Man Loses Lawsuit Over Neighbor's Barking Dog Due to Lack of Standardized Evidence

A Kaohsiung resident surnamed Tsai claimed that his upstairs neighbor's German Shepherd barked day and night, causing severe insomnia and forcing him to wear noise-canceling headphones at home. He spent over 133,000 TWD on soundproofing and sued for damages and emotional distress totaling 1.33 million TWD. The neighbor argued that the dog did not bark excessively and that they had already installed floor soundproofing to maintain harmony. The Kaohsiung District Court reviewed 130 videos provided by Tsai but found they failed to prove the noise came specifically from the neighbor's home. Furthermore, Tsai used a smartphone app to measure the noise instead of a certified meter. The judge noted that in dense urban areas, noises must exceed social tolerance standards to be considered illegal. Since police visits also found no excessive barking, the court dismissed the case for lack of evidence.