‘Spent over $100k’: The costly fight over barking dogs that divided a local neighbourhood
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Disputes over neighbourhood noise can quickly spiral into complex legal battles.
What began as complaints about everyday pet behaviour has since grown into a costly, drawn-out confrontation.
This is the story of one Melbourne man’s fight to protect his home and his dogs against persistent council action.
A Melbourne man faced a relentless legal battle after neighbours complained about his two Jack Russells barking at all hours.
Glenn Tong, a long-time resident of Hawthorn in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, first became aware of the issues in 2017 when Boroondara Council began sending letters accusing his dogs, Marco and Mia, of disturbing other residents.
The council claimed the dogs were causing a nuisance by barking late at night and early in the morning, with complaints alleging noise at 2am.
Tong shared: ‘There were three or four of these letters, and every single time I wrote back "Well, it’s not my dogs".’
He added: ‘They sleep with us under the doona in bed so if the dogs bark, my wife and I would wake up straight away, and we don’t like waking up at 2am.’
Despite his protests, the council continued its pursuit.
In October 2020, Tong was formally charged with two offences—one for each dog—alleging he allowed excessive barking, especially during early and late hours.
When contacted by Brett Melke, a canine law expert, Tong dismissed the accusations, saying: ‘This is a lot rubbish. It’s complete nonsense.’
After nearly four years, Tong finally appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in February 2024 with Melke and his barrister Tass Antos.
However, the hearing did not go as planned when the magistrate refused to grant extra time for Tong’s team to present all their evidence.
Tong explained: ‘The magistrate was adamant that she would not give us the time that we asked for to present our evidence.’
He continued: ‘My legal team and I basically said, well if we can’t present all of our evidence here, we’re going to lose anyway, so we made the decision to not provide any.’
Consequently, Tong was found guilty and fined $2,310.
He was also ordered to walk his dogs daily and employ a professional trainer.
Despite the setback, Tong and his legal team lodged an appeal less than an hour after the verdict.
He estimated that he had already spent over $100,000 fighting the case and expected to spend an additional $55,000 to $60,000 on the upcoming hearing in the County Court of Victoria scheduled for November.
Tong expressed the high stakes involved, warning that not appealing could result in a removal order from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), forcing him, his wife, and their dogs from their home of 21 years.
‘My dogs are certainly not barking at those times and in those situations and I’m not going to plead guilty to it,’ he said.
He described a forced move as ‘disastrous’.
A spokesperson for the City of Boroondara acknowledged that excessive barking could be a nuisance and confirmed that complaints were investigated and acted upon when necessary.
They declined further comment, citing the ongoing court proceedings.
To help fund the legal costs, Tong launched a GoFundMe campaign for his upcoming case.
In a previous story, another Aussie dog owner found themselves at odds with local authorities after being slapped with an $806 fine.
The penalty sparked outrage, with the pet owner calling out what they believed was an unfair and confusing rule.
Read more about the incident and what led to the hefty fine.
With such a long and costly fight over neighbourhood noise, do you believe councils are handling these disputes fairly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
What began as complaints about everyday pet behaviour has since grown into a costly, drawn-out confrontation.
This is the story of one Melbourne man’s fight to protect his home and his dogs against persistent council action.
A Melbourne man faced a relentless legal battle after neighbours complained about his two Jack Russells barking at all hours.
Glenn Tong, a long-time resident of Hawthorn in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, first became aware of the issues in 2017 when Boroondara Council began sending letters accusing his dogs, Marco and Mia, of disturbing other residents.
The council claimed the dogs were causing a nuisance by barking late at night and early in the morning, with complaints alleging noise at 2am.
Melbourne man fights council over barking dogs. Source: GoFundMe/Glenn Tong
Tong shared: ‘There were three or four of these letters, and every single time I wrote back "Well, it’s not my dogs".’
He added: ‘They sleep with us under the doona in bed so if the dogs bark, my wife and I would wake up straight away, and we don’t like waking up at 2am.’
Despite his protests, the council continued its pursuit.
In October 2020, Tong was formally charged with two offences—one for each dog—alleging he allowed excessive barking, especially during early and late hours.
When contacted by Brett Melke, a canine law expert, Tong dismissed the accusations, saying: ‘This is a lot rubbish. It’s complete nonsense.’
After nearly four years, Tong finally appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in February 2024 with Melke and his barrister Tass Antos.
However, the hearing did not go as planned when the magistrate refused to grant extra time for Tong’s team to present all their evidence.
Tong explained: ‘The magistrate was adamant that she would not give us the time that we asked for to present our evidence.’
He continued: ‘My legal team and I basically said, well if we can’t present all of our evidence here, we’re going to lose anyway, so we made the decision to not provide any.’
Consequently, Tong was found guilty and fined $2,310.
He was also ordered to walk his dogs daily and employ a professional trainer.
Despite the setback, Tong and his legal team lodged an appeal less than an hour after the verdict.
He estimated that he had already spent over $100,000 fighting the case and expected to spend an additional $55,000 to $60,000 on the upcoming hearing in the County Court of Victoria scheduled for November.
Tong expressed the high stakes involved, warning that not appealing could result in a removal order from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), forcing him, his wife, and their dogs from their home of 21 years.
‘My dogs are certainly not barking at those times and in those situations and I’m not going to plead guilty to it,’ he said.
He described a forced move as ‘disastrous’.
A spokesperson for the City of Boroondara acknowledged that excessive barking could be a nuisance and confirmed that complaints were investigated and acted upon when necessary.
They declined further comment, citing the ongoing court proceedings.
To help fund the legal costs, Tong launched a GoFundMe campaign for his upcoming case.
In a previous story, another Aussie dog owner found themselves at odds with local authorities after being slapped with an $806 fine.
The penalty sparked outrage, with the pet owner calling out what they believed was an unfair and confusing rule.
Read more about the incident and what led to the hefty fine.
With such a long and costly fight over neighbourhood noise, do you believe councils are handling these disputes fairly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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