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Dorm life is supposed to be about independence, but it’s also about learning to live with everyone else’s noise.

One college student lived in a pet-friendly dorm with her emotional support cat, and her neighbor eventually moved in with a dog said to be in training as a service animal.

It was a young border collie with severe anxiety, and it barked all day and night and scratched at the walls.

She understood that the dog was stressed and felt bad for it, so she reported it to the RAs. They told her there wasn’t much they could do, but months later, nothing had improved.

The walls were thin, her insomnia got worse, and she had to increase her melatonin dose just to rest.

Now she’s looking for advice.

Keep reading for the full story.

My neighbor’s dog barks nonstop. I feel bad but is there anything I can do to make it stop?

I’m a college student who lives on campus. My college used to allow pets until this year. Now they only allow ESAs in “pet-friendly” dorms and service dogs in any of the dorms.

I live with my ESA cat in one of the “pet-friendly” dorms without a roommate due to accommodations, and the girl who lives next to me brought her dog about a month into the semester.

But this dog wasn’t exactly a welcome presence in the dorm.

This dog has horrific separation anxiety and awful anxiety in general, but I’ve been told it’s in training to be a service dog.

It’s a border collie or border collie mix, at least a year old, and barks all day and night and sometimes scratches the door and walls.

The student has tried to put a stop to it, but nothing ever came of it.

I’ve made several complaints to the RAs because the dog genuinely sounded really stressed, and I was worried for its wellbeing. I was told there wasn’t really anything they could do and that the dog was just really stressed and adjusting to being on campus.

However, this was back in late August to early September. It’s now the beginning of November, and this dog does not sound like it’s gotten any better.

The student feels concerned for the dog, but also concerned for their state of mind.

I feel bad because I 100% understand the dog being stressed and being upset. At the same time, I’m genuinely struggling to sleep at night with how thin the walls are in this building and how loud the dog is at night, especially when it goes on almost all night long.

I’ve had to up my dose of melatonin from 10mg to 25mg over the past month just to get to sleep because my insomnia has worsened, which I can’t 100% say is because of the noise.

This sounds like a frustrating situation.

Maybe it’s time to talk to the dog owner directly.

Documentation is going to be key here.

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This user wonders if the service dog policy is being taken advantage of.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighbor who keeps reporting a neighbor who is constantly parking in the handicapped spots.

This dog really needs to be better trained.

This student feels for the dog and she respects her neighbor, but on the other hand, she hasn’t slept properly in two months.

“The dog is adjusting” worked for the first week, but not for 10 weeks. Two months of barking and scratching isn’t the sign of a well-adjusted service dog.

Everyone in this story deserves better.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.