Barking Dogs Put on Curfew
A Desert Hot Springs man says because his neighbors complained about his barking dogs, they now have to stay inside all night and wear barking collars.
The dog owner says its inhumane his dogs have to stay inside at night when they need to use the restroom.
The dogs were declared a nuisance in June after several neighbors complained about barking.
Lolita and Dutch enjoy their time outside, but once 9pm rolls around, it's back inside for these two.
"I feel bad, I feel very bad because they are part of the family," said dog owner, Stephen Bradley.
Bradley was ordered by animal services to keep the dogs inside from 9 pm to 7am, and they have to wear a barking collar when they are outside.
"So I said if this will solve the problem, I will go along with it, the part I am unhappy with is the curfew hours," said Bradley.
We spoke with his neighbor who filed the original complaint.
He says he just wants to be able to sleep through the night, and that Bradley isn't following the curfew or barking collar rules.
"Unfortunately some people have nothing else to do than complain about animals," said Bradley.
Animal services told us a night curfew is common if a dog is declared a nuisance.
"We're really just asking people keep their dogs in for what amounts to eleven hours overnight, so most people do that, my dogs do that each night at nine o'clock and they get let out about 7am," said James Huffman with Riverside County Animal Services.
Huffman says barking dogs are some of the most difficult cases.
"You have a group of neighbors saying one person's dog is interfering with their peaceful enjoyment of their property, and you've got one person who obviously loves their dogs, and doesn't want these restrictions on the animal," said Huffman.
But Bradley says these restrictions are unfair to his dogs, causing them to have accidents inside.
"I'm in agreement with the bark collars, but I would like my dogs to have more freedom to go outside when they have to, just to go to the restroom you know, it would be the humane thing to do," said Bradley.
Animal services says even if its past curfew, if they are on a leash it is probably okay.
"The ordinance says they are not allowed out between that time, but if he has the dogs on a leash with a barking collar on, and the dogs are not causing a nuisance, we're probably not going to cite them for that," said Huffman.
When we spoke with Bradley's neighbor on the phone, he said other neighbor's barking dogs are an issue as well.
Animal services says it takes two warnings, and then an administrative hearing to declare a dog a nuisance.





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