You need to explain to your neighbour why your dog barked all night.

**Question:**
Your dog barked continuously last night from 11 PM until 3 AM, disturbing your neighbour, Mrs. Garcia. Write an email to Mrs. Garcia. In your email:
– Apologize for the noise
– Explain what caused the dog to bark
– Describe what you will do to prevent it happening again

**Model Answer:**

**To:** mrs.garcia@email.com
**Subject:** Explanation and apology – my dog’s barking last night

Dear Mrs. Garcia,

I am writing to sincerely apologize for the noise from my apartment last night. I know my dog, Charlie, barked continuously for several hours, and I completely understand if it disturbed your sleep or caused you frustration.

Let me explain what happened. Charlie has never been a problem barker before, but last night around 10:30 PM, a raccoon somehow got onto my balcony. Charlie saw it through the sliding glass door and became extremely agitated. He barked at the raccoon, and the raccoon refused to leave for almost four hours. I tried everything I could think of – closing the curtains, turning on the TV for white noise, and even sitting with him on the balcony – but he would not settle down until the raccoon finally left around 3:00 AM.

I feel terrible that this disturbed you, especially knowing that you have to wake up early for work. To prevent this from happening again, I have taken the following steps: First, I have installed motion-activated lights on my balcony to deter wildlife. Second, I have purchased a white noise machine to place near the sliding door. Third, I have scheduled a consultation with a dog trainer for next week to work on Charlie’s reactivity to animals outside.

Please accept my sincere apologies. I also wanted to offer to buy you a coffee or breakfast as a small gesture of apology. I will also make sure Charlie is extra quiet during daytime hours today so you can rest.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Best regards,
Tom Chen