Monday 6 December 2010

Barking Dogs

Good morning. XYZ local council. This is Tamara. How can I help you?
Good morning, Tamara. My name is Li Zhang. I am calling to make a complaint to the council.
You are making a complaint? What sort of complaint would you like to make, Mr Zhang?
Well, my neighbour has three big dogs that are very noisy.
Can you tell me your address, Mr Zhang?
Yes, I live in 67 Ibrahim Street, Box Hill. It is near the shopping centre.
I know where Ibrahim Street is. It is not far away from where I live. Did you say three dogs or thirteen dogs?
I said three. My neighbour has got three dogs and they are very noisy. They make a lot of noise and I can’t get to sleep.
Do they make noise at night?
No, they make noise during the day. You see, I work night shift and come home early in the morning. After I come home, I always go to bed to get some sleep but they start barking loudly and I stay awake.
Did you talk to your neighbour?
I talked to my neighbour a few times but he did nothing about the problem. I think he doesn’t care about me. He only cares about his dogs.
Oh, this is not very nice of him to do. Now, can you give me some information, please?
Yes. What would you like to know?
Where exactly are the dogs? Are they inside the house or in the garden?
They sleep inside the house but they come outside and start barking. They spend a lot of time in the garden and they bark when they see people walking along the street. You see how noisy it can be?
Yes, It must be very bad for you. Now, is the owner at home when the dogs bark?
Yes, you see, he hasn’t got a job. He is at home most of the time. He is there when they eat. He is there when they bark and he is there when they sleep.
Can you tell me what size the dogs are?
They are very big, I can tell you. I am afraid they will jump over the fence and attack me one day. I don’t know what to do.
Well, we will look after the matter for you, Mr Zhang.
Thank you very much.
Can you tell me when this started to be a problem for you?
It started a few weeks ago when he came back from a holiday and brought these dogs with him.
Did you contact the council before about this problem?
No, I didn’t. It’s the first time for me to contact the council about the barking dogs. I wish you can do something about it or I will have to call the police.
No, Mr Zhang. Don’t call the police. It is our job to look after these things. The police are very busy because they have more important things to do.
I see. Sometimes I feel like killing them.
Oh, you will get yourself into a lot of trouble if you do so. I know how angry you are at the moment.
So, how are you going to help me?
We will send you a form. You have to fill in this form and send it back to us. You can send it to us by post. I am sure we will do our best to talk to your neighbour to let him control his barking dogs.
Well, anything else that I have to do?
No, at this moment all you have to do is to fill in the form and we will look after the rest for you.
Thanks very much for your help.