Our schnauzer, Tally, had a brief bark-off with the neighbor’s dog, Oscar, this morning, creating a disturbance in our apartment building. The sounds tend to echo off the hallway walls to make the noise much worse. Oscar is a big black Labrador puppy that is harmless – as is Tally for that matter, so these encounters are nothing but harmless territorial squabbles. However, timing is everything and it’s amazing how we typically come out of our doorways at exactly the same time. Otherwise, I rarely see any of my neighbors – only hear them, as I’m sure they also hear Tally’s barking.

We know when our upstairs neighbor does their vacuuming, goes to the toilet, and walks to the kitchen. I’m sure those below us know our habits, as well. The floors are thinner than the walls because we rarely hear anything next door. We’re at least on the end of the hallway, but should have also selected an apartment on the top floor. These are key considerations when living in a residential building. Only three to four months before our Florida home is completed, depending on delays. Hopefully, hurricane Eta has not disrupted construction. We’re counting the days.

I feel sorry for big dogs in small apartments. Lack of space is not so bad for little Tally, but both dogs are not used to regular companionship. They get excited when they see each other, but I will have to watch our timing. It’s out every morning at 7:30 a.m., with last call at 10 p.m, plus 11, 3, and 6 in-between. Our neighbor must need to be at work by 8 a.m., and I certainly don’t want any doggy disturbance complaints. Tally may not get free-reign in the mornings to romp down the hallway, although she does often dawdles, particularly in front of Oscar’s door. Occasionally, I can hear some growls on the other side.

Oscar is not as bad as Moose, the Saint Bernard that recently moved out. Tally is about the size of Moose’s head but still refused to be intimidated. Moose and Tally were on the exact same schedule every day for the first year that we lived here. If we took the stairs, there was Moose. If we chose to ride in the elevator, out would pop Moose’s gigantic head and Tally would go crazy. If we were in the nearby park, there was Moose. Fortunately, they found a house, so Moose now has a backyard to explore, while our apartment lobby is now much quieter. 

Tally is off to the beauty parlor this morning, while poor Oscar is stuck inside. I don’t think he gets out of jail until after work. I’ve yet to run into them in the evening, but need to show caution around every corner. There are several other dogs in the building, including Mary Sue, a pit bull mutt, that draws a growl or two from Tally when they come nose-to-nose. The neighbor downstairs has a playful Golden puppy that Tally seems to like. Grace, as she’s called, is a little aggressive with her impressive vertical leaps and big paws. There’s also a few new-to-the-building pups that we’ve yet to meet, but right now Oscar is Tally’s biggest nemesis.