The Dog Upstairs - A Scene Reconstruction - News and Feature Writing

This is a scene reconstruction based on a story told by a fellow classmate:

Seven in the morning and the alarm goes off. Not the alarm I set last night, but the yappy dog upstairs that's been waking me up all week. Barking and scratching at the floor in anticipation of its owner's return.

That's it, I thought. This was the last straw. I had to talk to my neighbor. But since confrontation is public enemy number one in my life, I'll just put it off for a little longer.

Fast forward a few days and I get a text from my neighbor. Nothing incriminating, just asking a couple questions. As soon as I saw her name flash on my screen, I knew. It was time. I'll just ease into it. A few nice words about how I'm glad she adopted Buster* and then I'll get into the real problem...

The dog is loud. I don't have to be up at seven o'clock, but I'm not given a choice. In the afternoon I need some relaxation time. Some Netflix and maybe a snack, but I can't focus on the shows and movies with yap, yap, yap and scratch, scratch, scratch going on over my head.

Just teach him how to quiet down. That's all I wanted from her. She took it well and decided she would get him a bark collar.

Great. Now I feel like a horrible person. Every time the sweet thing barks it'll be shocked like some Guantanamo prisoner.

Guilt. Looks like you're public enemy number two.

*name changed