Need to Vent!

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Eva

Boxer Booster
I am sure most of you have lived in an apt. at one point or another...well, due to limited income, I still reside in one myself (thank goodness they accept big dogs!) I learned years ago that living on the top floor is worth all the little hassles, like carrying up food, moving in and out, etc., because then you never have to listen to someone above you. No matter what apt. complex it is, the walls seem paper thin! People don't have to do much at all to sound like a stampede...

Anyhow, I have a neighbor below me, who is over-all nice and quite. She also has two dogs, but hers are much older and not boxers, so naturally they are very calm compared to my kids! Well, once before she has politely come to my apt. and asked me to try to keep my kids from making "too much noise." Well, they would have to not ever play to not make noise, and you know how our kids romp! They are home alone all day, and so naturally they are ready to expend lots of energy when I get home! That is by far when they are the most excited, you know!?

Still, I try my best to keep them calm (LOL!) Well, this morning when I left for work, I found this note on my door from her! Basically, she has asked me to keep it quiet for specific hours! She complained that she woke up at 3a.m. to them, and couldn't go back to sleep!! Well, I know that may be very true (I DID go out last night and come home around 3 or so) but I know my kids were only excited for a few minutes! :( Then they went right back to sleep w/me...My point is, I don't think I could ever keep it "quiet" enough having two boxers and living in an apt...it just makes me mad that this woman is forgetting that apt. do have unpleasant drawbacks, one being other neighbors that annoy you...but you just have to deal w/it until you have enough $$ to get a house! I promise, we are not that noisy! :(

Eva



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**VERY PROUD MAMA OF**
Roxy Ember Gitzes - Adopted at 7/99, 1 1/2 years old, female, fawn, natural ears

Kaiser Joe Gitzes - rescued from a shelter 7/00, 6 years old, male, fawn, cropped ears
 

Julie Davis

Boxer Insane
I don't live in an apartment, but I do live in a two story house. When I am downstairs, even if Boomer is just "walking" around, it sounds like a horse is trotting around above my head. Let's face it, our babies are big dogs, and they make a lot of noise whether they mean to or not. As for your neighbor, you would think she knows that in an apartment type situation you're going to hear some noise. At least you don't have wild parties...or do you?!! :D :D

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Boomer, flashy fawn, 2/19/00, natural ears, docked tail and Baxter the terrible tabby, 3/96
 

Tulsa-Dan

Your Friendly Moderator
I live in an apartment too. It is a 1900 brownstone and the floors are wood and creaky and the walls are extremely thin. I too live on the top floor for all the reasons you stated.

Luckily my downstairs neighbor is my old college roommate and we've known each other since shortly after the earth cooled. He's not an animal person. He doesn't dislike them, but he isn't really connected to animals. No big deal. But he has mentioned Maggie making a lot of noise on occasion. Not complaining, but just saying "she must be in a good mood today, I hear her running around up there. . ." or such. I'm very lucky that he's so understanding. But then we've lived with each other's noise for a long, long time now.

I'd ignore her. Old buildings are noisy and she must know that by now. I try to make sure Maggie doesn't do any excess barking and we limit the types of play so that it isn't too rambunctious (and noisy). And of course, we don't play after 10:00pm or before 10:00am in the house, so as not to disturb anybody's sleep. I think if you do all that is reasonable to be a "good neighbor" about noise, that's all that can be expected and your neighbor will have to get over it.

Some people just like to complain too, ya know. She may be one of those types.

Maybe you could introduce her to the dogs. Since Boxers have a way of winning the hearts of most everyone they meet, she might stop complaining if she met your dogs and saw how loving and adorable they are, she'd get realize that she might be being a little unreasonable or perhaps over-reacting a bit.

She has two dogs of her own, for Pete's sake. I wonder if the people below her complain about her dogs?

Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be dealing with unreasonable neighbors. We've been putting up with the drunk lady downstairs and her German Shepard who barks constantly, and I mean constantly. All day, all night, back yard, front door, at anything that moves or any sound it hears. It is maddening! But of course, she won't do anything except go out and get drunk and come home and scream at her dog to "SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" which of course, only makes the dog bark more.

Ah, the joys of city apartment dwelling :rolleyes:

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Dan from Brooklyn
Proud Pappa to Maggie Mae, Born 6/16/00
Flashy Fawn (Red), docked tail, natural ears.
Pictures: http://maggie.artshost.com
 

Chad and Mav

Boxer Pal
heres a "seinfeld-like" solution (im watching reruns now). go down to her apartment and make up something about noise coming from her apartment. do that every other week or so, maybe more often, until she doesnt complain about you anymore. try it out!!!! :)
 

Lava Linda

Completely Boxer Crazy
I can relate. My neighbor dislikes my dogs, and complains about everything. She says they bark when I'm gone at night, but I've asked the other neighbors and they haven't noticed.
She called animal control on me once, for a health hazard due to animal feces. Animal control came out (surprise visit), took a look, played with Gilroy and Purdy while we talked, and basically said to ignore her.
She once piled up squirrel carcasses by my mailbox. The reason was, she was sure my dogs were killing them, and I was throwing them into her yard.
C'mon. There's an orchard behind me, but I'm gonna throw dead squirrels into her perfectly manicured yard. Right. She put her hand on her hip and said, "All I know is this NEVER happened before you moved in! I get so nauseous when I have to clean them up!" I tried being super nice, told her I'd help clean up the next one since that kind of thing doesn't bother me (they were all partially eaten, and very gross!), and she took me up on it, but she's continued to complain about everything. Her own grandkids call her "the witch" behind her back.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure they were poisoning squirrels in the orchard behind me, and cats were munching them in her dogless backyard. It was walnut harvesting season at the time, and then it stopped happening.
I've lived in the country the last 20 years, completely neighborless, so it's been somewhat of an adjustment, needless to say!!!


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Linda, proud mother of:
Gilroy - 5 y.o. brindle male, natural ears, gentle as a lamb :)
Purdy - 5 y.o. spayed flashy brindle, natural ears and tongue
Michaela, Boss, Tonka, Maybe, Woof, Jack, Deacon, Casey, Crystal, Flo, Kimba and Poquito, waiting at the bridge.
 

Aimee

Boxer Insane
I don't live in apartment but I too have a neighbor who hates my dogs...he has called the animal control on us 5 times for different reasons..barking (which my boxers don't do but my sheltie did), animal feces, etc. The animal control stated that there is one in every neighborhood as they never found a problem when they came to our house. They told me it was just unfortunant that he lives next to us. They are required to come out (even though they know he is just a trouble maker) whenever they are called. They must have finally said something to him because he quit calling. Can you believe they he complained about my sheltie barking at 3pm?? Give me a break...we were outside with him playing in the backyard at the time! He said to me too, "I thought that dog was old, isn't he going to die soon?" I decided to feel sorry for him instead of getting angry because he lives alone and never has friends over and just sits and drinks a 12 pack everynight...I realize now why he has no friends and doesn't get invited to neighborhood gatherings! What goes around comes around :D

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Aimee

Proud mama of ----
Lexi, 3 year old spayed red fawn female, docked tail and natural ears (ball of fire!!)
Baxter, 5 year old rescue fawn male with black mask, docked tail and natural ears (a true sweetie)
Garrett, 15 year old male miracle sheltie rescue (now waiting at the bridge 12-8-00)
Elvis & Sylvester 5 1/2 year old black domestic short haired twins
 

Lisa M

Completely Boxer Crazy
I think I would just send a note commenting that your dogs do not bark (if that's the case) and you can't stop them from walking around in the apartment no matter what the hours. Apartment dwelling is just this way, I once lived on the middle floor always thinking how noisey my upstairs neigbor was until one day I visited the downstairs neighbor and realized the noises coming from my apt. were just as loud.

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mama to:
-Sumi, lab mix "pound puppy"
-Casper, white boxer rescued from the Dade County Animal shelter
 
We live in an appartment too....I, on the other hand, am pretty lucky. My downstairs neighbors are a pet sitter and a dog groomer...ha! Our walls are pretty thick and they have 2 dogs and 4 cats themselves. I think, at this point, it might be wise to talk to your appartment manager about this situation and perhaps work out some sort of transfer to another unit. It may not be fair, but moving from one unit to another may be a lot less stressful than putting up with her f**king notes all the time.
('Scuse the french..but GEESH :rolleyes: )
And about the comment I read about people living in "large dog complexes", I aggree wholeheartitly!!!! If you move into a large dog friendly complex...well...DUH...it's gonna be overloaded with ..duh...large dogs!
Jennifer
 

MarinaS

Boxer Insane
I can relate too. A neighbor of ours owns a shelty which is quite calm now, but only for the last year because a year ago they lost another shelty. Those times these two used to bark a lot together at any sound they heard from behind the door, so it happened all the time other neighbors from the same floor were entering their apartments (we have 4 of them on the floor). Other neighbors used to say that her dogs were very noisy while our Tina could be hardly heard during a day when we were away. Anyway, since one of the dogs died, she keeps complaining that MY dog is very noisy and that she barks and howls all the time. And I know she doesn't! :mad: She is very quiet when she's home alone, she has never distroyed a thing in the house even when she was a little pup. My baby is four years old and she has been living in apartments for all her life, and knowing how thin the walls are, NO ONE has ever complained on her making much noise. No one has ever said a word to us to calm her down. Do you think all other neighbors were angels or did they just like dogs barking a lot and disturbing them? And other our current neighbors do not complain. So I don't understand what's her point and why she is telling this.
 

Eva

Boxer Booster
The really funny thing about this is, I consider this lady to be an accquantance...we have talked about "what's going on in your life" stuff when we see each other around the complex, and she does know and like my dogs. She has even dog-sat Kaiser for a day, and sent me a X'MAS card! Talk about confusing! LOL I am tempted to leave her a note politely explaining that "I already try to keep my kids as quiet as possible, but just in case, here are some earplugs! I used them myself when I lived below people...you know how thin these walls are!" LOL...In truth, I will try to ignore this for now...I have so much more shit going on in my life right now that I can't ignore, ya know!?

Eva

P.S. I hope everyone had a wonderful X'MAS!!! :D
 
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