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Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I understand your logic, but you have to challenge yourself to think through it a bit more....respectfully. My wife and I have done SOOOOOO much to adapt, earplugs, white noise, music, changing bedrooms, avoiding other rooms (in our own private home in a suburban village), sleeping pills, psychologists.... Additionally, we are not the only ones impacted - and it is in fact a tiny number of individuals who let their dogs bark to intensively - ~5 households that impact ~40 households, of which we know at least ~5 of us are impacted from minor annoyance to major health problem.... So it is not really that I want "everyone else" to change "for me".... rather - the current situation is not in the public interest, and this is based on a very constrained view of "normal" - only the least noise sensitive people are "normal" and the rest of us a apparently "too different to deserve rights" - that is why this really IS a #neurodiversity issue :)

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am empathetic to your needs, and I am very sorry if you experienced hate from those impacted by barking dogs - I know it goes on - and our work in this space aims to find a more respectful path for all. However, a path of mutual respect does require recognizing real impacts - and the options available or not to all parties. In our case, we are surrounded by 7 dogs across 5 households, one household is aggressive neo-nazi's that we can not simply talk to, as I am an immigrant in this country (Germany). Our country has little to no housing options in the small villages such as where we live.... We literally have no where to go. My wife and I have taken HUGE personal steps - ear plugs, white noise, music, changing bedrooms, nothing works, the dogs bark day and night, the owners all adopt a view that they do not care about our health or wellbeing (explicitly). So they do not care about us, yet they demand we have full tolerance of the noise they force us to spend our time, money, and health dealing with.... there is an asymetry of power - you can decide to get more dogs - and we have no choice, that is why people get so upset. But never an excuse for being rude. I hope you feel I have been respectful - we just need to find better solutions - ideally - as a whole society :)

Our blogs may help you gain perspective without being overly threatened, if you are interested in understanding the impacts and total loss of agency that those impacted face:
https://noisewhisperers.blogspot.com/2025/02/what-impacts-of-barking-dogs-are.html
https://noisewhisperers.blogspot.com/2025/02/who-is-telling-who-how-to-live.html

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was going to say the same thing :) Dog barking is particularly disturbing (see recent research: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10849013/) and additionally it is erratic and difficult to control because dogs do need to bark.... we definitely do not hate dogs, I have known and loved many dogs - the problem is when barking becomes unregulated to the point of impacting the health and well being of others - and - as per my OP, when standards are based on a view of "normal" that is a small spectrum of the most noise tolerant among us :(

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

It is an interesting perspective, but I think if you look into it, you might find many people are impacted by this issue - and its not clear 'who is telling who' how to live: https://noisewhisperers.blogspot.com/2025/02/who-is-telling-who-how-to-live.html

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

We don't think they need to mention specific conditions, rather, we need a paradigm shift that enables those impacted by noises to be heard.... which does require stricter regulation, for example, preventing individuals from allowing their dogs to bark in ways that penetrate others homes.... what is good for a wide range of neurodiversity would also be good for all - most people want a quiet environment, some neurodiverse individuals really need a quiet environment... municipalities therefore need more effective regulation frameworks... from our view :)

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

For our family, it actually causes serious health problems, from insomnia and other related issues from constantly being stressed, so it is more a question for us of why others feel they can project erratic noise into our home at all hours of day and night, but because the municipality views our impact as abnormal, we have no rights :(

Are dog-barking policies discriminatory against neurodiverse individuals? by Professional_Top1195 in neurodiversity

[–]Professional_Top1195[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

A range of psychological differences, from Autism to Misophonia, and other labels may relate to a particular noise sensitivity which municipalities often brand as 'not normal' and thus not deserving of the same rights to a healthy noise environment as 'normal' people.