After hearing frustrated complaints from residents who claim barking dogs are causing sleepless nights, Mancos town Marshal John Cox encouraged them at a Sept. 9 town board meeting to contact his office.
"I'm really frustrated by barking dogs in the night, and I can't come up with specifics. I don't know where they are, I just know that we have them, and sometimes it's so annoying that I really am not able to sleep," said Mancos resident Mary Wilson.
"I don't think that it's worth calling the marshal for, saying, 'There's a dog barking somewhere. I don't know where it is, but it's annoying me,'"Wilson said.
Resident Sharon Rosenbaum also mentioned an uptick in canine-related noise, and said it ruins the peace and quiet that many treasure in a small, rural town like Mancos.
Cox said that barking dogs do fall under the "excessive noise" section of the town's municipal code, though his office has gotten very few calls on the matter.
"The past two months, I can't remember one that I've seen. If there's dogs barking, even if it's in the middle of the night. Well, call us," said Cox.
"There's only three of us, so we can't respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said.
"I know what you're talking about," Cox added. "I live right behind the bank, and I hear dogs barking occasionally. If you've got a complaint like that, call us."
The town of Mancos posted a note on its Facebook page to remind pet owners to be mindful of the noise ordinance, and keep their barkers quiet.
The Facebook post reads:
"The town has been receiving more complaints than usual about barking dogs. If your best friend is a yapper, please do your best to keep him quiet (or inside) for the peace of the neighborhood.
"Incessant barking is not only a disturbance to your neighbors, but it is a violation of Mancos Municipal Code."
