Mesa man finds little help with howling dog – themesatribune.com

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Updated: September 18, 2026 @ 10:00 am
A Mesa man is at war with his neighbor, who owns this hybrid wolf-dog. 
Anthony Aquino of Mesa said no one will help him in his ongoing battle with his neighbor over the neighbor’s baying wolf-dog. 

Anthony Aquino’s forever home in northeast Mesa has become a forever nightmare.
A Mesa man is at war with his neighbor, who owns this hybrid wolf-dog. 
Almost immediately after he and his spouse, William Delia, moved into the Salerno Ranch neighborhood in 2022, they began trying to put up with the howling from two hybrid wolf-dogs owned by their next-door neighbor. The man now has one dog.
“The first year I didn’t want to complain,” Aquino said. “Being the new neighbor, I’m like,’ Oh my gosh, you don’t want to make a bad impression.’ And then I don’t want to be like a Karen.”
But the couple soon reached their breaking point.
Aquino’s keeping a log of every time he’s called police – seven – and recorded on his cell phone the incidents of howling, which date back to October 2024.
“Bill gets up at 6 a.m., he’s still working,” Aquino said, playing back a recording. “He goes to work at 6:30. Imagine listening to this from 11 p.m. until 4 or 5 in the morning.
“It sounds like this dog is in bed with us. That’s what was driving us crazy. You can’t listen to this all night long.”
He’s complained to the dog owner, the HOA management company, Mesa Animal Control and Mesa Police – all without resolution, Aquino said.
Anthony Aquino of Mesa said no one will help him in his ongoing battle with his neighbor over the neighbor’s baying wolf-dog. 
“I’m not really getting any satisfaction or help from my HOA, not getting any satisfaction or help from Mesa Police Department – except they come out” and speak to the neighbor, he said.
Animal control did send two warning letters to his neighbor but to no effect.
Although the pre-dawn howling has since stopped, the dog’s powerful vocals still sound off. Wolf dogs are highly vocal creatures known for intense, deep and long-range howling that can be heard from 10 miles away.
“My husband and I are sitting on the couch watching TV,” Aquino explained as he played a March 8 recording. “The doors open, the weather’s nice. Now, this is Sunday night. This is what we listen to for two and a half hours.”
Even with the door closed they can still hear it, he said.
Aquino and his neighbor no longer communicate with one another and each accuse the other of behavior that has escalated the situation.
“He used to love and compliment on the howling all the time,” the neighbor said of Aquino. “And then just one day he got really upset.”
He also denied threatening Aquino in any way or that his dog incessantly howls.
“When she howls in distress like that is because I’m not home,” he said. “Sure, she does howl for the sirens … maybe for a couple of minutes and who cares?
“I’m not talking daily, not even weekly, sometimes weekly, sometimes every few days. But we’re definitely not more than a couple times. We’ll say no more than three times a day, and in a week’s time span, probably no more than 10 times at most.”
Things finally came to ahead last week, when his neighbor showed up at 7:40 a.m. at his doorstep, “pounded on the door, and started screaming and cursing,” according to Aquino.
That and something he claims the man previously told him made Aquino feel threatened to the point that he’s petitioned for an injunction of harassment last week.
The court set a hearing for Friday, March 20, to allow both parties to present testimony and evidence before a judge decides if the injunction is warranted.
The HOA management company did not respond to a request for comment by deadline. According to Aquino, he was told to file a complaint and the HOA could then fine the neighbor.
Mesa’s Animal Control confirmed it respond to Aquino’s complaints.
“Animal Control has investigated complaints submitted by Mr. Aquino regarding a reported barking dog,” a city statement read. “When animal noise disturbances are reported, Animal Control follows an established process to document and verify the complaint before enforcement action can occur.
“Mr. Aquino first contacted Animal Control on Dec. 2, 2024 regarding a reported barking dog, which resulted in a courtesy notice being sent to the dog’s owner. A second complaint later that month prompted an additional courtesy notice.”
Animal control again responded in April 2025, when Aquino submitted the most recent complaint, which prompted a courtesy notice and a welfare check on the animal.
“During the welfare check, no violations were observed,” the city said.
Residents experiencing ongoing animal noise disturbances are encouraged to continue reporting incidents so they can be documented and addressed through the enforcement process, the statement added.
“When officers respond to a noise complaint, they evaluate whether the sound may be considered disturbing and unreasonable under the circumstances,” said Police Department spokesman Det. Jesse Macias in an email.
“That assessment is based on several factors outlined in the City’s Noise Ordinance, including the volume and intensity of the noise, the time of day, proximity to residential areas, surrounding background noise, whether the sound is amplified, how frequently it occurs, the zoning of the area, and whether the noise can reasonably be controlled.”
According to Macias, officers consider the totality of the circumstances when determining whether a violation may have occurred.
In many situations, the issue can be resolved by speaking with those involved. If the problem continues and efforts to mitigate it are unsuccessful, enforcement of the noise ordinance may be considered, he said.
Aquino, a former ballet dancer who performed on Broadway and former instructor, said he’s spent his life savings renovating his home and his bare-bones backyard into an inviting retreat and at almost 62 he didn’t want to start all over again.
“I’m worried about not receiving help,” he said. “The situation has escalated to the point that now we have gone tit-for -tat” with HOA complaints filed against each other.
“I don’t feel happy,” Aquino continued. “I don’t feel secure. I put all of my money into this house. And I’m heartbroken that that is happening.
“I don’t know now if this is going to be my forever home.”
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