Image you're in a small room, hands tied to your side, and several chainsaws are blasting all around you.
That's what it can be like for many dogs in animal shelters. According to the Livescience article below, the compounding noise from dog barking can lead to sound levels well in excess of 110 decibels.
Having been around heavy industry and construction, I know what the headache inducing effects of noises in this range are like. I don't know, however, what it's like not to be able to do anything about it. Dogs cannot cover their ears nor do they have access to hearing protection.
The article points to the need for redesign of animal shelters -- allowing individual rooms for individual dogs to mitigate the exposure of barking noise as well as shared playrooms to allow for the much needed socialization of the dogs.
While this is a very lofty goal, it may be something we should consider in the future for the well-being of these animals.
Click below for the Livescience article on Yahoo News:
Constant Barking Drives Dogs Nuts, Too