Cyprus Mail 16 November 2024 - by Alix Norman
‘Bark! Bark, bark, bark – all day and all night! I was going insane...’
According to 2020 research, Cyprus has by far the highest level of urban noise pollution in Europe.
Almost half of us are being exposed to constant noise! And by constant, we don’t mean your mother-in-law’s diatribes. No, we’re talking about the background sounds that are just there – day in, day out…
It’s road noise that’s the biggest culprit, with 49.2 per cent of our urban population experiencing levels in excess of 55 decibels. That’s almost double the percentage of any other nation in Europe, and well above the EU average of 21 per cent. Bulgaria, at 29 per cent of the population, experiences the second highest amount of noise. And in countries such as Greece, Germany and Portugal, less than 10 per cent of the urban population is exposed to excessive noise pollution.
Okay, but what about incidental noise pollution – the sounds that come and go, or keep you awake through the night?
Noise complaints are a constant feature of our news – be they from bars, restaurants, or rowdy neighbours. And on this island, municipal authorities are allowed to investigate any noise pollution in violation of 60 to 70 decibels.
To be honest, that seems a bit low. A washing machine, alarm clock, and a belly laugh can all register in this range. So can loud snoring, but we’re not all calling the police on our significant others – much as we may want them behind bars after another sleepless night!
But all of these have an end point; we can cope because they’ll soon be over. Perhaps the worst sound is something that plagues the whole island. It’s classified as incidental noise. But here in Cyprus, it seems to be more constant – a noise that goes on and on and on, following us from city to village, mountain to coast. Barking.
The EU report doesn’t offer any data on noise pollution from dogs. But it’s definitely a point of ongoing contention, and an issue on which the Cyprus Mail has been reporting for decades…
In 2007, after multiple complaints to the police and the municipality, barking dogs forced one couple in Dali to sell up and move house. In 2012, a letter from Sleepless in Ayios Tychonas suggested we “think about the people with young children who are constantly woken up at 2am, 3am and 4am by someone’s barking dog!”
In 2015, a Limassol dog owner was fined €550 after a neighbour complained that the constant barking affected her quality of life (though a similar case in Nicosia was thrown out of court). And in 2017, Peyia became the focus of canine noise pollution, with residents suggesting the constant barking from dogs in a nearby field was “literally destroying lives”, with one interviewee suggesting “it’s honestly making us consider selling up and buying something in another country.”
By 2018, the law allowed offenders to be prosecuted (the owners obviously). But the factors involved were confusing (dog must be three months or older; the accused should be the dog’s licensed owner; independent witnesses need to confirm the disturbance; demonstrable evidence that the barking impacted residents’ quality of life). And that meant – according to the justice minister at the time – that convictions were thin on the ground.
“Anyway, by the time the case actually got to court, the dogs would probably have died from old age,” says Myria Charles…
From 2015 to 2018, Myria lived in Strovolos, next to a woman whose spaniel and labrador would “Bark! Bark, bark, bark – all day and all night! I was going insane.
“I broached the issue with the woman several times, referencing the law and emphasising animal welfare. It didn’t work. Her constant refrain was ‘They’re dogs; barking is what they do’. And nothing I said could change her mind. In the end, I moved.”
Myria’s story is all too common in Cyprus, where even the authorities are unclear on the law, let alone what can be done.
In France, authorities can fine owners up to €450 on the spot if their dog’s barking disrupts the quiet of a neighbourhood through intensity, repetition or duration. In Spain, local councils enforce noise limits based on WHO guidelines, and formal complaints lead to legal action. In the UK, councils treat barking as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act, and can issue Noise Abatement Notices; non-compliance leads to prosecution or ownership restrictions.
In Cyprus? Well, last year, a revision to the law was proposed, which would set out to tackle unsocial, irresponsible and dangerous behaviour as relates to dogs, and would punish everything from omitting to pick up your dog’s waste to neglecting to register your dog with hefty fines. In there, somewhere, is a €200 fine for excessive barking…
In effect, this means police would immediately be able to leverage a fine on any owner whose dog is disturbing the neighbours. But in practice, that’s not yet happening.
Rather than getting the official party line, we spoke to a couple of policemen about what can actually be done on the ground. “My power is the law,” said one of the officers, sadly. “But if the law is not yet in place, I can do nothing.”
When a noise complaint comes in, the officers revealed that they will go to speak with the owner. But that’s all they can do for the time being. On the other hand, if you show up at a police station with two independent witnesses, a case will be filed. And this, it transpires, will ‘eventually’ make it to court.
You can also go to the municipality, and they may investigate – possibly fining a dog owner without a licence, or denying the owner a licence (and then collecting the consequent fine). Or you can call the Animal Police who, it seems, are extremely short-staffed and (we speak from experience) unlikely to answer your call.
In short, our options are limited, unclear, and unlikely to produce significant results. It’s worth remembering, dogs don’t just bark for no reason. Barking is a form of communication, and its cause lies in how owners care for their dogs.
But that’s another issue, for another time. In the meantime, earplugs?
WHY DOGS BARK
Territorial defence: Barking to protect their home or space from perceived intruders
Attention-seeking: Dogs bark to get attention from their owners
Separation anxiety: Continuous barking when left alone due to anxiety
Fear or alarm: Dogs may bark when startled or scared
Excitement: Barking during play or when greeting someone
Boredom: Excessive barking due to lack of mental stimulation or exercise
Frustration: Barking when they are unable to reach something they want
ANIMAL POLICE
Nicosia District – 97 849765
Limassol District – 97 849766
Larnaca district – 97 849767
Paphos district – 97 849787
Famagusta District – 97 849768
Morphou District – 97 849786
