Honest family fined for owning dogs

For months my family has been dealing with a neighbor who seems to have a problem with almost everything we do. We enjoy having company and are in and out of our home often. We have two dogs.

My husband and I both work and our three kids are in school. Our dogs apparently bark too much for our neighbor when we are not home. We have gotten emails and calls regarding the barking, but we mostly don't hear it because we have kids and dual pane windows. After my husband asked our neighbor to close her windows and or get earplugs, a complaint was filed and we were fined.

I don't understand. We work, take care of kids, and live an honest life. In court I was treated as a criminal for having a pet who protects my home. Robberies, shootings, and stabbings riddle our city and my family is fined for barking dogs. My hope is that instead of taking each other to court over petty tiffs, we could band together and fight off the real bad guys.

JESSICA BALAM

Modesto