A woman has sparked debate online after she revealed she's been warring with her new neighbour over her dog - because it keeps barking at the neighbour's cats.
In a post on Mumsnet, the woman explained her dog "only ever" barks at cats and nothing else, and had been living in peace until the new neighbours moved in with two pet moggies.
So that the cats don't leave the garden but can still roam in their private space, the neighbour puts them on long leads that are tied to the fence that separates his garden from the woman's - meaning her dog often sees the cats and starts barking as a result.
The mum does her best to bring her dog inside whenever he starts barking, but she's now been confronted by her neighbour, who claims the noise is "annoying" and wants her to do something about it.
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In her post, she said: "My dog only ever barks at cats, that's it. Never at other dogs or people.
"So, new neighbours at the back recently moved in and have cats, they have them on leads and put them up against our fence. When I let our dog out and he sees the cats through the fence he'll bark at them. I will then bring him in.
"My neighbour saw me today and challenged me over the barking. He said it was annoying. I just said there wasn't much I could do, he's a dog and he barks at cats and I bring him in as soon as I hear him.
"Neighbour then threatened to call the police if this carries on."
But the mum's post sparked a bigger debate in the Mumsnet comments, as some people said her neighbour was being unreasonable by asking her to stop her dog from barking, while others insisted the noise is annoying and her neighbour was right to complain.
One person said: "You can’t completely stop a dog from barking, your neighbour is being ridiculous. Our next-door neighbours have a dog and it occasionally barks, our dog occasionally barks, it’s what dogs do. As long as you bring him in when he starts and he’s not doing it excessively, then I don’t think the police will be interested."
While another added: "He’s being an idiot complaining when you bring the dogs in right away. He should keep his cats off the fence if it’s an issue."
But someone else disagreed, writing: "Teach your dog not to bark or keep him inside when the cats are out. Woofing dogs are a nuisance."
"It's a brief noise and you do something about it to stop it. Barking dogs are annoying but a fact of life living with neighbours as long as it’s not excessive [it's fine]", a fourth stated.
Others offered the dog-owner suggestions for covering up the gaps in the fence so her dog can't see the cats when it's outside, in the hope that it would stop the pooch from barking.
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