BarkingDogs.net

Acoustic Shadows and Acoustic Facilitation

Barking creates sound waves that cause our brains to stimulate our autonomic nervous system, as well as our endocrine system, in ways that make us feel tense and upset. But you only suffer to the extent the sound waves get to where you are, and sound waves can be blocked and/or directed.

Buildings, groves of trees and other geographic features can block sound waves the same way an object can block sunlight and, thereby, create a shadow. In that same fashion, a physical barrier can prevent the noise of a nearby dog from reaching a given point. On the other hand, the lay of the land can also channel the sound, thereby allowing it to travel great distances. That means features that rise up from the land, like hills, or rows of houses, can also direct the sound and facilitate its travel, by shepherding it along in much the same way that the banks of a river guide the channeled water from one location to the next.

Because of that, in times of war, people close to the fighting often report that they cannot hear the sounds of the nearby battle, while others, much further away, provide accounts of having heard the din quite clearly.

It is not uncommon for the same thing to happen with barking dogs. That's why the people living two doors down may not even know the dog is barking, while people trying to rest in their living room two blocks away are driven insane by the noise.

Having a firm grasp of this concept is essential for judges, prosecutors and all others involved in the adjudication of barking dog litigation.

This page is part of Section Six:
the More Information section of barkingdogs.net