Almost since the Watering Bowl, a dog daycare facility at 2615 S. Hanley Road, has been open, a residential neighbor, up the hill on Porter Avenue has complained about noise when the dogs are in the outside play area.
At the Dec. 2 Brentwood Board of Aldermen meeting,
according to city minutes, Denise Soebbing, who lives on Porter, said the barking noise has decreased lately. A city ordinance determines the maximum noise allowed, and there is also a nuisance ordinance.
Soebbing asked if the barking increases in the future, what would be her recourse. She said she did not want to continue coming to aldermanic meetings to complain.
At the Dec. 16 meeting Soebbing told Mayor Pat Kelly that Brentwood police tell her there is no ordinance against noise from the Watering Bowl when she calls. She told Kelly she wants a letter sent to the police chief informing him there is such an ordinance, and she wants to be copied on the letter. Kelly did not appear to agree to either.
Owner of the Watering Bowl, Jeremy King, said he voluntarily built a 10-foot tall sound fence along the entire southern edge of the play area, which cost $12,000. He said the city sound engineer told him that would fix the problem.
“We’re in total compliance with the noise ordinance, but, as I predicted, the Soebbings were not satisfied with that,” King said. “They say if they sit outside they can hear dogs bark, so they’re still complaining.”
King said the number of dogs varies. On a weekday there could be approximately 75 dogs, and significantly less on the weekends, “and that’s when she claims it’s louder. It’s primarily a daycare, where people bring their dogs for the day, and we let them play and run around. The weekends—no one is working.”
This video of dogs playing was taken at the Hanley Watering Bowl (there’s also on in South County) on Tuesday. It’s from The Watering Bowl’s Facebook page.
http://youtu.be/nfhSF4cAFyE
Traffic noise is considered a white noise. Dog barking for long periods and/or intermittent, is a nuisance. One doesn’t know when it will start up again, or stop. White noise is something pretty much everyone can get used to. Barking can be loud and shrill. Throw in ongoing howling and you have a real problem.
If you haven’t lived in close proximity to constant nuisance barking you really shouldn’t put your two cents in, as it is quite intrusive. It causes health problems as well. Barking at night often wakes people up and if they do get sleep it is always interrupted and fitful. Studies on health issues due to nuisance barking are well documented. Some people work from home or even have night jobs so must sleep during the day so…problem barking can be bothersome day and night.
When I read the victim must listen to up to 75 dogs barking at any given time (even during the day), I was shocked. If the Doggy Daycare was there first and then houses were built around it, well, then, that’s a different story. Sometimes sound travels differently depending on where one’s home is located and the distance from the noise source. What might be lessened in one home can be much louder in another.
Those who say this victim should get over it and learn to live with it and enjoy the dogs rather than complain about it obviously have never lived in close proximity to the cacophony! Step into another’s shoes before you make your ridiculous, off the cuff comments. You have no idea what you are talking about!
I side with Soebbing. Alas, the dog ‘business’ is in the billions annually so dog consumers are ‘taught’ to spend, spend, spend on their ‘fur babies’…ridiculous items and spa treatments, hotel stays, etc., and they’ve become quite bold in their efforts: Love me, love my dog. Period. Where is all this inconsideration coming from anyway? Humans have to work and have some quality of life – when did human rights begin to take a backseat to animal rights?
As for kennels, there is no way to quiet the noise level of up to 75 barking dogs! A 20ft high fence isn’t even going to solve it…sound travels. Even the best engineers should know that. Again, money talks – Dog consumerism = $Billions. That’s why Animal Control services are all bark and no bike when it comes to nuisance barking. The Mayor of this town is as effective as a wet noodle. He needs to go spend a week at the Soebbing home, round the clock, and then make a decision. Glad I don’t live in that town!
I live by the Maplewood Shop & Save and have to put up with car alarms at all hours. This sounds like a first world problem to me. I hope this woman learns to get over the noise. She will have a happier life that way.
No complaints about the traffic noise on Hanley? Just the barking dogs? Not the honking horns, blaring radios, loud trucks, loud cars, screeching tires, slamming doors from business traffic, etc. This is a wonderful facility taking care of dogs who are very loved to be there. I would suggest you enjoy watching them play rather than complain about them. The owners have obviously tried to be neighborhood friendly with an expensive 10 ft fence. You live along Hanley (busy) Road which has to be worse than the dogs barking.