In Oceanside, city officials will assign resources and spend money on what many consider a nerve-wracking problem – barking dogs.
Pat Gallagher is used to it. She opened her Oceanside pet daycare, partly because she saw a great need.
Too many people were leaving their dogs home alone, they would bark and neighbors would get angry.
“It’s a very common complaint,” Gallagher said. “The number one reason for re-homing dogs.
Oceanside police say the complaint is so common they are getting about 30 complains a month.
Right now, when there's complaint, there's not much the city can do but the mayor and city council have asked City manager Peter Weiss to come up with a plan.
“It's not so much the process that’s in place it’s who do you have to do that and right now we don’t have anyone doing that,” said Weiss.
In January, Weiss will ask the council to approve a tentative 90-day plan under which a city worker who had been assigned light duty would respond to the complaints.
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A permanent solution though will come at a price.
“If we have to add staff there will be a cost to this so it’s going to eliminate other priorities or add staffing,” Weiss said.
Some say the city has bigger priorities than barking dogs.
“I would certainly hate to see the police force or somebody like that being taken away from much more important duties to respond to a nuisance call like that,” said Gallagher.
Instead of relying on the government for help, Gallagher feels neighbors should talk to dog owners first.
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