1,350 barks were witnessed in a 45 minute period – which is one bark every two seconds.
This gave rise to numerous complaints, which led to the owners of the ‘barking dog’ being prosecuted at Cardiff Magistrates Court on Thursday, March 28th.
Ms Linda Hill and Mr Jason Badham from Amherst Street in Grangetown didn’t attend court and the case was proved in their absence. They were both fined £1,320, ordered to pay costs of £110 as well as a victim surcharge of £44 each.
The complaints began in December 2017, when a neighbour phoned the Shared Regulatory Service to complain that a dog that was being kept next door to their property was continually barking in a high pitched and incessant tone.
Following ongoing issues, officers asked the neighbour to note down the times and incidents when the barking took place and visited the property again in March 2018. They witnessed a Statutory Noise Nuisance at this visit and issued a Noise Abatement Notice against Ms Linda Hill and Mr Jason Badham.
Cllr Michael Michael, Cabinet Member responsible for the Shared Regulatory Service at Cardiff Council, said: “After the Noise Abatement Notice was issued, officers had to revisit four times following numerous complaints and this is why four charges were lodged with the court. This is the worst case of its kind that we have ever had to deal with
“Every effort is made to engage with residents when incidents like this occur and officers phoned Mr Badham to explain what a noise abatement notice was and what he had to do to rectify the situation.
“People should only have pets if they are able to look after them properly. It isn’t fair on a dog to lock them up during the working day, when both people are in work and the dog is unable to be let out. It isn’t also fair on the neighbours, living next to where the dog is being kept, to listen to an animal barking all day.
“The fine from the court should send a clear message to all dog owners that we do take these matters seriously. The Council has a legal duty to investigate any statutory noise complaint and take the appropriate action.”
