Dogs running free warning sign

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milo'n'molly

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Has anybody seen a warning sign that doesn't say beware of the dog ( as rightly or wrongly I have heard that this admits liability if something were to happen)

Yesterday I had a worrying experience, I came home at lunchtime and opened the side door to leg the dog into the enclosed back garden and went inside. A delivery driver pulled up and saw the side door open, tried the locked gate and failing to get in jumped over the gate. Well the dog has heard him try the gate and flew at him, hackles up barking and growling but did not bite him. The guy did not flinch and just stood there ignoring the dog at his feet and I removed him and locked him up. No harm done but I certainly don't want a repeat of that so am looking for a sign to put up.
 
I ordered my off ebay it says "please shut the gate dogs running free, it is 2 signs mounted on wood and wired to the gate.

When I adopted my 2 Dogs, Dobermann Welfare advised me to do this, it makes everyone aware that dogs can be in the garden without admitting liability.
 
Ours says "Do not enter you may frighten the dogs". Seems to work although most of the delivery drivers know our dogs and just ignore all the barking they do. Exactly the right thing to do as they don't get a reaction so they wander off!! They are rotts so can be intimidating.
 
Years ago an insurance agent told me to get a dogs running free sign for my back gate as my dogs had free access to the back garden even though it was a locked 6ft solid gate. He said it covered me if anybody stuck their hand through or over and got bitten where a beware of the dogs sign could be seen as admitting liability because you are saying that you are aware that your dogs could be dangerous. I used to buy stick on thin metal signs for a couple of quid from ebay.

Of course, that is now a moot point since the new dog laws came in earlier this year as there is now no defence legally if your dog bites someone even if they come over a locked gate onto private property. They have to break into your house before the dog is allowed to bite them...
 
I have two gates into my back garden, the gate from the street which leads into a small fenced off walk way then another gate so I have time to get to the garden when the dogs run out....not that they would attack anyone but collies can sometimes look scary.
 
Slightlyconfused said:
I have two gates into my back garden, the gate from the street which leads into a small fenced off walk way then another gate so I have time to get to the garden when the dogs run out....not that they would attack anyone but collies can sometimes look scary.
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I think you'll find that statistically collies are amongst the worse for biting and a working collie that won't bite is pretty nigh useless in practice. I say that as someone who has been bitten by an international champion working sheepdog and it's owners still maintain to this day that it didn't happen!

As for signage, I have two GSDs off working lines, one being trained in man work and my sign, rescued from the recycling centre and almost certainly illegal states "Danger - Guard Dogs Patrolling". Hopefully, that is forceful enough to keep even the idiots from getting into a situation where they could be bitten!:) But then I am prepared to take the consequences for peace and quite. It works! A sign stating "Loose Dogs" might do the trick.

It is a false assumption that your nice friendly dogs will also be nice and friendly to strangers when you are not around.
 
Have a look on eBay. Especially the .com one from over here. There are signs for almost everything you want to say.

I have 6 big dogs and they wander around free range on the farm from dawn till dusk. So long as they are out and wandering around then anyone can come to the farm and they're very friendly with the UPS/Fedex drivers and the mail delivery woman but once they are brought into the back garden for the evening they are different. I can't imagine anyone in their right mind would go into our back garden with my dogs there as they are very vocal when they're behind the fence. One dog can climb out so I had to extend the height of it to 8ft, which I think is intimidating enough in its own right lol.
 
milo'n'molly said:
Has anybody seen a warning sign that doesn't say beware of the dog ( as rightly or wrongly I have heard that this admits liability if something were to happen)

.
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yes, I made one :p very useful as have a long drive (gated) and its not really the do to be worried about as much as ducks and poultry. Its worked very well except for the JW, who were very determined to get to the house.

or go to signomatic and get one done-they are very reasonable.
 
Dry Rot said:
I think you'll find that statistically collies are amongst the worse for biting and a working collie that won't bite is pretty nigh useless in practice. I say that as someone who has been bitten by an international champion working sheepdog and it's owners still maintain to this day that it didn't happen!

As for signage, I have two GSDs off working lines, one being trained in man work and my sign, rescued from the recycling centre and almost certainly illegal states "Danger - Guard Dogs Patrolling". Hopefully, that is forceful enough to keep even the idiots from getting into a situation where they could be bitten!:) But then I am prepared to take the consequences for peace and quite. It works! A sign stating "Loose Dogs" might do the trick.

It is a false assumption that your nice friendly dogs will also be nice and friendly to strangers when you are not around.
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My dog is a collie x jrt and he is fine out and about and happy for people to be invited to the house but in the situation where he is alone on home turf and confronted with a stranger I am concerned. I am sure he wouldn't maul someone but confronted like that I wouldn't guarantee that he wouldn't snap and run. (But he is as you say pretty neigh useless at working sheep, we tried)
I have been looking and I think I will try get crafty and make my own
 
Dry Rot said:
I think you'll find that statistically collies are amongst the worse for biting and a working collie that won't bite is pretty nigh useless in practice. I say that as someone who has been bitten by an international champion working sheepdog and it's owners still maintain to this day that it didn't happen!

As for signage, I have two GSDs off working lines, one being trained in man work and my sign, rescued from the recycling centre and almost certainly illegal states "Danger - Guard Dogs Patrolling". Hopefully, that is forceful enough to keep even the idiots from getting into a situation where they could be bitten!:) But then I am prepared to take the consequences for peace and quite. It works! A sign stating "Loose Dogs" might do the trick.

It is a false assumption that your nice friendly dogs will also be nice and friendly to strangers when you are not around.
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't make my self clear :)
I don't trust most collies I meet as I know they can be biters/nippers. There is a farm round here the fire and police wont go on until the collie is on a lead as he had bitten.so many of them.

I know any dog has the ability to turn and.bite in the right situation. Some one near me had a king Charles cavi that was a known biter and he actively went for you. The owner was a horrid little man.

My collies aren't working so I don't need to worry about them being useless :)

I have a dogs running free sign and then on the second gate a beware of the rabbit one.....and its the bloody rabbit that will attack anyone it doesn't know in the garden so he isn't let out with out supervision
 
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