How much dog barking is too much dog barking? Most people would probably agree that hearing the occasional bark in a residential area is acceptable, but that excessive barking can quickly become annoying — especially late at night, and when it gets the entire neighborhood's dogs going all at once.
An Illinois city has taken steps to limit excessive dog barking, enshrining it in law.
The city, just west of Chicago, may be best known as the fictitious home of Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. But more recently it's made headlines for its hardline rules about pets.
These laws are pretty common in built-up areas, and Aurora is no exception. Each household can have two dogs, two cats, and no more. This four-pet-max rule also applies to rabbits, guinea pigs, and other similar pets.
Since it would be ridiculous to fine for every individual dog bark, some rules are in place. Overnight — from 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. — the owner of any animal making 'excessive noise' for more than 10 minutes at a time could be hit with a $100 fine.
Outside of those hours, the 10-minute timeframe is extended to 15 minutes.
To discourage people from falsely ratting out their neighbors' pets, the noise has to be verified. The law states that the noise must be captured on audio or video, or reported by different households, or reported by one household but confirmed by authorities.
Most non-rural areas already have rules about excessive noise, rules that can be applied to things like dogs barking. But in most cases, these laws apply to all noises, not just pet noises.
It was difficult to track down information about what might have led to the new rules — perhaps some noisy dogs pushed residents over the edge — but in any case, these rules have been approved and are now on the books.
Dogs are going to bark, and the law allows for this — but only within a certain framework. Are you a fan of this law, or do you think it goes too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
h/t: Fox News
