BarkingDogs.net

The material on this page was contributed by Geordie Duckler, LLC - Attorney at Law,
in an interview conducted by the Barking Dogs Webmaster in May of 2006

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Go back to read about step three

Preparing to Sue the Dog Owner in Court: A Five Step Process

Step Four: Document the Effect the Barking Has on You and Your Loved Ones

This part is really straightforward. You just have to show that being exposed to the barking has had a negative impact on you and on your life. Again, you just need a diary or a log that documents the fact that you couldn't sleep on certain nights, or shows that the family members were irritable, or ill, or suffering in some other way. And for the record, you need to attach your suffering to specific dates and times.

You don't necessarily have to seek psychological help or start taking medication. But you do need to show that the barking is having an effect in that you can't sleep, or can't work very well. For example, you may need to find a way to document the fact that you could no longer enjoy being outside, and that you had to give up swimming in your pool, or whatever.

Of course, eventually, on the witness stand, your attorney is going to ask you to describe what it was like. So you'll get a chance then to describe everything and tell your story. But it's always nice to have some independent, objectively verifiable evidence that, in fact, what you are saying is true.

When you're on the stand, someone may ask you, "Did you ever try using sleeping pills?" And you say, "Well no, I didn't want to start medicating myself. But I did talk to my doctor about sleeping pills, and here's the prescription he wrote, just in case I decided to have it filled."

That's what you need is something like that that shows that you used to be a normal, healthy person, and then as the barking continued you became less healthy as your normal way of being was altered. So that's important, and you have to talk about it, and you need to collect some sort of evidence to show that you did, indeed, suffer as a result of the barking.

Go forward to read about step five

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This page from the Duckler Interview is part of Section Three:
the Law section of barkingdogs.net