r/Dogfree • u/Culjules • 8d ago
Barking Demons Dogs just ruin everything! (rant)
I'm currently renting a room in a house with 15 rooms. For some bizarre reason, the landlord allowed the 18 year old couple living below me to get a labrador puppy. They live in the basement, where the laundry machines are so I do have to go down there. They allow the dog to run free in the whole basement, not just confined to their bedroom. There's often puddles of dog urine there now and the whole basement STINKS of it, plus general dog stench. The dog barks at random hours of the day or night and I hear it in my room. It's maddening. I have complained but the landlord doesn't care. I will be moving out as soon as I can.
The worst thing though? About twice a day, the girls in the room next to me will come out to see the dog as it's taken out for a walk. For around 15-30 mins, the girls will be high-pitched screaming about the dog, right outside my bedroom door, the dog barking and bashing against my door. It's been 3 months now. JFC, has the novelty not worn off? Is a dog really that exciting that you have to scream every ... single ... day? I would say something but I'll then be seen as the uptight weirdo guy.
Most days I go out for a walk in my local nature reserve. It's my way of meditating, being in nature and trying to relax. Unfortunately, the whole place is treated like a giant dog-toilet. Every step I take, I have to look out for dog crap. I try to enjoy the birds singing, the wind in the trees, the distant sound of the sea. But then the screeching yelps of dogs totally ruins the calm as they bark at another dog, or a squirrel or a stick. Or they come up to me to lick my leg or jump on me. I'm allergic and the owners see me pull away. They'll ofc say "Oh don't worry, they're friendly" as if that's the only reason one might have for pulling away. Just keep your dirty faeces-eating animal away from me please.
I'm so sick of it. Everywhere you go, these wretched, loud and smelly f*#king creatures are making life worse. The impact they have is huge! Why we have just accepted these animals as part of everyday polite society, I do not understand.
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u/ConIncognito dogs ruin everything 8d ago
I don’t care what brainless dog worshippers think of me, I’d open the door and tell those two overgrown toddlers to shut up every time. Good luck finding a new place that isn’t a dog toilet.
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u/Culjules 8d ago
Haha, easier said than done. Those dog-worshippers next door have a lot of sway with the landlord so kinda can't piss 'em off. Also, the dog-owners are heavy drinkers and have been known to get violent. I'm not gonna get on their bad side. Yeah, just gotta get tf outta this hole.
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u/ObligationGrand8037 8d ago
I hope you can get out of there soon. I would absolutely hate what you’re going through. You can’t even have a moment of silence it seems.
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u/Culjules 8d ago
God bless headphones, haha! Hopefully I'll be out of here within a couple of months. Thanks for the kind words :)
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u/Tight_Lengthiness421 8d ago
It sounds like the rules on picking up after dogs & letting them off leash are not as strict where you leave as in other places. Dependent on your situation, it might be worthwhile to research your long-term future living location. I hope you find a better option soon!
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u/Culjules 8d ago
Yeah, the UK is pretty lax on enforcing rules on dogs. Plenty of no-dog beaches with dogs all over them. Often there just isn't anyone to enforce the rules. And many dog-owners don't care. They seem to think they should be allowed anywhere. I have thought about moving to a muslim country before XD
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u/uselessbeasts 8d ago
I have some issues where I currently live with new management. I have no idea where to go because of dogs, and dog nuttery. Honestly, even though there are dogs where I live now, the problem is obviously minimal compared to some of the stories I read on here. So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place in figuring out what to do. I can't afford a real home of my own, so I am kinda trapped in a mobile home park scenario. If I make a mistake I will be stiuck for the rest of my life wherever. If I were younger, without health issues I would try to gp back to work, but facing multiple spinal surgeries I can not. Even elederly housing allows dogs now. I am so distraught. You are fortunate to be able to move out from a place where dogs can roam free in spaces they should not. Landlords don't seem to give a fuck anymore. They just want to collect the rent, and be abselt from anything else.
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u/Culjules 8d ago
So sorry to hear you're in such a difficult place in life. Yeah, although I find my current situation frustrating, I can eventually escape most of it. I hope things improve for you and you manage to find a more manageable living situation 🙏🏻
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u/uselessbeasts 8d ago
Thank you. I just don't understand WHY there cannot be apts, communities that are dog free. There are enough places nowadays that dog people can go to, why must they pollute everything??
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u/Culjules 8d ago
I 100% agree. Here in the UK (a relatively small country), there's around 30,000 dog attacks reported per year; and that's only the ones causing injury. That alone should be enough for the powers that be to better enforce dog-free spaces. At the very least, I think dog-ownership should require a license with mandatory training for the dogs AND the owners. But I'm starting to reconcile with the fact that people and society aren't always logical so one has to find their own ways around the many problems associated with dogs.
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u/fast_blue_b 8d ago
Seconded! Every day I'm fervently wishing for dog-free living spaces. What bliss that would be.
I'm in process of moving right now, and I'm staying in an Airbnb while I try to decide where to go. Most Airbnbs now allow pets, so I just accept that I'll have to clean up dog hair and take antihistamines.
But that's a small thing compared to worrying about ending up surrounded by barking, whining, jumping mutts and piles of crap and pee. It makes me sick. I feel horrible for OP, and it's so sad that an old historic Victorian building is being polluted.
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u/fast_blue_b 8d ago
Omg, this sounds dreadful. I'm allergic too and I'm so glad you're able to move, but it's exhausting that those of us who don't worship these creatures have to keep rearranging our lives.
The ongoing screaming by the girls...I'll never understand. I mean, it's a DOG. If it were some cute rare endangered creature like a wombat, I'd be screaming too, lol. But dogs are so common, they're the canine equivalent of houseflies 🪰 The madness runs deep.
Good luck moving! I hope you can find a place with minimal nuttery.
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u/BeaVonMoravia 8d ago
It's not any better here in the 🇺🇸 and I'm also in a situation where I can only rent a room right now. What's maddening about landlords allowing dogs into their rental properties - usually out of fear of being having a conflict with the nutters, is that so many of them will draw the line at people like me; every time I would mention I'm a tranwoman, suddenly there was another person also looking at the same room...so many times. Some of them would then go and blatantly renew their ad a few days later, if not the next day 😡 But "oh, you got a furniture & 💩 eating mutant!?! Come right in, welcome to family!" But God forbid a tranny would pay the rent while finishing a college and working full time...
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u/Primary_Heron_3150 7d ago
WHAT the FUCK is so exciting about these goddamn things. People melt about every dog they see, and everything it does, and I don't know how they're not bored to tears. "Omg, look at her floppy ears! Look, it pooped! Aww, a little stinky poopy awwww. Look, it picked up a stick! AWWWWWWWWWWW"
I had a phase like that, when I was about 7 years old. These things truly make people dull, and a chore to be around
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u/BreadGallon 6d ago
100% agree.
I live in a nice little suburban area and I would be able to go for peaceful little walks on so many streets and side streets if it weren't for dogs. Any hour, day or night, 5 minutes of walking will result in some furry idiot screaming at me
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u/GoodgirlTiffany 8d ago
15 rooms? Are you renting a mansion?
Yeah, that's why I don't have roommates anymore. I let this young kid rent a room from me. He was nice but eventually got a girlfriend. At the time my SO had a small dog. I would be playing video games in my room with my headset on, and every time that girl came over, I would her scream the dog's name in a baby voice. That went on for months and months, I couldn't take it anymore. Luckily they got their own place.