Barking Dogs-1, Tired Human-0

It's about 9:15 in the morning as I type this and I've been awake pretty much since 2:30am, so up front I'm going to tell you I'm tired and this is going to be sort of a rant type post. If you don't want to listen to me whine, feel free to move along. But, I also want to get it out of my system and hopefully be done with it. I also want to note that I realize, in the grand scheme of life, this isn't some horrible thing, but on the other hand, it's incredibly frustrating.

By my post title, you may have an inkling as to why I've been awake since 2:30 am. Long time blog readers know we have had an ongoing (for, oh, about 2 years now) issue with the dogs that live at the house behind us. One more so than the other. The issue? Constant barking. Like for hours at a time. Not at the squirrels that roam our back yards. Not at someone who may be up to no good. Just barking because they are bored and neglected by their owners. When the owners are home, they don't bark, usually (but they've been known to bark when they are home). When the owners are gone, they generally bark, constantly. And yes, they are about 99% of the time, outdoor dogs. I sometimes see someone come out for a minute or two, then they go back inside, leaving the dogs outside. I have called our animal control department numerous times, talked to a real person, or left a message. I get a song and dance and nothing ever changes.

During the day when the dogs are barking, I have come to the point where I can pretty much tune it out and go about my day. At night, it's harder to do that. When you are awakened in the middle of the night by the barking (and in addition to just general barking, which is bad enough, they are adding a sort of howl to the mix), it's maddening. Especially when you call the non-emergency police number to report it and both the dispatcher AND the officer tell you...it's really an animal control issue and I should call them in the morning. It's overwhelmingly frustrating to be told by the officer you are speaking to that the ordinance for the city is written in such a way that says the dogs can bark at pretty much anything, a flick of dust flying by, a cloud floating across the sky, the streetlight...doesn't matter.

So, I was awake at 2:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. I looked at a few emails, then knit for a while and at about 4:30, I laid down to see if I could sleep. I dozed for awhile. But, I pretty much have come to the conclusion (after 2 years of this...you'd think I'd have picked up on this before now) that there isn't anything that is going to be done about these dogs and I'm tired of complaining about it to the city. So, I'm done, I will just tune it out as best I can.

After dozing I got up to start reading blogs and the computer is off. Yesssssssssssss....it's acting up again after about a week of working just fine. So, no blogs for me unless I go to the dinosaur computer (which I'm on right now). Amy isn't speaking nicely to Jessica, which doesn't help my mood, either. Such a happy morning!

Get the girls dropped off at school and head to Wally World for a few items then over to the city hall building to pay a utility bill. I must have looked dog tired as the gal commented and I started crying like a baby. I was so embarrassed, but that's what happens when I am overly tired and frustrated, I guess. They were really nice and even got the "community outreach" person to come out and talk to me. I told her what happened and she took the information and said she would follow up and work on getting the situation taken care of. Do I believe it? Heck no. I'm sure they were just trying to appease this wacked out woman crying over some dogs barking. Was she sympathetic, yes, most definitely. Will it help, most likely not.

I have a feeling I wouldn't have reacted this way had yesterday not been my mom's birthday. She would have been 74. And while I thought I was doing okay handling it, I think my (over emotional) reaction was a delayed response to dealing with my sadness and missing my mom. I went out clothes shopping yesterday and came away emptyhanded and down in the dumps because nothing ever fits me right. (Clothes shopping on a day when I'm a little blue to begin with isn't the best idea I've ever had, I'll admit that).

So, the barking dogs win. This human is tired of trying to get someone to care (other than me), so I'm done getting worked up over it and will ignore them as best I can.

Like I said, not the most earth shattering situation to deal with, but it was bugging me so I wanted to get it out. If you read this, thanks for putting up with my whining. I'm sure the next time I post, I'll be in a much better frame of mind. I think I'll go take a nap now.