“I have trouble sleeping.” She looked nervous... or was that uptight? I'm not sure. "He barks and wakes me up and I can't go back to sleep."
"Oh, really?" Oh, that is terrible, I thought. I'd hate to be "that" neighbour. “So how much does he bark?” I asked. I was grimacing on the inside waiting for the answer.
“Oh once or twice.”
Oh, that's not to bad. "Per night?"
"Yes."
“And how long does he bark for?” Grimace. Please don't say hours.
“Maybe, up to a minute.”
What? "Up to a minute?" It was just sinking in.
"Yes."
“So you are saying that he barks for 1 to 2 minutes, per night?”
“Yes.”
Oh come on? “So you are not saying that he barks all night.”
“No, but it is enough to wake me up.”
She had lost me, I knew it, she knew it. “Well, he is a dog, he will bark. I don’t think there is much I can do about him barking once, or twice a night.”
"So that is it then, is it?"
I wanted to say yes, but I don't want her to be upset by my dog, even if I don't think she is being particularly reasonable.
That is what dogs do, they bark. “I’ll see what I can do?” It was a little disingenuous because I didn’t really intend to do anything.
“And how long does he bark for?” Grimace. Please don't say hours.
“Maybe, up to a minute.”
What? "Up to a minute?" It was just sinking in.
"Yes."
“So you are saying that he barks for 1 to 2 minutes, per night?”
“Yes.”
Oh come on? “So you are not saying that he barks all night.”
“No, but it is enough to wake me up.”
She had lost me, I knew it, she knew it. “Well, he is a dog, he will bark. I don’t think there is much I can do about him barking once, or twice a night.”
"So that is it then, is it?"
I wanted to say yes, but I don't want her to be upset by my dog, even if I don't think she is being particularly reasonable.
That is what dogs do, they bark. “I’ll see what I can do?” It was a little disingenuous because I didn’t really intend to do anything.
"I was hoping he could sleep inside," she said.
I smiled. And closed the door.
Having thought about it, however, I actually want him to bark that much. We have lane ways all around us, being the inner suburbs, and lately there has been a dramatic increase in graffiti and, apparently, robberies so I want him to deter the graffiti artists and the thieves that may be in the lane way.
And just following her logic, the one time that my dog barks it is too many times for her. That is what she is, essentially, saying. There is no answer to this really. I’m sorry that the one time he barks it wakes her up, but you can’t really complain about a dog that barks once a day, surely, even if it is at night.
Having thought about it, however, I actually want him to bark that much. We have lane ways all around us, being the inner suburbs, and lately there has been a dramatic increase in graffiti and, apparently, robberies so I want him to deter the graffiti artists and the thieves that may be in the lane way.
And just following her logic, the one time that my dog barks it is too many times for her. That is what she is, essentially, saying. There is no answer to this really. I’m sorry that the one time he barks it wakes her up, but you can’t really complain about a dog that barks once a day, surely, even if it is at night.
1 comment:
Dog power!
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