ugh!!!

So. I got this letter today from animal control:

Dear Resident:

We have received a complaint that your dog(s) may be creating a disturbance in your neighborhood. We would appreciate your looking into the matter and correcting the problem. Please try to quiet your dog when it is noisy. We are asking you to be considerate of your friends and neighbors.

We are confident that your response to this letter will be of a positive nature and that further action will not become necessary.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Field Services Supervisor

My dog is three months old. He does not know the rules. I am actively trying to teach him the rules. Am I unreasonable to think that there should be a brief learning curve with puppies? We have only had him for six weeks. How annoying could it be? And, he NEVER barks.

So, my theory is that the neighbor that complained is annoyed by my noisy kids and since we now have a dog, she (or he) can blame it on that.

Seriously, the dog lives inside. He is crate trained and does not make a sound while in the crate. He sleeps inside, in his crate, in our room, and we don't hear him at all. He goes outside to use the bathroom, that's it. Occasionally, we leave him out a little longer, if we are eating maybe. He does complain a little when we do this. But, I do not consider it excessive. AND all of the books I am reading say that I can't give him what he wants if he is barking to get it. That just reinforces the idea that if he barks loud and long enough, he will be able to get what he wants which just exacerbates the problem.

I called and talked with the animal control guy. Since I am a first time dog owner, I was curious to know what the parameters were. I learned that anyone can call, for any reason, or any amount of "annoying" behavior. He said I should get a bark collar and that my dog MUST be howling in his crate while I am gone. I don't believe it. No way am I getting a bark collar.

Please just give me a few weeks to train my dog.

And, how condescending is the wording of that letter. eewww