Take this century, PLEASE!

I really do sometimes really hate what has now become normal, everyday life here in this, our modern 21st century world.

Overall:
We have devolved into a socially dyslexic and dysfunctional gaggle of people who just happen to live under a common flag. We've lost our ability to communicate with our kind face-to-face and rely on digital tools to replace the spoken word... the meeting of two sets of eyeballs and the shaking of hands. When we have a problem, we don't have the means or the basic abilities to settle without finding an attorney... or in worst cases, a gun to speak for us.

My latest experience:
My better half and I (we are not wed and haven't been now for 14 years) have a pet Great Pyrenees. She's about 90 lbs and is a very gentle and loving friend. Her only two bad habits are shedding huge sums of white dog hair in her wake and barking quite a lot. The latter being a part of the trait of the breed.

Well, this morning, one of our only two neighbors called animal control and filed a complaint on the barking. Their house is an acre and a half distant but the one I suspect (my accuser chose to stay hidden) likes to shout obscenities at the dog when she barks and even when she doesn't.

As it happens, we have an elderly hospice patient in our home and there are daily visits from nurses and home-tech... and the dog naturally barks at them. It is my guess that it is this that set my neighbor onto his warpath.

Anyway, the animal control person who came here said that next time, the police would be sent and there would be a 'nuisance barking' citation... the fine of which can be as much as $500. This person suggested that we shave her (the dog's) neck and install and electric shock barking collar.

We've decide instead to move outside the city limits... somewhere beyond the wrath of petty municipal tyranny and idiot neighbors.

People wonder why rednecks move to the country... it's because they can't stand idiots who don't have the ability to just knock on the door and address these things as neighbors should.

Damn... that felt good.

(My apologies to anyone this offends.)

Just wondering how you would honestly react to the neighbor as opposed to an authority. I'm not saying I disagree with you, in fact I strongly encourage neighbor interaction... But, maybe the neighbor felt tempers would flare if confronting you without alerting animal control.

Originally posted by DaTroof
Just wondering how you would honestly react to the neighbor as opposed to an authority. I'm not saying I disagree with you, in fact I strongly encourage neighbor interaction... But, maybe the neighbor felt tempers would flare if confronting you without alerting animal control.

If my neighbor had shown the stones to come to my door and offer his/her complaint, I would have explained the situation with the regular attendance of strange people and cars from the hospice personnel.

Besides that, the life-expectancy of my hospice relative is short and even if she exceeds that, she will likely be in a long-term care facility soon anyway.

From there, I would have offered my cell number so that if my dog ever disrupted them by barking, I could bring her in.

At least, we would have been talking. We would have been neighbors and not enemies.

I love this house... I hate leaving it.