cracked and music BLARINGLY loud so she didn't have to listen to them cry. Why in the street you may ask? Because she whom will be here after refered to "that fucking bitch in C" had not paid her electric bill in over three months and had been without electricity for at least two of those months according to the meter. Little kids too, like infants in a single room, split level apartment construced entirely of concrete and metal. Called CPS and the cops. She's in jail for child abuse now. As a side note to all this while talking to a neighbor I discovered she was hanging out with the two listed CHILD SEX OFFENDERS on my block when she wasn't being a troll at home.
OK two down...can't get any worse right? Four weeks pass and I have three new neighbors.
A= terminaly ill woman who sells her scripts to gangbangers. She's gonna die soon so I leave her alone. Keeps it quiet and isn't really a problem.
B= Me...flawless and angelic
C= single teen mom who decided to just up and leave her child. She called her mom to come and watch her and never returned. Mom says she went to Atlanta. Unit now empty.
D= Old woman...Aunt of one of before mentioned gangbangers. Also selling her scripts(all of these paid for with you tax dollars by the way. Gotta love pure profit). One of the bangers pulled a gun out of his car to show it off to his friends. I called the cops. He went to jail and the next day I told her that if she doesnt move I was calling the cops every day and hitting her with code violations from the city as often as I can. Unit D is now empty.
God what I would do for some neighbors whose only problem is that they litter and bitch too much(and were stupid enough to think that Huckabee had a chance).
tying or chaining dogs is illegal in Austin at least and I think it is a new Texas law as of ~a year ago.
ReplyDeletenot to belittle your problems but this may make you happier....
I've lived in this apartment for about two years now. There are four units kinda like split level town houses. I live in unit B. I was the only resident when I moved here as ALL the previous tennants had been recently evicted for various reasons. My first new neigbor in apartment D was a schitzophrenic(4realz) who made his living by selling his scripts to gangbangers and homeless junkies. He also enjoyed sitting in his car and blasting classic rock hits. His car is parked about three feet from my front window. Nine calls to the cops later and he was gone.
During this time a girl moved into unit C. She had a pention for screaming obsenities at her newborn infant or whomever happend to cross her path. About a week after the gem in D got the boot I came home early from work to find that she, Unit C, had been running an illegal daycare on the property. Nine little kids running around in the street screaming and a few that couldn't walk yet inside a car parked in the lot, windows barely cracked and music BLARINGLY loud so she didn't have to listen to them cry. Why in the street you may ask? Because she whom will be here after refered to "that fucking bitch in C" had for at least two according Austin Energy. Little kids too, like infants in a single room, split level apartment construced entirely of concrete and metal with no AC or refrigerator(or gas) in the middle of the summer, in Texas. Called CPS and the cops. She's in jail for child abuse now. As a side note to all this, while talking to a neighbor I discovered she was hanging out with the two listed CHILD SEX OFFENDERS on my block when she wasn't being a troll at home.
OK two down...can't get any worse right? Four weeks pass and I have three new neighbors.
A= terminaly ill woman who sells her scripts to gangbangers. She's gonna die soon so I leave her alone. Keeps it quiet and isn't really a problem.
B= Me...flawless and angelic
C= single teen mom who decided to just up and leave her child. She called her mom to come and watch her and never returned. Mom says she went to Atlanta. Unit now empty.
D= Old woman...Aunt of one of before mentioned gangbangers. Also selling her scripts(all of these paid for with you tax dollars by the way. Gotta love pure profit). One of the bangers pulled a gun out of his car to show it off to his friends. I called the cops. He went to jail and the next day I told her that if she doesnt move I was calling the cops every day and hitting her with every code violation I could think of. Unit D is now empty.
God what I would do for some neighbors whose only problem is that they litter and bitch too much(and were stupid enough to think that Huckabee had a chance).
i would be pissed at your dog too if i knew you voted Obama
ReplyDeletejust kidding
sounds to me like Jareds wife is being a bitch and making him be an ass - eff Jared and his skank of a wife
Yes, chaining a dog sucks ass. I'm certainly not condoning that behavior.
ReplyDeleteBut that chihuahua sounds delicious.
We recently had a house that has always been for rent go up for sale. The house was listed and worth more than 150,000 and needed to be fixed up. Our neighborhood was really getting better and we were getting in young couples and kids so I was hoping someone would buy up this big house and nice lot and fix it up and sale it for more and we could get some nice neighbors and up the neighborhood value a bit.
ReplyDeleteThey sold it for 85,000!!!!
So 2 Pit Bulls moved in who are mean and we have to worry about getting out because they would bite our kids faces off and they just got a new pit bull puppy who they have never ever brought in the house and keep on a rope out back. So all 3 permanently stay outside. For the most part they don't bother me. But kids walk home from school at 3:00 and that is during Cy's nap when I REALLLLY need to get stuff done before Kung Fu and those f***ing dogs start barking at the kids the whooooole time! So of course Cy now wakes up by 3. And because yes they are "just dogs" they bark at weird times of the night and early in the morning. I don't mind too much but my problem is they NEVER go inside....why do you have an effing dog if you don't ever see it? and THREE of them? raining....outside, freezing rain....outside, snow or thunderstorm.....outside
Uhg :/
Oh and a couple weeks ago the dogs ate our cat :(
Ummm, this is Kristina, not Cree :p
ReplyDeleteAustin, Ft. Worth, Irving Live Oak, Big Spring, and Electra(Wherever that is) all prohibit chaining by law. Take pictures and call the cops
ReplyDeleteFirst.... Nate...Thanks for the check on perspective. I think maybe my princess shoes got a little too tight there for a sec. It sounds like I should quit this whole blog thing and move to Austin where I can sell scripts to bangers and certainly have more interesting things to write about. So watch out because D may soon be occupied by psycho mom of 2 who reads too much and has a non violent pit bull and a chihuahua who won't stop barking.
ReplyDeleteJoey...I laughed so hard that a chunk of apple flew out of my mouth and onto the keyboard. As you know, I did in fact vote for Obama, but only after listening to his book and McCain's book on audio and his voice happened to be more soothing to fall asleep to. Also...what is your problem with negros? You must be one of those crazy NASCAR rednecks. HEHE.
Cree...I am glad you are concerned for your children. sheesh. You should send your dag over there to kick those dogs asses.
And finally Kris.... I hope I did not give the impression that just because dogs bark, we should let them do it nonstop. Earl has never barked for longer than a few minutes and NEVER at night. He actually sleeps inside when it is cold and is almost as spoiled as Phoebe. (the difference is that she has more sweaters than him)
I am so looking into this law about tying a dog up. I called the cops on those same neighbors last summer because it was over 100 degrees out and they left the dogs chained in the yard and left town for 2 weeks. They have filled a giant tupperware with food. I had Booger hop the fence and make sure they had water. The food was ant infested and the little dog was nearly out of water. Then we called again when we had all of the snow last march and the dogs were still outside and chained up. They were out of town again. The police told us that as long as they had a dog house and food that they could not do anything but agreed it was terrible.
I hope this law has changed because I dont want to go over and talk to them if they are "technically" not doing anything wrong.
I live in Denton county. I am so checking into this
ReplyDeleteI think I'm tired because I just read my story and there was no point. I think I wrote it because I feel like the crazy lady who doesn't like the dogs barking and then just kept typing about more crap....
ReplyDeleteomg, Cree logged in again :(
ReplyDeleteApparently Cree has a strong opinion on the new dogs in your hood. I spoke with Animal Control today and there is a new statewide law against tethering your animal. Yeah me!
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I saw that the pup across the street is now off the line today....I wonder if someone else informed them.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSo my neighbor who has their dogs tied up has invested in a 10 x 10 dog kennel and I have not seen the little dog outside since. Hooray!
ReplyDelete