If it were something like... having a party with loud music, I'd agree about trying to talk to them first. But a nightly occurrence with a dog barking at all hours sounds like animal neglect, and getting authorities involved in one way or another is probably the best thing to do, and that could get really ugly with the neighbor being fined and/or losing the animal.

I'm gonna go ahead and say I strongly recommend not going to talk to them. This person knows they're a shitty dog owner, I'm sorry but there's no way they don't. They just don't care.

If you're going to get the police involved to complain about noise (which I think you should) or escalate with repeated complaints to animal control, you do not want this person associating you with the reason they lost their dog or are being fined. The type of person who's going to just leave their dog outside barking all night is the type of person who would go out of their way to be shitty to the neighbor who caused trouble for them...

I probably wouldn't do Lafayette or the Franconia Ridge as a first winter hike. There have been a few deaths up there recently from inexperienced/ill prepared hikers...

Look into Mount Pierce or Mount Jackson, both 4kers with nice views, both get above treeline but not excessive. They are solid first winter mountain hikes, as you can duck back into the shelter of treeline relatively easily if needed (if you didn't quite dial your gear right, or the weather turns).

You might also want to head over to r/wmnf for good tips.

As for breaking into mountaineering, agree with poster who suggested a guide or taking a mountaineering course.

Lots of good recommendations, just going to say that I probably wouldn't choose spring to start hiking in the white mountains. Wait till summer... Shoulder seasons can be rough, particularly for a beginner... You've got mud, disintegrating monorail, difficult water crossings from the snow melt, and you're still going to be hitting icy/snowy patches where you need foot traction. You can also get temperatures ranging from below freezing to eighty degrees, with big swings in temperature in a single day.

If you want to start in the spring, try southern NH (still likely to hit mud but not as treacherous otherwise).

Drive the Kanc, check out North Conway and/or Littleton, drive through Franconia Notch (route 93).