It appears the Town of Essex is going to the dogs.
Councillor Sherry Bondy says complaints have been piling up recently about persistent dog barking in several neighbourhoods.
Bondy says residents are having trouble getting help as it's not clear whose responsibility it is to respond — the police or the town's bylaw enforcement.
She says the barking is having a negative impact on the quality of life for some.
"The residents have done what they've needed to do," she says. "They've called the police, they've called bylaw and kind of what they're getting is the police are perhaps too busy, the bylaw are perhaps too busy. So I know it sounds trivial, but if you've ever lived next door to a dog that barks constantly, it can really have a negative impact on somebody's quality of life."
Bondy says it's been an ongoing issue.
"In September, bylaw was 33 calls," says Bondy. "It is higher than traffic. We have police that are responding to a lot of calls, we have bylaw that are responding to a lot of calls and both parties cannot get on top of issues."
She adds some in the community are feeling ignored.
"Looking for a solution because I have it written down from the police saying this is a bylaw issue and then our bylaw saying they will respond during their hours, but after hours it's a policing issue," she says. "Really what's happening is nobody's taking care of the issues."
Bondy brought the issue up during Monday night's council meeting.
Administration is looking at a number of solutions including bringing in the town's animal control officer to help with the influx of complaints.