ohmidog!

The city of Phoenix is enlisting help from Phoenix School of Law students to run a free, downtown barking-dog mediation service.

The service, which will start this month, is similar to one in nearby Chandler — Solve-It!, which opened in 2007. About one of every four cases it handles is about barking dogs.

According to the Arizona Republic, officials expect dog barking conflicts to increase amid the bad economy, as more people lose their jobs and stay home, exposing them to daytime dog barking.

They say most of the problems are caused by pet owners who leave their dogs outside when they are away and don’t realize that their bored or anxious animal is barking its head off.

The Republic article tells the story of Chris and Kara Horrocks of northwest Phoenix who spent more more than $1,000 defending their Labrador, Macchiato, from a neighbor’s complaint last year. As part of a plea agreement, they installed a gate that kept the dog away from the neighbor’s property line, pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor and paid part of a $300 fine.

The Horrocks were among 75 dog owners prosecuted in Phoenix last year, a number that city officials hope to reduce with the new mediation program.

“Dogs are members of peoples’ families, and they take it personally when someone complains. But the other side just wants the barking to stop,” said  Wendy Hollingshead of Solve-It, which has mediated more than 150 dog barking cases. 

Some of the most creative solutions have come when the people who have complained understand why their neighbor’s dog was barking, she added. In two of her cases, the annoyed residents now visit and console the lonely canines.

(Photo from stopthebarking.com)