Barking Dogs

I'll admit it -- I like dogs but I'm more of a cat person. I had a little poodle dog that was my shadow for 15 years. As a matter of fact, the poodle dog was 5 years old when Kris came along. The poodle dog expressed her love of the new arrival by pooping in the baby's room. They became big pals through the years and had one of those "sister" relationships that only animal lovers can understand.

My neighbors have two dogs. A German shepard and a black lab. Cordelia likes to bark. No, let me rephrase that, she LOVES to bark. Oso, the lab, is so old that he has entered the blind and deaf stage of his life. But he'll bark on occasion because he's a dog and dogs are supposed to bark. Cordelia barks at EVERYTHING. The wind blows, she barks. The meter reader drives down the alley, she barks. The sprinkler system is activated, she barks. The deer snort, she barks. A mouse farts, she barks. You get the picture. She barks during the day and she barks throughout the night. My neighbor is immune to the barking but his wife isn't so she's on my side. It's been a sore subject since I've moved to the neighborhood. I mentioned it a couple of times to the owner but he's sensitive about his dogs. I'm not one to harp on things like this but when a barking dog keeps me awake at night it pisses me off. I was raised in the country and when a dog barks it's because he has something to warn you about. Rattlesnakes, for instance. Or a skunk or an armadillo == you know, something that usually requires a .22 bullet.

So, my neighbor now has the latest and greatest gadget from Petco (where the pets go!). I haven't seen the gadget but my neighbor's wife attempted to describe it to me. I don't care what it looks like so long as it works. Anyway, when the dogs bark the gadget is supposed to emit a high pitched noise that dogs don't like. (Akin to a dog whistle, maybe?) The gadget was installed yesterday. I've only heard a couple of short yips so I guess it's working. For now. Or at least until the gadget battery dies.