Down with doorbells & beeping smoke detectors on TV!

Dear advertisers, marketers & others in charge of sounds on TV:

During a recent episode of Modern Family, there were no less than four doorbells in a single half hour of television. In my house, that translates to four instances of insane barking and general chaos. (One of these days, we’ll get over that doorbell mania.) I could barely get through the show.

Then, while I was watching the Oscars on Sunday, I saw a Hyundai commercial featuring the beeping of a dying smoke detector. (Apparently, this one has been around for a while, but I guess I have managed to skip over it until now. Thank you, DVR.) Luckily, Bella was upstairs at the time – nothing turns her into a neurotic mess faster than that beep. Tavish woke up, but then I muted it.

A tipster on Facebook mentioned that they read an article saying that marketers were including these sounds on purpose. The goal? To engage homes with dogs. Um, more like enrage. Or torture. At least in my house.

The video below is an extremely accurate depiction of how I feel every single time that Hyundai commercial comes on or there’s a doorbell on TV. (Don’t watch it where any dogs can hear it, okay?)

I used to assume that you just didn’t realize the chaos you were unleashing in my house. Now that I know your actions might just be premeditated, I’m feeling pretty grouchy. Be warned, advertisers. If you intentionally use these dog-annoying sounds in your commercial, I will remember your brands… but not in a good way.

Please. Make it stop.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Member of the Dog-Having Public

Readers, do these sounds cause chaos in your house? Do you also wish that advertisers would just cut it out? Let’s band together!

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29 thoughts on “Down with doorbells & beeping smoke detectors on TV!

    • Luckily for us, we have never lived in a house with a working doorbell so that sound means nothing to Shiva. However, any type of knocking sound, even if it’s just me knocking accidentally on the counter, has her up and barking at the door. We’ve worked on this off and on but I guess it doesn’t irritate me enough to work on it more. I kind of like the fact that she barks when someone knocks on the door. Half the time I don’t even know there is someone there until I hear her. Shiva is our version of a door bell. 🙂
      Kristine recently posted..Is Shiva a “Sound” Dog?

      • You know, we didn’t have a doorbell until three years ago, but even when we lived in an apartment Bella would bark at the bell on TV. She must have had experience with them in a previous life.

        She also freaks out when there’s knocking, though I’ve noticed it’s gotten worse now. Even when I just sit a glass down on a coaster that will occasionally set her off.

  1. I love this post! Not all TV doorbells get my dogs, so you never know when the pandemonium will break out. Jimmy is much more reactive to animals on the screen, Wilson never notices them.
    The worst for us is the real doorbell. We have teenagers next door and they think it is very funny to ring the bell 10 times instead of just once. Both dogs run in place for several seconds on the hard wood floor, finally get traction, fly for the door, Jimmy bites Wilson on the way there because he is so over-stimulated, and then they keep barking for another few minutes. I also hate it when the UPS guy has to ring the bell, instead of just leaving the package. Fortunately it’s just once, but it still kicks the beehive!
    Taryn recently posted..Mr.Indepenent

  2. LOL I love that episode of Friends!!
    And I totally feel you! My old cable box used to beep occasionally and it would drive Ellie crazy to the point of shaking and drooling, it was some sort of torture device! That transitioned to any beeps from the TV, but since the old box has been gone over a year, she’s miraculously gotten over all beep sounds thank GOODNESS!
    Stacy and Ellie recently posted..Rant: Dumb dog owners

  3. Yes, yes, and yes. Doorbells, chimes, gongs, knocking, banging, barking, other random animal noises, phones ringing, etc.

    Oddly, in real life, when the smoke alarm goes off (sad but true: we burn stuff a lot), Desmond doesn’t even flinch. Thanks for saving our lives in a fire, dog! Not.
    lauren recently posted..Hurricane Update Part 5: Xanax & The Crate

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