Group W bench

The wheels of justice, i've been told, move slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. My neighbor today entered a guilty plea to one count of violating the city of Durham noise abatement ordinance in allowing his dogs to bark continuously over a 72 hour period in late September. He was fined $50 plus court costs. No word on whether he'll need to sit on the Group W bench from now on.

But this case marks, to my knowledge, the first conviction in Durham for this violation. I'm also hearing a rumor that Durham PD is getting a bit tired of responding to all of these types of complaints, and will be issuing more citations and fewer warnings for these violations. So if you're one of those folks who live next to or near someone who doesn't care about their barking dog, call 560-4600, the city of Durham non-emergency dispatch number, the next time you have a problem.

And if you're one of those folks whose dog is outside barking for a couple of hours at a time, do the rest of us a favor and bring him inside once in a while. You'll be happy, we'll be happy, and your dog will be happy. And he can protect your house better from inside than from that pole he's tied up to.