Episode 8

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Published on:

15th Aug 2025

8: Neighbour Complaints About Your Dog? Here’s the Ultimate Guide to Keeping the Peace

In this episode of Tales and Tones, host Mariska discusses the challenges dog owners face when neighbors complain about barking. She emphasizes the importance of understanding barking as a form of communication and offers practical steps for addressing complaints with neighbors. The conversation includes personal anecdotes, actionable advice, and heartwarming stories, all aimed at fostering a supportive community for dog parents.

Takeaways:

  • Barking is a form of communication from your dog.
  • Not every complaint is a personal attack on you.
  • Understanding the reason behind barking can help address complaints.
  • Transparency with neighbors can ease tensions.
  • Assess complaints neutrally before reacting.
  • If a complaint is valid, take proactive steps to resolve it.
  • Document your dog's behavior to track progress.
  • A dog apology basket can help smooth over neighbor relations.
  • Stay calm and grounded when addressing complaints.
  • Your response to complaints is crucial in maintaining community harmony.


Relevant links mentioned in the episode:

Where Tails meet hearts, Padre João Paulo

Paw-lebrity of the Week, Tuna (Traveling Tuna)


Timestamps to relevant points within the episode:

[00:00]- Introduction to Dog Complaints

[01:19]- Understanding Barking as Communication

[02:39]- Navigating Neighbor Complaints

[09:49]- Five Steps to Address Complaints

[18:11]- Tools and Strategies for Dog Owners

[17:40]- Fetch or Forget, Eufy Cam 2 Pro, Never versions available

[20:22]- Where Tails meet hearts, Padre João Paulo

[23:32]- Paw-lebrity of the Week, Tuna (Traveling Tuna)

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About the Podcast

Tails and Tones
Helpful tips, heartwarming tails, and honest reviews for the busy dog parent.
Helpful tips, heart-warming tales, and honest reviews for the busy dog parent — with our first product launching in Q1 2026! (Elevated food and water station)

Be First to See Our First Product, an elevated bowl - Join the wait list here https://tailsandtoneselevated.carrd.co/ />


After struggling to find sustainable, well-designed options for her own pup—and digging deep into the pet industry during her Master’s in Sustainable Design—Mariska realized she was searching for products that simply didn’t exist.



She realized that if these products didn’t exist yet, maybe it was her turn to help bring them to life.



That mission sparked both the upcoming product line and the creation of Tails & Tones.



Being a dog mom is the best—but let’s be real, it can also be confusing, messy, and a little lonely sometimes. That’s why the podcast was born: a warm, practical corner of the internet for intentional, busy dog parents.



Every second Friday, host Mariska (fellow dog parent, dog-obsessed human, and sustainability-driven designer) delivers short, soulful episodes filled with dog-care tips, honest product reviews, inspiring stories, and real-life advice you can actually use.



And now the next chapter begins:
Our very first Tails & Tones product launches May 2026! Thoughtfully designed, sustainability-led, and made for modern dog parents like you.
Alongside the elevated food & water station, we currently have three additional products in R&D, all created with the same intentional, sustainable approach.
Be the first to know when our first product go live — join the waitlist here
https://tailsandtoneselevated.carrd.co/ />


We are also developing our second product an indoor potty station. If you’ve struggled with leaky pads, smelly fake grass, or 3AM elevator trips in pajamas, this is the solution you’re going to want early access to. Join the waitlist for our game-changing indoor potty station./

https://indoorpottystation.carrd.co/


Listen on your favorite podcast app—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or anywhere you tune in. You can also subscribe directly at https://tailsandtones.com/listen



If something in the show speaks to you—or you know a fellow dog parent who’d love it—please share it and leave a review on https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/tails-and-tones-6086657



Got questions or just want to say hi? I’m always around on Instagram @tailsandtones



Where every tail tells a story, and every tone speaks from the heart.



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About your host

Profile picture for Mariska Nell

Mariska Nell

Mariska Nell is a podcast host, pet advocate, sustainability expert, and proud dog mom to her rescue French Bulldog, Piper—also known as the real boss of the house. With a background in design and environmental science, and a Master’s in Sustainable Design focused on the pet industry, Mariska brings heart, humor, and purpose to everything she creates.

She’s the founder and host of Tails and Tones, a soulful podcast for intentional pet parents, where she shares insights, stories, and reviews that help make pet care a little easier and a lot more joyful. She also hosts Mama Earth Talk, where she dives into sustainability topics with changemakers from around the world.

Whether she’s recording episodes, consulting on pet-focused sustainability projects, or out on a walk with Piper, Mariska is passionate about creating a better world—for pets, their people, and the planet.