Barking Dog

My neighbor that lives directly behind me has a large, brindle, mixed breed dog. She has been barking a lot lately. She has been waking me up early in the morning. I finally had it the other day when she woke me up at 5:30 in the morning.

I went over to her house and knocked on the door. The man of the house answered. I was very nice. He told me that he has been trying to train her not to bark. How do you train a dog not to bark, especially if she is outside all the time? He told me her sister was gone, (what does that mean?), and she has been outside because they had a newborn in the house, and they don't want her around the baby.

I have been hoping someone else would call the police or the ASPCA, but just now I heard something that really pisses me off.

I was sitting on my bed by the window. I had it open a little bit, and so was able to hear the dog barking very, very well. I started having fun with it, and told my dogs to "speak." We were all barking for a little while. We stopped and I was watching tv. The dog on the other side was still barking. After a while, I heard the man yelling at her to shut up. Then I heard this sound that sounded kinda like a big tennis ball bouncing over and over. I didn't know what it was until I heard the dog begin to whine. He was hitting her really hard.

I felt instantly sick. I felt almost responsible. I wanted to steal her from them. What can I do?

I guess I will have to call the ASPCA. I have been afraid to call anybody because I felt that at least she had a home and was fed. She doesn't have a dog house, though. When it rains, she has to stay under the awning of the house. They have a wicker love seat there for her to lay on. I was afraid that if she got taken from them, she would get put down because she is a large, mixed breed dog and they are hard to get adopted. I knew that the ASPCA would come out and tell them to get her a house. I figured they would get her one, but she would still be outside all by herself. But now. . .

Based on tv, I don't think the ASPCA will have her put down. I will have to call because she has had enough abuse.