Lofts and Condos - How to Deal With a Neighbor's Shrieking Dog!

By Andy Asbury

Not everyone is crazy about animals in the house.


If you are a new condominium owner and you are one of these people, I empathize with your perspective. A Lofts and Condos specialist in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, I myself love both dogs and city life. However, I understand how the smells of pets in confined spaces can be overpowering. Dogs do shed hair on everything!

However, sooner or later your neighbor will adopt one.

When that happens, the dog is likely to shriek for hours at a time. The barking can be shrill, piercing through doors and walls. If you are extremely sensitive to this issue, it can make life seem pretty difficult.

The good news is that, usually, dogs adapt to their homes within a week or two. After that, you should hear them only infrequently, for example, when someone opens a stairwell door.

Meanwhile, if you can be patient, some tolerance for pet owners will help keep your property values high as it keeps your building open to a larger pool of potential buyers. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), sixty three percent of American households have a pet! Sixty-three percent-and the AVMA said half of them consider pets to be family members.

Some perseverance can also preserve a relationship with the new dog owner. You may find that this neighbor is otherwise the most courteous person in the building!

This is not to say that nothing can be done to address your concerns. If a neighboring dog is bothering you, contact your property management company or Home Owner Association (HOA) to find out whether the unit has registered its pet. In many buildings, doing so is a requirement. That way, those groups can help you monitor the situation.

If noise levels do not stabilize, there is additional recourse. In this case, more of your neighbors will take your side, including those more amenable to pets. If necessary, your HOA can issue fines to the pet owner with each continued, daily offense. Also, most cities have detailed noise ordinances with provisions for apartments and condominiums. In Minneapolis, codes stipulate that a person inside a condo should not be able to hear noises from other units before 6 am or after 10 pm. That means that after 10 pm, calling the police can become an option.