my neighbor said if I let my dog bark one more time he'd call the city. so I looked up the actual noise ordinance.
some background: I have a beagle named Potato. Potato barks, this is a known beagle fact, I did not purchase a beagle under the impression that I was getting a quiet animal. my neighbor Greg (yes another Greg in my life, I attract them apparently) has been leaving notes on my door about it for about six months, escalating in tone each time, the last one said "one more time and I'm calling the city, there are RULES." capitalized and everything.
so instead of apologizing again I actually looked up the city noise ordinance. turns out dogs are only a violation if they bark continuously for more than 10 minutes between 10pm and 7am OR more than 30 minutes during the day. Potato does not do this. Potato barks when someone walks past, maybe 4 or 5 times, then moves on with her life. I timed it once just to be sure. 23 seconds. I printed out the relevant section of the ordinance, highlighted the specific thresholds, and left it in Greg's mailbox with a small sticky note that said "looked into it, we're good! have a great week."
Greg did call the city. an officer came out, I showed him the same printout, he said Potato did not appear to be in violation and that I seemed to have done my research. Greg was apparently watching from his window the whole time bc right after the officer left he came outside and said I was being deliberately difficult. I said I was just trying to understand the rules so I could be a good neighbor.
Potato has since barked at Greg directly through the fence twice and both times I have said good girl and meant it.