The case of barking dogs in Joburg

THE occasional barking of a dog, which is merely annoying or inconvenient, is not enough to establish a legal nuisance. The law does not expect silence; it expects reasonableness, and not every noise is actionable in law.

- ZELDA VENTER

This was part of a recent finding by the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS), which took a closer look at a noise disturbance complaint by a couple living in an upmarket Johannesburg sectional title complex.

They said that they had to endure the insistent barking of two dogs belonging to a family in the same complex for more than a year. The couple said they now had enough, and the dogs must go.

The Bhana couple said they have put up with the barking for some time, but they eventually met with the Lazanakis couple (respondents) — the owners of the barking dogs - to try and find a solution. Prior to the meeting, the Bhana’s sent an audio clip to the dog owners as evidence of how the dogs were barking.