Working from home can be challenging - it's something most of us know all too well by now. Whether it is working round your kids, putting up with the neighbour's construction project, or trying not to get distracted by your pet, it can be difficult to stay focused.
With so much going on, you might expect your home won't be the calmest or quietest of working environments. But you would hope you'd still be able to hear yourself think. Well, one homeowner has been left at their wit's end as their neighbour's dog often barks for hours without pause, disrupting the home-based worker.
Explaining the issue in a post to Mumsnet, the resident wrote: "I live in a mid terrace. Noise doesn't bother me. I can occasionally hear conversations, doors closing, TV etc. All part and parcel of living in a terraced property. The only issue I have is with the neighbour's dog.
"When they go out, the dog will bark for 3 hours, almost continuously. Not nice for the dog, not nice for my four year old if he's trying to sleep and the dog barking is irritating him. I work from home and I can't think straight!
"AIBU (Am I being unreasonable) to think that a dog barking when the postie comes or it needs to go outside is totally fine, but for 3 hours unattended is a noise nuisance? It's clearly not happy and seems quite neglectful. The neighbours on the other side have mentioned it to them so it's not like they aren't aware but it didn't go down very well. Can't really do much about this can I?"
However, people were quick to reassure the worker they could and should take action, with many recommending talking to the neighbour as a starting point.
One person wrote: "I'd be inclined to go round and chat to them about it if you think they're approachable enough. If two neighbours have complained on either side then it might put a bit of pressure on them to address it."
A second said: "I’d tell them too. That would drive me nuts and if it carries on, I’d report it."
And another thought: "As a dog owner myself this would drive me nuts. Also as a dog owner I'd want to know if my dog was barking for 3 hours at a time!"
Responding to commenters, the homeowner added: "It just drives me completely nuts! My dog sadly died last year. He was a rescue and barked a lot. But I trained him not to literally within 2 months and he calmed down massively. There's just no excuse for 3 hours of barking."
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