Man Claims Neighbors Are In Violation Of Their HOA Because Their Dogs Bark When His 'Traumatized' Wife Walks By The House
Another case of HOA overreach.
New Africa | Shutterstock Every dog parent knows that their dogs will bark when neighbors walk by. It’s inevitable. In fact, some dogs will simply bark just for the sake of well... barking, and while it can be inconvenient occasionally, there's not much a loving owner can do besides keep them inside late at night and early in the morning.
But what do you do when a neighbor comes knocking on your door and accuses your barking dogs of violating your HOA rules? Seems unlikely, but that was exactly what happened to a couple who were accused by a neighbor of having aggressive dogs that violated their HOA bylaws.
A married couple took to TikTok to share their experience with an irritable neighbor complaining about their dogs’ barking.
The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Boline, filmed the man who approached their home to accuse them of violating their HOA rules because of their “aggressive” dogs. He claimed that his wife was bit by a dog in Sacramento, California, and was “traumatized,” and their dogs’ barking triggers her when she walks by.
Mrs. Boline pointed the camera at her three-pound Yorkie and 2-year-old Labrador, who were not barking, as the man stood in their driveway and bombarded them with complaints. The man claimed their dogs should "be trained not to bark" when someone walked down the street, and insisted it was unfair for his traumatized wife to experience them barking and "bouncing against the fence, trying to get out."
Mrs. Boline even tried to reason with the man, showing compassion for his wife and understanding why she would be traumatized. Nonetheless, she stood her ground against his irrational request. “It doesn't make it right for someone to come up to our house and say that our dog can't bark,” she said in the video.
It was unfair to make illogical demands about a neighbor’s dogs innocently barking, something every dog does.
It’s especially unreasonable to accuse that neighbor of violating the HOA rules for simply owning a dog. If that were the case, the man should knock on the door of every neighbor who owns a dog and demand they stop their dogs from barking, too.
It’s important to note that throughout the entire video, not once did the Bolines’ dogs bark as the neighbor stood in their driveway. Mrs. Boline emphasized how her dogs are innocent and have never shown aggressive behavior toward any of their neighbors.
In an attempt to make peace with the neighbor, Mr. Boline assured him their gate was padlocked and the dogs could not run out from their backyard. Mrs. Boline expressed how they have trained their dogs, but they were not responsible for the neighbor’s wife’s trauma.
As their conversation progressed, the neighbor’s wife walked out of her house to join their conversation. In the video, the man could be seen gesturing for his wife to stay away. She approached anyway and stated, “You told them I am [traumatized]?” Mrs. Boline approached the wife and profusely apologized for the inconvenience. As she explained how she didn't know what to do to resolve the situation, the man kept trying to pull his wife away.
Mrs. Boline asked the woman what they could do to ease the situation, and she kindly replied, saying, “You’re fine, I don't walk this street at all.” The woman appeared to have no trauma regarding the Bolines’ dogs, and she reassured them there was no issue and not to worry, leaving the couple confused.
Despite the uncomfortable encounter, everyone kept a level head, which will inevitably pave the way to neighborhood peace.
While it's unclear what actually sparked the initial complaint from the neighbor, it was obvious he was using his wife as the scapegoat for the issue. Thankfully, everyone, including the Boline's, kept the interaction civil, which is always the right move when it comes to neighborhood disputes.
But why do these problems arise in the first place? A dog barking when strangers walk by seems entirely normal and harmless, but according to mediator Caroline Davenport, when it comes to property and privacy, even the smallest inconvenience can blow up into a big dispute. She explained to the Seattle Times, “We think of our home as our sanctuary. That’s why these issues can escalate very quickly.”
Davenport went on to stress that the most important thing to do, however, is to resist the urge to get emotional and start hurling accusations because that will inevitably backfire. She further added, “We recommend stating how you feel about the situation,” and “use ‘I’ statements.”
Etiquette expert Elaine Swann agreed that calmer heads always prevail and told HuffPost, "Your goal should not be to simply tell the person how he's upset you, but to also express what you want to happen to make it stop," explained Swann. "It's about how you can work together to solve the problem."
Thankfully, the Bolines seemed to do everything right in this situation. They remained calm and tried to work with the neighbors to reach an amicable resolution.
Francesca Duarte is a writer based in Orlando, FL., who covers lifestyle, human-interest, and spirituality topics.
