I feel too much is being made of gun shots waking up people in a different house. It was mentioned how quiet it is in the country and the gun shots should have awakened people in a different house.
The dogs outside were hunting dogs and at least some were coon hounds. They will bark at rabbits, raccoons, stray cats, rats, etc. regularly. Usually one barking will get the others barking. Even indoor
dogs may bark when outside dogs bark. It would not be quiet around there at night. I doubt they woke up every time a dog barked or there was any other noises. Some people fall asleep watching TV in bed
and that would make noise less likely to wake them. The two homes nearest each other were not 10 feet apart like in a trailer court and were pretty much end to end with a good distance between them.