Question:
My neighbors have a dog that barks into the night, waking up my kids sometimes, and disturbing everyone in the area both day and night.
They are two k’nisas over, and I can’t imagine they don’t realize that this is bothering people, they clearly don’t care.
Is it mutar for me to poison and kill the dog, saving all of my neighbors from this hezek (especially their next-door neighbors who have trouble sleeping at night)?
Answer:
In response to your shailah regarding your neighbor’s dog whose barking disturbs the neighborhood:
While we certainly sympathize with the difficulty, however, it is not allowed to poison the dog as long as it does not pose a physical hazard to the neighborhood. (עי’ שו”ת שבט הלוי ח”ו ס’ רמ”א וס’ פתחי חושן ח”ה פ”ה הערה ק’ בשם פוסקים בענין זה)
However, you can, after properly warning the dog’s owner, file a complaint with the city’s veterinary services.
