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Saturday 30 June 2007

Neighbours

We, that is, my wife and 3 children plus myself, live down a closed off terrace that has 12 houses and a wide variety of age ranges and ethnicity amongst its residents. Of those residents only one complains about our two dogs (one a Golden Labrador the other a Border Collie).

Our two elder children are well liked amongst the residents. The youngest is only 4 and a half months old and has not yet revealed himself. We are, as a family, well liked and we in return like them all. We are a close knit little community who do almost nothing to affect others within it. Granted some of the younger set make a noise when returning from a night on the ale as do some of the older ones, but none of this is a bother to anyone else. Except one.

Our dogs, like all dogs, bark. Sometimes when playing, sometimes when they hear something unusual and sometimes at seemingly nothing. All dogs bark as humans talk.

This one resident that complains about our dogs admits he hates dogs of all kinds. That is fair enough but his complaints are to anyone and everyone which makes it sound as if our dogs are ill behaved which they are not. All they are doing is doing what comes naturally to them.

The other night both of our dogs started barking and running around. They where running to the back door and back to where we was sat. We let them out and found 3 young boys attempting to climb our neighbours wall (the naighbour that complains about the dogs no less) no doubt to attempt entry to his house. Of course as soon as the kids saw our Labrador (who is approximately 68lbs) they ran off. I highly doubt those kids who where not from anywhere around this area will try it again as our Golden Labrador at 68lbs is a big heavy dog with a deep rough bark to match. Our neighbour was out at the pub when this happened.

The following day I, and another neighbour, took great delight in telling him what had happened and how that if the dogs had not barked we would not have known those pesky kids was climbing his wall. His reply went something along these lines. "Thank you. I still hate dogs but will grudgingly admit that in this instance their nuisance barking was worth it." So, will you stop your complaining now? I asked. "I suppose so." he said.

Moral of the story? Well, there isn't one but he has stopped his complaining and even told the postie what had happened and said to him that if it had not been for those dogs no doubt I would of come home to a house with broken window and several things missing.

BTW, those kids, whoever they were, have not returned.

Dogs, especially big dogs are worth every peny they cost to keep alive.

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