Oh My

My sweet, dear, loving husband had had enough. He ran to the store for something really quick before the game (go Vikings!) and when he got home IT was outside.

IT is the poodle that lives next door. IT barks incessantly. It barks at leaves blowing in the wind. IT barks at me -- or any of us if he sees us inside our house! It barks every time we step outside. Every single time. Doesn't matter if IT is inside ITS house or outside. IT barks. And barks. And we can hear it, even with our doors and windows shut.

What could possibly be worse than IT? ITS owners. See, they don't stop IT from barking. Occasionally you'll hear a no-no IT but usually they just go on with what they're doing without a reprimand to IT.

I've always said there is no bad dog, only bad owners.

We have another neighbor who is a big, fat jerk. I might have blogged about him in the past. He's mean and he hates kids. He hates us. He hates himself. Anyway, the jerk was talking to another neighbor, who just happens to be ITS uncle. (ITS mom lives across the street and two houses down from her sister.) For some reason, they were in our driveway talking. At any rate, I was sitting at my kitchen table, minding my own business, eating my lunch when they started talking. I heard everything they said. Seems the jerk is furious over IT. The jerk hates IT. So does ITS uncle. They moaned about it for ten minutes -- in my driveway. At first I chuckled, because I had been validated. ITS barking drives me insane. Then it scared me that I actually had something in common with the JERK other than both being human. (Although his humanity is questionable, tee-hee.)

So today, my husband ran to the store to get some pop before the game. He pulls up in the driveway, gets out and IT starts up. Yap, yap, yap. I looked out the window, ITS mom and dad were out there and neither of them stopped what they were doing to stop IT.

Husband, in his very loud and scary voice yelled: SHUT UP. Then he slammed our garage door.

ITS mom and dad just continued what they were doing. I, of course, told my husband that he shouldn't do that, that if the dog bothers him he should go speak to them in a civil manner. He said he was sick of the dog and didn't care.

There comes a point in time where civility goes out the window. I was really upset that he didn't exhibit the manners I thought should be used. Then I got to thinking. These people have lived here for a year. That dog barks at us continuously -- to the point that we can't go outside. I have talked to ITS dad, who is actually very nice. He will usually take the dog in their house after it has been barking for awhile. I know he gets frustrated with the dog. He's told me how the dog gets upset and pees on their carpet and furniture. (Ewwwww) The uncle, who babysits the dog, has told me how the dog chewed up his carpet. This summer I couldn't take our dog out to potty after 10 pm because they go to bed then and leave their window open. Their dog would bark at us out the window. I was worried about waking them. (What was I thinking???)

What can you do? Screaming shut up won't get the point across -- but the dog did shut up for a moment.

Our city has an ordinance that if a dog barks for 15 minutes, you can call the police. I really hate to do that. I don't want to. But it's come to the point that it may be necessary.

Friday Thomas and I were working on an art project in our schoolroom. We were both standing up while working on this project. The neighbors were in their back yard working. That dog saw me through the window and started barking. I was in the privacy of my own home getting barked at by the neighbor's dog.

Today is a beautiful day. I need to rake leaves. I'm not out doing it. Why? Because it is outside and it will start barking.

There are two sounds that are extremely unsettling to me: A baby crying and a barking dog. A baby crying makes me want to pick it up and love it. A dog barking just frazzles my nerves.

Shut up, IT, shut up.