Neighbor Harassment over Dogs

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Doc9

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Would appreciate some advice on this matter before it escalates. In a nutshell, I live in an upscale community with many elderly neighbors. I have two certified medical service dogs on my residence. One is a seizure alert dog and the other is a service dog for the hearing impaired. The second dog belongs to my son who lives with me and is hearing impaired. My home is posted as having "Service Dogs in Residence" and the local PD and HOA are aware of their presence. The PROBLEM: I have several ELDERLY neighbors who are afraid of my dogs simply because of their breed. They are both Dobermans. These neighbors have continuously lodged complaints against me with the HOA and animal control for my dog's "excessive barking" and have also accused my dogs of "charging toward them" as they [the neighbor] walked by my home. As a result, I get letters from the HOA and visits from the PD and animal control who, upon seeing my dogs documentation, behaviour, impeccable training and demeanor, have repeatedly discounted the complaints. I have documentation of the dog's certification, training and medical necessity...which far exceeds what I am required to provide by law. The harassment is based entirely on my neighbor's PERCEIVED perception that my animals are inherently dangerous because of their breed. Since the HOA will not give me the names of the neighbor(s) making the complaints I cannot deal directly with the neighbors themselves. I have reminded the HOA that this area is not a matter handled by the HOA and that I am well within my rights to own service dogs....of any breed. Through the grapevine, I have been warned by other neighbors that the neighbors involved in the complaint(s) have openly stated that they will not stop the harassment until..."Those viscious dobermans are gone." At this point, I am absolutely speechless. I have two LEGALLY CERTIFIED SERVICE DOGS and feel some serious "breed profiling" is taking place and at some point this is going to become a problem. The complaints are ludicrous in and of themselves as my dogs are not "chained up in the backyard" nor do they "bark" unless to alert my son of a noise, an alarm, the phone ringing or whatever....even then the bark is two short barks only. My dogs do not go outside without supervision and when I do take them out for exercise, they are only allowed in my backyard. I am absolutely at a loss for how to approach this problem. Doc
 
Does the HOA have your dogs documentation on file? And has the HOA notified the other homeowners of the subdivision where you live that you must have those dogs for medical reasons?
 
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