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Residents tell council barking kennels next door make life unbearable; council advises complaints, law director involved
Summary
Two neighbors asked the London City Council for help with a neighbor allegedly running a kennel that has produced constant barking, birds and yard debris. Residents said police response follows noise-complaint rules and the law director has been notified; council staff recommended creating a paper trail of complaints.
Nancy Drenning and Connie Raub told the London City Council that ongoing animal activity next door is creating persistent barking, nuisance birds and yard debris that have affected their daily lives.
"These dogs just bark and bark, and they are home," said Nancy Drenning, who gave her address as 169 East High Street. Drenning said a large kennel previously sited next to her bedroom is now empty but still contains food and water inside the structure, and that up to seven adult dogs and several puppies can be seen in the neighbor’s yard.
Drenning said the family has filed police noise complaints earlier in the year but that, under current enforcement practice, officers do not take action on noise complaints until after 10 p.m. She said the barking has occurred for hours at a time and that repeated complaints have not solved the problem. "I can't even go outside without the dog barking," she said.
Connie Raub, 173 East High Street, said she and other neighbors have also dealt with birds attracted by straw and feed kept near the fence and said the situation has persisted since February. "He put it up against the fence again," she said, referring to the neighbor’s storage of straw and food.
Council and staff response
A council member asked whether the neighbors had filed noise complaints with the police. Drenning replied that they had and that the law director had been briefed; the law director told staff she had been conversing with the complainants and that charges might be forthcoming. Council members and staff advised the neighbors to file individual, dated complaints to create a paper trail for possible enforcement and court action.
No formal action was taken by the council at the meeting. Council members said staff (including safety-service personnel and the law director) are already aware of the situation and that more complaints strengthen the city’s case if legal action becomes necessary.
Why it matters
Residents described repeated nightly disturbance, property impacts from bird droppings and repeated littering of feed and straw near fences. The city’s enforcement options depend on local ordinances and timing of complaints; residents said there are "two barking ordinances" they believe the neighbor is violating but did not provide ordinance numbers during public comment.
Next steps
Council members encouraged the complainants to keep submitting individual complaints to police and to communicate with city staff. The law director advised staff that further legal steps could follow if the situation does not improve.
