Attention all dogs in Belfield, N.D.: Keep it down.

The North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a dog owner’s claim that Belfield’s ordinance against barking was unconstitutional.

The law in Belfield, in southwestern North Dakota, declares that “excessive, continuous or untimely” dog barking is considered a public nuisance.

Fred Kilkenny got a $20 ticket for his barking dogs even though he was in Mississippi at the time helping Hurricane Katrina victims. He and his attorney argued the ordinance was unclear.

A neighbor complained that Kilkenny’s dogs were outdoors and barking after 8 p.m. the night of Oct. 24, 2005, according to records. He had hired a caretaker, who told police she had not put the animals inside because she had to work until 9 p.m.