Animal shelter and neighbours need to get together to work out barking dog problem

MONDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — There’s a saying that good fences make good neighbours but sometimes it takes a lot more than that.

It’s also pretty generally accepted that peace and quiet go hand in hand. If you want another saying, here’s one from The Kite Runner: “Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life.”

Which brings us to noisy dogs. They are the bane of life in the city. A barking dog is no inconsequential matter. A barking dog never seems to be heard by its owner, but it can make life unbearable for the neighbor.

Even in the country, they can be a problem.

And that, in turn, brings us to the ongoing dispute between the Angel’s Animal Rescue Society near Merritt and its neighbours. The shelter has a noble mission — to rescue abandoned and abused dogs and other animals.

“We will help them find their canine selves, a balanced state of mind, and the ability to adapt well to their new home,” says part of the shelter’s mission statement.

The cruelty humans visit upon animals is heart-breaking but the caring work of those who rescue abused pets and return them to health is a joy.

For example, there was the case a couple of years ago of a Merritt man who tied his golden Lab cross and dragged it behind his truck for exercise. The dog was horribly injured. Angel’s Animal Rescue was heavily involved in that case, which resulted in prosecution of the owner and the successful treatment and adoption of the dog, April Rain.

But to some of the neighbours of Angel’s Animal Rescue, it’s about the noise. Kennels are noisy places. Numerous complaints about noise from the shelter have been filed with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The matter came in front of the TNRD board of directors last week with several options. The zoning bylaw could be amended to require soundproof buildings.

A noise bylaw could be adopted and enforced by bylaws staff.

An animal control bylaw would set limits for the number of animals on a property and other criteria, but the board has long struggled with how to deal with general dog problems in rural areas.

A fourth option would be to encourage the shelter to move or to construct sound barriers. Finally, facilitated mediation was suggested as a starting point.

Which door did the board choose? A noise bylaw.

Undoubtedly, it was a tough decision for the board and was likely made based on the number of complaints and failure to resolve the issue so far.

But it’s unfortunate that such a worthy organization should come into conflict with its neighbours to the point that a bylaw must be enacted.

Certainly, both sides have a responsibility to resolve this. Neighbours deserve peace and quite; the shelter needs to ensure it can continue to do its good work.

Instead of waiting for a noise bylaw to be enacted, the two sides should take the initiative on their own, find a mediator and come up with some ideas that will work for both.