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Anti Bark Ordinance Enacted in Riverside, CA

Another reason you might want to get an no bark collar if you live in Riverside, CA or any other city with a “anti-nuisance ordinance.”

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday an anti-nuisance ordinance aimed at silencing noisy dogs by slapping their owners with fines that can range as high as $500.

The ordinance, which the board tentatively approved in December, also changes the way dog nuisance complaints are handled by delegating authority to administrative hearing officers to determine whether a nuisance gripe is justified and how to remedy the problem.

Under current county law, when a resident in an unincorporated community complains about a barking, howling or otherwise noisy dog, an Animal Services officer investigates the matter, generally by visiting the location where the disturbance has been reported, according to Riverside County Animal Services Field Commander Rita Gutierrez.

She said because officers are busy and can’t wait around some place to document the disturbance first-hand, investigations can drag on for months as the residents affected by the nuisance collect their own evidence. Often, the result is a $100 to $150 fine imposed on the owner of the nuisance animal. But Gutierrez said that does not consistently solve the problem.

“We can write ticket after ticket on somebody, and they can go down and pay it at the courthouse, but there’s no abatement order,” Gutierrez said in a recent interview.

Matters are further complicated when the infraction is challenged in court, and a busy judge is forced to get to the bottom of the complaint, sometimes dismissing the case — and the fine — out of frustration, according to Gutierrez.

Under the ordinance, an administrative hearing officer — sometimes a practicing attorney with expertise in arbitration — will hear nuisance complaints and make a decision within days.

According to the measure, once Animal Services receive a nuisance complaint, the agency will issue a warning letter to the owner of the noisy dog. If the nuisance is reported again within 12 months of the warning, Animal Services will set a time for a hearing, involving a hearing officer, the owner of the problem animal, the complainant and any witnesses.

If the hearing officer determines an animal is a nuisance, an order will be issued telling the owner to abate the problem, according to the proposed ordinance.

Remedies might include obedience training, containing the animal within an enclosed space, such as a garage, restricting the amount of time the animal is allowed outside — or debarking the dog so it doesn’t vocalize beyond a whisper.

If an owner fails to follow the county’s order within 10 days, civil penalties can be imposed, according to the ordinance. Fines will start at $100. A second violation of the abatement order within 12 months would result in a $200 fine, and for every subsequent violation, dog owners will be fined $500.

“People start to stop and take notice at that point,” said Gutierrez.

She said the ordinance mirrors how the city of Riverside handles noisy animal complaints, “which has worked really, really well.”

The measure will take effect in 30 days.

Anti Bark Collar Guide: Collar Works Great on Pugs

Woodstock

Woodstock

The no bark collar is a great gadget for getting your cute but yipping pug to stop barking.

So I put the PetSafe anti bark collar on Woodstock as I had said in the previous article .  He was so happy.  I sort of felt bad at first.  He thought, and still does I might add, that it was his usual dog collar that I put on him to go for a walk.  He was excited.

As it turned out a kid got off the school bus not three minutes later.  His attention was immediately diverted.  He started barking at the kid walking home.  The anti bark collar is set to give three little beeps.  Its almost like a warning.  Note:  dogs get smart using this.  The next no bark collar I get I want to be able to change the settings because believe it or not dogs adjust by only barking two times before getting shocked. Woodstock got buzzed.  And he got buzzed good.  He let out a yelp.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  He was perplexed.  “How could this be happening,” he thought.

He got shocked all day.  But he learned real fast.  After several hours and someone passed you could see him wanting to bark but knowing the consequences and holding back.  The dog collar had worked better than expected.  It took one day.  Because Pugs have very short hair so the anti bark gadget works great on them.  They really feel the effect and learn quick.

Remember though you are supposed to take the thing off at night.  The problem with me is that I forget to put it back on and all it takes without consistent use is several days and the dogs are barking again.

Anti Bark Collars

I first used an anti bark collar back in January 2009. It was on a recommendation of a good friend. It was for my pug and lasso whom I loved but drove me crazy due to their excessive barking.

My friend and I took a trip to Petsmart and bought two deluxe bark collars. They were the ones that gave a dog a small shock once they barked over a certain decimal.

It worked the first day I used it. Oh course the kids thought I was mean but I was at the last straw. I work from home and sometimes I could not hear myself think amidst all the barking especially when kids were getting home for school.

There are three main anti bark collars and you should use the one that you feel more comfortable with. The shock collar will get quicker results but some feel that the spray and ultrasonic bark collar are more humane. Regardless, hopefully my blog helps you in your decision.