Imagine living in the country where all of your neighbors own dozens of acres of land. If you had a working dog who lived on your land, would you be upset if a neighbor complained about your dog barking when they live half a mile away?

In this story, one homeowner who also happens to be the new HOA president is in this exact situation, and they’re not sure if the person who complained is the problem or if their dog barking really is the problem.

Let’s read the whole story.

AITA for this rural neighborhood dispute?

I live in a rural HOA community (yes, my first mistake). Each lot is 35 acres, and we raise livestock on ours (which is permitted).

We have a Livestock Guardian Dog who keeps watch over our stock. His job (which is in his bloodline), is to warn off predators.

Being 130#s, hes got a loud bark, and it is effective!

He is the loudest in the morning and the evening (he sleeps in the barn with the goats at night), as he goes back out to patrol his perimeter.

It was never a problem until recently.

We have lived here with him for 4 years.

A few months ago, I was appointed President of the HOA. This obviously made a few people extremely unhappy (IDC), and 3 property owners have bombarded the board of directors with complaints about my dog since I was appointed.

One of the complainers is the previous BOD President.

The timing is VERY questionable.

The new board sent me a violation letter and my argument was/is:

1. Why is this an issue now? We’ve been here for 4 years, the timing is questionable

2. If this is such an issue, why did the previous President not address it? Why is she only addressing it now.

So, here we are 2 months later going to an HOA hearing.

This is getting expensive for the HOA.

The board offered mediation, I agreed.

The previous President did not, she wants a public hearing.

This has cost our association a large amount of money in legal fees.

Under Colorado State Statue, my working dog is protected under the Right to Ranch Act. A letter of support stating that was sent to my BOD from our County Sheriff and County Commissioner.

Here’s the real question…

My question is: who is the jerk? Me for having a working dog (the complainer is a half mile away as the crow flies).

Im not disputing she can hear him, but I question her claim that he is a nuisance.

It seems weird to me that there’s an HOA in an area where people own such big pieces of land out in the country. I always think of HOAs as more urban or suburban housing developments. Regardless, if the dog is protected by the Right to Ranch Act, the complainer is in the wrong.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

Here’s a good suggestion.

Another person who lives on acres of land weighs in.

Timing is everything.

She’s just jealous.

The dog is not the problem.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.