Animal Information
Who should I call regarding a barking dog nuisance?
Code Compliance enforces the noise ordinance. If a dog is barking incessantly or not within its normal nature, the noise would be considered a nuisance.The inspector would make contact with the owner of the dog and inform them of the concern. The complainant would receive a barking dog petition to be filled out by them and at least one other neighbor that is also affected by the barking. After completion, the complainant would send the packet back, along with a sound recording. Once received the inspector would forward all information the prosecutor's office. Please view our barking dog brochure(PDF, 221KB).
Barking Dogs
City of Glendale: 623-930-3610
Who do I call if there is a stray animal in my neighborhood?
Please call our Animal Services Hotline at 623-930-3212 to report all healthy stray dogs, a dog or cat bite, or a vicious dog. They will capture and transport the animals to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.
What can I do about feral cats?
The Spay Neuter Hotline offers the only viable solution to the exponential reproduction of cats on the streets of Maricopa County.
Fixing between 10,000 and 15,000 cats per year and over 150,000 cats since 2009, Spay Neuter Hotline TNR services bring together an amazing group of ADLA staff, volunteers, and veterinarians who help neighborhoods stop the birth of homeless kittens by trapping, sterilizing, and returning cats to live out their lives in the colonies where they were trapped.
Spay Neuter Hotline Outdoor Cats
Important Numbers
Animal Abuse
Police Dispatch
623-930-3212
Animal Defense League of Arizona
Animal Defense League of Arizona (ADLAZ)
ADLAZ Outdoor Cats Program
602-265-7729
The Spay Neuter Hotline offers the only viable solution to the exponential reproduction of cats on the streets of Maricopa County.
Call the Spay Neuter Hotline or use the online form for the quickest response and to save schedulers’ time!
Animals Odors/Smells
City of Glendale
623-930-3610
Barking Dogs
City of Glendale
623-930-3610
Dead Animals
Police Dispatch
623-930-3212
Dogs At Large
Animal Services Hotline
623-930-3212
Barking Dogs Guidelines
Code Compliance Department
Glendale City Code states that “No person shall keep or harbor any animal that by frequent or habitual barking, howling, yelping, crowing or the making of other noises disturbs the peace and quiet of two or more independent witnesses who are not related." Because you are a dog owner, you know the companionship, loyalty, love and fun that your dog adds to your life. But, you also must realize that you have a certain responsibility towards your neighbors as a result of owning a dog.
Your Dog is Your Responsibility
The security of knowing you have a real watchdog, as well as enjoying a peaceful and quiet neighborhood, is important to many people. But, owners are sometimes insensitive or even unaware to the barking of their own dog. Put yourself in your neighbor’s place to see how your dog’s habits affect them. Excessive barking can be extremely annoying to neighbors as well as those who have to live with a noisy dog.
What is good about a barking dog?
- Alerts owners of potential problems
- Warns owners of a stranger’s presence
- Alerts neighbors of intruders when you’re not home
- Indicates an animal in distress
What is bad about a barking dog?
- One dog barking usually starts another dog barking
- Excessive barking is extremely annoying
- Noisy animals can create neighborhood arguments, resentment, etc.
- Usually indicates a highly nervous or bored animal
- Excessive barking can be harmful to dogs
- Unless stopped, barking may develop into a type of hysteria
How to Identify if Your Dog is a Noise Nuisance
Here are some guidelines for determining whether your dog is a good companion and watchdog or a neighborhood nuisance.
Does your dog bark excessively:
- When you put them outside while at work?
- When someone rings your doorbell?
- When garbage collectors, mail carriers, paper carriers, etc. come to your house?
- When children are playing outside?
- When another animal comes into view?
- When another dog barks?
- When hearing a siren?
- When wanting to get into the house?
- When you leave or return home?
- When left alone and lonely?
If your answer was “yes” to any of these questions, your dog could be a neighborhood nuisance. This disturbance of peace is one of the quickest and most common ways to become a bad neighbor. Persistent barkers are more likely to be ignored, if there is a real emergency, since they seem to bark all the time.
What can you do about your barking dog?
- Determine what causes the dog to bark.
- Dogs are less likely to bark if a barrier blocks their view.
- Be alert to stop the barking as soon as it starts.
- Train your dog to respond to a command to be quiet.
- Reward your dog whenever it barks for a watch dog reason.
- Don’t leave an animal unattended for long periods of time.
- Encourage your dog to stay quietly within its quarters when you are away
Breaking a Bad Habit
The best cure for the barking habit is prevention early in the dog’s life. If a dog already has a barking habit, then you must make efforts to correct the situation.
- Whatever training method you choose, be consistent and persistent with the animal.
- Simple scolding and punishment may be sufficient.
- When left alone in a house, help the loneliness by leaving a radio on.
- To help either an indoor or outdoor dog with boredom, be sure to have some toys available for amusement.
- Don’t make a big thing out of leaving or returning home, as an overly excited dog is more likely to bark.
You may consider taking the animal to an obedience training school if the dog requires a more experienced trainer. Your dog will soon learn that his silence pleases you.
Be a good dog owner and a good neighbor!
Stray & Feral Cats
With cats, as is the case for dogs, the City of Glendale adheres to those animal control laws adopted by Maricopa County. There are no leash or license laws for cats and no agency picks up stray or feral cats. This means the City doesn’t have as many options to control them as they do other animals.
This does not mean cat owners cannot be held civilly liable for damages caused by their cats, but this would be a civil matter. If you are experiencing problems with cats roaming on your property, the City recommends talking to the pet owner first in order to resolve the problem with minimal conflict.
If speaking with the pet owner does not resolve the situation, there are several deterrents you can try to discourage cats from entering your yard.
Note: Attempts to deal with roaming cats by catching and euthanizing them have proven ineffective, according to Maricopa Animal Care & Control. If feral cats are simply removed from an area, others will take their place and the problem repeats itself.
The Humane Society states that citizens may use recognized, humane traps, baited with plenty of food and water and located in a shaded area, to trap roaming cats. Fees determined by the shelter are typically involved.
There are animal welfare groups that sponsor programs to help control the population of feral cats. The cats are sterilized so they won’t reproduce, then they continue living outdoors. These groups are well versed on where to get traps, how to use them, where to take the cats for sterilization, and what to do afterwards.
For more information, call Maricopa County Animal Care & Control: 602-506-7387
Cat Deterrents
- If you have stray cats entering your yard, there are several things residents can try that may keep cats away from your property
- Spray concentrated orange juice or hang orange or lemon peels in areas where cats are spraying. They are put off by the citrus scent.
- Similarly, some people advocate coffee grounds, blood meal, cayenne pepper, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil or citronella oil (don’t use citronella-scented lamp oil or torch oil, as these are flammable).
- Get a motion-detecting device that turns on a sprinkler or bright light in response to motion in your yard or garden.
- Squirt a hose at the cat whenever they come by or squat. You just want to shock the cat, not knock the cat over. Some people think a squirt gun works best.
- There are many commercial cat repellents available in garden stores, pet shops and online. Read the directions carefully, and be sure to wear gloves for chemical sprays.
- There are some non-chemical repellents that emit an ultrasonic electric pulse that many cats find annoying.
Cruelty to animals is a serious offense and violators will be prosecuted. To report animal abuse, call the Arizona Humane Society at 602-997-7585