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Oct. 19, 2023 Editor, News Gazette: Ah ... how nice to open the windows for a good night’s sleep with the cooler weather upon us. Nope ... had to shut them again because of the relentless, annoying barking and baying of dogs from the three nearby kennels.
The dogs will bark for hours and hours all through the night (daytime, too), sometimes nonstop. The kennel owners are selfish “neighbors” who don’t care that their dogs are bothering hundreds of those around them. I can’t imagine how put-out those folks are that live far closer to the kennels than me, many of them elderly, widows and widowers.
I imagine that these kennel owners are so vain that they think the barking doesn’t disturb others and their entitlement reigns supreme. After all, they live next to the dogs. They’re oblivious. Probably don’t even hear them anymore. Trying to talk to them is pure folly and a waste of time. They never change. There are evenings when my wife and I leave the comfort of our little deck because we can’t stand the barking. And nights when the barking wakes us ... with the windows closed. And we are not light sleepers.
I am a lifelong dog lover and owner and understand that Rockbridge County is rural, but I think it is high time that the supervisors address this issue, as sticky as it is. I would just love to savor a peaceful evening on the deck and a good night’s sleep with the windows open. DANNY HOEHNE Rockbridge County
