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Our local City Council has recognized the serious problem of excessive barking of dogs in our neighborhoods. This awareness has been largely brought on by increasing demands on the City Animal Control Division in the last few years, which has been unable to respond to the huge number of phone calls and requests for action. The number of citations for nuisance barking has risen by 60% since January 2005. Most of the complaints can be avoided, says one Animal Control employee. "We need to increase awareness of the problem and remind pet owners of their obligations to their neighbors. Pet owners, their fellow citizens and, of course, our cherished pets themselves are suffering from the emotional tensions beingcreated daily."

The City Controller's office confirms that their budget has been strained to the limit. There are insufficient revenues to increase Animal Control expenses in the current fiscal year. After long, and at times contentious, debate Council Members finally arrived at a possible resolution in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"We have," commented an unnamed source close to the Mayor, "arrived at a compromise agreement to mitigate this increasing problem." He added, "It offers a win-win-win solution; a win for our citizens, a win for the city, and a win for our pet population."

Within the next several weeks City Maintenance crews will be erecting new signs in the most sensitive neighborhoods. The new signs will remind pet owners of the need to keep the non-essential barking of dogs to a minimum. A spokesman for the CBO (City Budget Office) told me that the idea at first appeared to be another costly, unaffordable, city boondoggle. Then, someone in the Maintenance Department remembered that there had been hundreds of parking signs taken into stock several years ago. These were never utilized. "With a small modification to these signs, costing mere pennies, they can be put into use immediately. The cost savings will be significant as no extra expense will be needed to increase Animal Control Personnel."

Two of the new signs are previewed here (Exclusively for YourHub.com subscribers! Isn't that exciting?). City Council-members are asking for feedback from the community. "Sometimes seemingly unsolvable problems need to be addressed with innovative solutions," said one council member. "We are excited about this program and look forward to monitoring its effect over the next few months."