Neighbour’s golden retriever barks non-stop from 11pm to 4am. When I politely complained, the owner hit back with “Your 2-year-old toddler also cries at night what, fair game lah!”
Is it just me, or are Singaporean HDB neighbours getting increasingly unhinged and delusional?
I live in a 4-room HDB flat in Sengkang. My next-door neighbours bought an adult Golden Retriever 6 months ago.
They don’t train the dog at all. Every night, around 11 PM, they lock the dog out at their narrow HDB corridor service yard / front balcony area. The dog feels anxious and starts high-pitched barking and howling non-stop from 11:00 PM all the way until 3:00 AM or 4:00 AM.
The sound echoes horribly down the HDB corridor. My wife and I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in months.
Yesterday, after enduring a 3-hour barking session at 2:30 AM, I couldn’t take it anymore. I walked over, knocked on their door.
The owner (a guy in his mid-30s) opened the door looking annoyed.
Me: “Bro, sorry ah, your dog has been barking continuously since 11pm. It’s almost 3am already. Can you please bring the dog inside the aircon room so it stops howling?”
He folded his arms, sneered at me, and said: “Eh bro, don’t be so hypocritical can? Last month your 2-year-old daughter was teething and crying at night, I got come and complain to you? Your child cry, my dog bark. Human child and fur-kid same what! You shut your daughter’s mouth first then come talk to me!”
I was utterly dumbfounded!
Me: “Are you seriously comparing a human toddler crying due to teething pain with you leaving your full-grown dog locked out on the corridor barking at shadows?!”
Him: “Noise is noise lah! You make noise, I make noise! Fair game what! You complain to AVS/HDB lor, see if I care!” Then he slammed the door in my face.
Comparing a human baby to a dog?!
I filed reports on OneService app, contacted AVS (Animal & Veterinary Service), and HDB. AVS sent a generic reply saying “We will conduct pet ownership advisory.” HDB said “Please resolve amicably or seek mediation at CMC.”
Mediation takes MONTHS. In the meantime, my toddler is getting woken up every night BY THE DOG, which causes my toddler to cry, which then gives the neighbour more “justification” to say my baby is making noise!
It’s a endless toxic cycle. What is the most effective legal leverage against dog owners who break HDB pet/noise regulations? Is calling police every night for public nuisance at 2am useful?