Do people still write poison pen letters? They used to be a major mystery story plot device.

[bobbieinok]

[TreasonousBastard]

1. We got emails and Twitter for that now.

[Iggo]

2. Um....The Internet?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Is there a ransom note font?

I'm asking for a friend.

[MurrayDelph]

4. We got one a couple of months ago

We had a Sasquatch (a Malamute/Pyrenees mix, since decreased) and a Dachshund/Terrier mix. If the dogs were in the front yard (fully fenced) when people walked by, the would bark. This being Oregon, most who walked by would recognize the Sasquatch's greeting as "come play with me," and would respond in kind. Apparently, one neighbor didn't.

A few weeks before the Sasquatch passed away (complications of epilepsy), we adopted a bonded pair of senior dachshunds, whose owner had passed away. During their transition to their new home, they barked at everything from people walking by the front of the house to me coming back upstairs from my basement office.

That was when, at age 66, I received my first poison pen letter, from an anonymous "group of neighbors" (who was probably just the obnoxious asshole a few houses down who'd "suggested" we fence in our backyard, which was not a feasible alternative), who threatened legal action, despite the fact that we'd bring the dogs back in if they were truly obnoxious.

We posted an open letter in response, explaining the situation. The new dogs are still adjusting, but are much quieter, and other than people reacting to the jerk letter or expressing sympathy for the loss of the Sasquatch, haven't heard anything else.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Please work on teaching your dogs not to bark all the time.

Trust me, those of us who aren't all that fond of dogs in the first place do not like listening to them.

I've considered recording 45 minutes of barking, and then figuring out how to play it back under the neighbor's bedroom window at 3am. Luckily for them, I'm not sufficiently tech savvy to do so.

[MurrayDelph]

6. We have been

They rarely bark, and when they do are brought bank inside promptly.

And they sleep inside at night.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I bet my neighbors whose dogs bark for 45 minutes or more at a time

are convinced they rarely bark.

Inside at night is good.

[MurrayDelph]

8. I'm sorry your neighbors are not good stewards of their pets

But was your takeaway of my story of my seven-and-a-half-year-old dog, who loved everybody, dying from status epilepticus, where he went into seizure after seizure until his heart gave out, that at least there's one fewer noisy barker in the world?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. If he was barking constantly, while I'm sorry about your loss,

I can assure you that his barking was not appreciated by your neighbors.

At least with cats, you can't hear them meowing half a block away.