Outdoor Bark Repellers - Animal Cruelty Or A Justified Response?

I'm going to discuss an item which is designed to stop outdoor barking without requiring you to actually go outside and daze the dog yourself. The item I use allows me to specifically target my neighbor's dog, as it is hand held. I like the fact that I know it's only functioning when I point it and press the button. However, without outdoor bark deterrents, I feel concerned that they may be triggered by other loud noises, such as car doors closing or any other sound which may be similar to a dog's bark.

Let's look at one very popular item on Amazon that has over 1300 reviews. It's supposedly effective at distances up to 50 feet and works on all sizes of dogs.One feature of this deterrent that I quite like is its' appearance,as it looks exactly like a birdhouse and is intended to also act as a decorative piece.

 
The product description states that the product 'detects repetitive barking', which I find to be a very important ability. This comes back to my fear that other sounds may be mistaken for a dog's bark, causing my neighbor's dog to suffer undeservedly. I don't think I could ever use one of these on my own pet.

Reviews show that this product is generally quite effective. Hopefully it is a reliable bark deterrent and doesn't go off when it shouldn't. I'm on the fence about these products, but will be willing to try one of my hand held stops doing the job.

$55.99 on Amazon