Barking Complaints

How does the Town handle barking Complaints?

Have you taken the time to talk to your neighbor?  Many problems can be resolved before coming to the town to make a complaint.  Neighbors typically want the same thing; a safe and harmonious neighborhood.  If you have spoken to your neighbor and things have not been resolved, the next step may be to submit a complaint.

Should this reach Provincial court, because the complaint is based on your observation you have to be ready and willing to testify in court if required. A prosecution in Provincial Judge’s Court requires that you be very specific in the gathering of information about all the details of your complaint. 

• All incidents of nuisance barking by offending dog you observe needs to be documented. Include the date, times of day the barking started and ended and a brief description of the type of disturbance.  See attached example.  Note stating that a dog barks continuously day and night non stop is not acceptable.
• Documentation has to include at least 7 days of barking instances. The more information the better.
• If we prosecute the owner of the offending dog(s) on your behalf and a plea of “Not Guilty” is entered, it will be necessary for you and other witnesses to testify “under oath”. You must be able to state that you personally observed the dog barking and be prepared to describe the dog and a brief description of what took place.  It is not sufficient for a witness to say they only heard a dog bark.
• The attached form must be completed and returned to the Town office within 30 days of date received.

Be aware that this document will become evidence and can be submitted to the dog owner if they seek disclosure on the case. 

The following is an example of the required documentation. Please complete in as much detail as possible. Record of Disturbance blank form can be viewed here.