Do You Live Next Door to a Dog in MA? It's Illegal to Do This

We love our fur babies here in Massachusetts. Heck most of the dog owners I know, myself included, basically treat them like our children. They’re spoiled rotten. Birthday parties, Tempur-Pedic beds, gourmet food, you name it, it’s out there for dogs.

But we also all know those people out there who are not fans of dogs and that’s their prerogative. My coworker can’t stand dogs and hates the fact that other people's fur babies are “pushed on them” in his words. He hates when I bring my giant St. Bernard mix to work and thinks he shouldn’t have to oh and ah over just because he’s my child. Which is fine, I just feel like he’s missing out.

But what about the worst-case scenario? You’re not a fan of dogs, in fact, you might even qualify as a dog hater and you live next door to a dog. And not just any dog, a dog that barks. All the time. Even outside at night time. That is just the worst!

Even as a lover of dogs, there is nothing worse than hearing a dog bark all day long. Especially at night. If you have a dog that is prone to barking, it’s really your responsibility to do everything in your power to make living next door to your pup as palatable as possible, within reason.

Of course, dogs bark, it is what it is, but excessive barking, especially outside at night, is not only disrespectful to your neighbors, but in Massachusetts, it’s actually illegal.

According to mass.gov:

No person owning or keeping a dog shall chain or tether a dog for longer than 5 hours in a 24-hour period and outside from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes and the dog is not left unattended by the owner, guardian or keeper.

So if you’re running into this issue with one of your neighbors reach out to them directly as first but if necessary, you can follow up with the authorities.

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