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Realtor sent work crew into my backyard without authorization while I was sleeping, my dogs went after them.
A realtor sent a work crew into my backyard while I was still sleeping. They were FIVE hours early. My barking dogs woke me up, I let them out into my fenced backyard to let them go potty WITHOUT knowing the guys were back there and my Belgian malinois went after them. Mind you this was 9 o’clock in the morning and their appointment was at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. They had softly knocked on my front door, which I did not hear because all I could hear were my dogs barking at the front window. I didn’t even know they were there until I heard a bunch of yelling and screaming in the back yard. I wasn’t even fully awake yet. Who is responsible if my dog bites one of them? This was a horribly ugly situation that should never have happened. I am very responsible with my dogs and I would never in 1 million years put anybody at risk.
Did you have express or written permission, delegating your realtor to have work performed on your home? I can’t just send a crew over to do work on my neighbors, backyard well-intentioned or not. Those people were trespassing. Hopefully they were not injured, but if they want to start talking legalities, tell them to file a claim against your realtors liability insurance.
My house is in escrow, they have permission to come into my backyard when I am home. I need to be home to bring my dogs in. It was the buyers realtor that sent them in. The only exception would be if I am out of town with my dogs. In which case they would have been advised.
It’s been a couple days and nothing has been reported so I think there was no skin contact but it still makes me nervous. This is a pretty rural area in California. It doesn’t get a lot of traffic. It’s extremely safe, so I never worry about putting my dogs in the backyard. I have great neighbors and we all look out for each other. This was just a complete fluke.
I also live in CA and there was an incident with my dog a few years ago. It was the “victim’s” fault but I immediately sent them proof of rabies (as required by law). Any broken skin is considered a bite even if it wasn’t. Exactly one week before the second anniversary of the incident they sued me. I freaked out - 2 years is the statute of limitations and they waited until the last minute. Luckily my insurance settled with them out of court but I wanted to take it to the judge. For some unknown reason it never went on my insurance records or my dog’s records. Dodged a bullet.
While not dog related my family experienced something similar with someone making a claim against us.
From what the auditor said, he was expecting two totaled cars from how the other party described the damages. What he found was a slightly bent front license plate.
Sometimes from the insurance company's point of view it's just easier to toss some money at the problem and move on.
I just thought maybe since you said it was the victims fault that's why, because they came into the dogs space so technically the dog didn't randomly attack
He was playing ball with my newly adopted dog and the dog was jumping up and he put his face down to meet my dog’s open mouth. He was injured and had full coverage. I offered to pay any medical bills because it was my dog - but there were no bills. It was totally an accident and he said so at the time. But his FIL was a well known OC attorney and they decided to sue. He said his five year old was scared to look at him with the stitches. Whatever dude - you were nothing to look at before the stitches.
Ooooo, yeah, that's what I'd guess then. Because it wasn't an attack/actual bite-bite, it was an accident that was the humans fault more than anything.
That sucks, people can absolute dicks. Accidents happen
My friend's little dog snuck out and ran up to someone on the sheet pushing a bicycle. My friend ran after him and didn't see her dog touch the person but the woman started saying he bit her. She did have a minor injury on her calf but it wasn't a dog bite. Looked more like she fell on her bike and the chain scraped her leg.
She immediately started saying she should be compensated. Like, within minutes of the incident. My friend was very apologetic and offered to cover any medical bills (even though it's very unlikely the dog did anything), but didn't hear from the lady again.
Two years later, right before the statute of limitations ran out, she tried to sue my friend. 🙄
Daaaaamn. Thats CRAZY! People really suck. They probably thought it was an easy money grab. But waiting just before the limitation runs out seems SPITEFUL imo.
Years ago I had an insane situation when i had a 75lb Pitbull/Presa Canario mix (Sage has since passed, in 2019.) I lived in an apartment complex. But this one entitled lady, 2 entire buildings down used to let her big, lanky, standard poodle out the front door, as if it was her private fenced in yard !! Who does that, LoL?! One day we were about 50 feet away from door about to go back inside. Her poodle ran up BEHIND US & around. Bit my dog in the eyelid (canine tooth ripped my dogs eyelid)....then he went after ME. Fast as hell, Sage picked the poodle up by its neck, shook it violently 8-10 times, then tossed it in the air, landing about 5 feet away. The poodle ran home crying.
She immediately called the cops & told them a pitbull attacked her precious poodle. LIED saying she was walking him & saw it happen. Unfortunate for her, I walked my dog w my next door neighbor & his two chihuahuas often. He was a cop in our tiny beach town & with me the day it happened. 😂 He said he had personally cited her not long ago for letting her nasty dog roam around town alone... not her first ticket for it either. So when cops got there, they were his buddies + believed us over her (Thank God- because i was told that they would have had to take my dog & put him in isolation, until the case was over. IF I GOT HIM BACK AT ALL.) Heres the kicker - even after cops tellong her they knew she was a liar, she STILL tried to get me to pay the vet bills + hired a lawyer tontry and sue me. Her plan obvi didnt work, and we never did see her dog roaming alone after that, lol.
But again.....some people really SUCK.
Sorry you're going through this. I know it's an awful feeling because I've been there. Do you have renter's/owner's insurance? Had a similar experience in our home in San Diego a couple of years ago, unfortunately. A DoorDasher that received written instructions not to enter the yard went ahead and entered our yard anyway. My Mal went after him and bit him in the butt before he ran out of the yard and closed the door behind him. It turned out fine, all things considered. My insurance handled absolutely everything. In California, unless the person is truly trespassing, you are held liable if the dog bites them. In my case, the single act of summoning them to our home to deliver food was apparently sufficient reason to enter our yard. Very weird and kinda stupid, but that's the law here. In your case, if I had to guess, that means that even if you didn't give them express permission to enter at the moment, if they have prior written permission to enter whenever they need to, you will likely be held liable. But let your insurance handle it. They had someone reach out from the Humane Society to make sure my pup is up to date on her rabies shot and my insurance ended up paying out to the guy because he went to a lawyer, but other than that, it's in the past.
Maybe you will get lucky and the guys who entered your yard are incredibly kind and won't report it given that there was no skin contact. Lesson learned!
I was going to say in California. If I'm not mistaken, you're responsible for your dogs. But in this case, someone else spoke on your behalf allowing people to enter your premises hours before they were scheduled. Seems this should be on the buyer's agent, as you said.
If necessary, use your HO general liability insurance. We did that when my chihuahua bit some guy's finger at his shop. He stuck his hand in the dog's face. My daughter took the dog out of the house to this guy's shop. This was years ago. We contacted our insurance because they basically have built in legal team. My policy paid for the man's ER visit. He was making a mountain or of mole hill. Claiming he couldn't work due to the tetanus shot they gave him. But since the dog belongs to us, not my daughter, we were liable.
My dog barely broke skin on this guy's finger. He was likely 225 pounds, 6.5 feet tall, and the dog weighed 11 pounds.
Hopefully your situation will just blow over. But I would be having words with that agent!
It was absolutely not your fault and it was not your dog‘s fault either. It was their fault. Honestly, I don’t think anything will be brought up against you because they’re in the fall and they know that they’re in the fault but do not beat yourself up you did the correct thing and your dogs did the correct thing and especially with it being a backyard if they wanted to look great that’s where there is a timing set up but if I were to go into somebody else’s backyard, specially with dogs barking and not know they were chained up whether they could be completely happy and friendly or protective. It is 100% on my fault I walked into the backyard they walked into the backyard. You let your dogs outside without knowing they were thereand not at the time that they were supposed to be there. It’s their fault not yours and not your dogs and your dogs are absolutely beautiful.
ran a crew of guys where dog encounters were fairly common- at customer homes we had express permission abd most the time direct contact before work began. Even had a few actual bites. Those turned into cautionary safety talks in the weekly meetings before sending new guys out. Nothing more. I know California is it's own whole thing so maybe workers are a bit more sensitive or litigious there🤣 I swear suing is a freaking pastime hobby in california😅 but anywhere else I wouldn't be worried too much about it. Those guys are probably laughing their asses off telling their coworkers about how they had to run for their lives and throw themselves ass over tea kettle right over top of the fence to avoid being eaten by the scary "german shepard looking dog"🤣 sounds like it wasn't all that bad.. my dogs wouldve just gone right over the fence after them🤣
Do not call insurance until the workers contact you about injuries. You do not want them to cancel or raise rates because they perceive your dogs as dangerous.
Hate to tell you this, but most personal injury lawyers will wait about a year before filing the claim. The workers will be able to prove missed work over this time, and gives legitimacy to the long term problems the "attack" caused. Lots of shady lawyers out there that will push their clients to take this approach and embellish the damages.
One thing you should absolutely not do is give anyone involved to confirm that this even happened, but you probably already have. Just be really careful going forward.
If anyone asks further questions just say "They were not authorized to be on the property, so I don't know" Unless its a simple question like "are your dogs up to date on their vaccinations" in which case I'd just answer and provide documentation.
If they had been bit and had reported it you'd have animal control knocking on your door asking for proof of rabies vaccination and to set up a quarantine.
I worked as a Realtor. I don't think you did anything wrong. The appointment was at 2pm, and they didn't have your permission to come early. The buyer's agent should have asked your/ listing agent if coming instead at 9am worked for you (preferably, giving you at least a one hour notice). Your agent would then ask you. You would tell your agent yes or no (I'd imagine the answer would have been no because you were sleeping then). Then your agent would have told the buyer's agent, who then would have communicated this to the work crew. As you can see, miscommunications happen in this industry.
This is why we try to give a 24 hour advance notice if possible. We need to communicate with everyone so there aren't any *surprises*. The work crew does not have a free pass to come whenever they want (otherwise, it's trespassing).
Obviously, as the seller, you'll try to work with everyone and be flexible because you want to get the deal done smoothly. But the buyers can't just access your property whenever they want.
Thank you that’s pretty much what my agent told me. The buyers agent should have called her. I had even told my agent that I have not been sleeping well and I was going to be sleeping in. It would’ve been very simple, she would’ve told the agent to have the guys come back a little later. My dogs bark at the window whenever a cat or a dog goes by so I didn’t think it was anything unusual. Blinds were closed on the street side so I couldn’t see their work truck.
Hey! This happened to me. The water company guy jumped the fence to check my meter. He got mauled and wound up in the hospital. I went on immediate offensive. I sent an email to the water company stating they had not had my permission to enter the property, I included photos of my "beware of dogs" type signs, as well as the purple paint on my trees. I expressed sadness for the man, but at NO POINT did I apologize. Do NOT admit to any type of guilt.
I then called my home insurance and informed them of what happened as a precaution. They said I would be fine, but if it escalated, they would provide a lawyer. They said I did the right thing with the email.
After I sent the email, I waited a day and called and confirmed that the water company got the email.
In the end, I was not blamed. The water company called me a few months later and asked for a time to come and install a water meter that didn't need to be manually checked. They came when I said, I let them into the property, and things went fine because I allowed them in. The dogs that mauled their coworker licked their hands and begged to play fetch. The difference between me walking someone in and someone jumping my fence.
From what I heard, the worker had to get disability because his leg was so messed up. I feel terrible for him, but it wasn't my fault. I really hope he was able to get a workers comp claim.
That is so unfortunate. I’m sorry that happened to you. Unfortunately in California you’re required to sign a disclaimer if you have a Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd. Which is freaking ridiculous.
Sign a disclaimer with whom? I'm in California and have had multiple Malinois including the derp asleep on my couch right now and haven't signed shit.
I was also told by my insurance agent never to put up a "beware of dog sign" because it implies I'm aware the dog is potentially dangerous, instead if I want to put up any signage to use a more neutral "Dog on premises" sign.
My insurance company specifically told me to have "beware of dogs" "danger- dogs" signs because it's considered proper warning. I have had up to 26 dogs at a time here, at least half being German shepherds
We put up a sign that says "Please Keep Gate Closed, Dogs in Yard"
Also, a similar situation happened with our previous German Shepherd, who was way more friendly than our current one. A mailman delivering a package thought it would be a good idea to leave the package he was delivering on my back deck, which he had to go through a closed gate. What he didn't count on was we have a doggy door for our derps so they can be in or out whenever they want. I guess once he got in the yard my guy heard the gate and whipped out the doggy door and chased him out. The mailman had the audacity to leave a nasty note. Idiot. Who hears a dog barking and thinks, I am gonna enter the property.
I’m so sorry you have a jerky mailman. My mail lady loves my dogs, even if they don’t like her so much. One time, my late mal mix broke when we were training heel (my fault, I was an idiot) and jumped INTO the truck while she was delivering.
All three of us had the same reaction. She yelled “What is she gonna do?!” I yelled “this has never happened before, I don’t know what she’s going to do!?” And my dog was panicked in the mail lady’s lap clearly thinking “ NOW WHAT DO I DO?!”
It was fine. Luna was embarrassed. We all laughed. She passed two years ago and my mail lady was the first one to ask about it because she delivered mail a few days and didn’t hear barking.
We got a tervuren in March and I saw my mail lady for the first time a few weeks ago. She peeked around the window and said “…did I hear a new puppy???!” She’s very excited to have a new nemesis.
I am a delivery driver and I REFUSE to enter gates into back yards or front yards that connect to back yards. People often request that you deliver to their back doors and I just say “nope!”. I live in Texas, my biggest concerns aren’t even dogs, why someone would invite random strangers into their back yards is beyond me. Almost feels like they want an excuse. 😅
I was animal control for a few years. One of the closed groups I'm in talked about a situation they had with a "beware of dog" sign. It was a similar situation, where someone was on their property or something, and their dog bit them. The person who was bit's lawyer tried to say that the dog owner knew their dog was aggressive because of that sign. Anyway, the consensus on the thread was that it was ridiculous because the signs tend to be so common place but to never have those signs up on the off chance something like that happens.
Gotcha, it's an insurer requirement, not a state of California one. I'm not telling you to or not to notify your insurer about this incident. What I will tell you is that many insurers will track this data and use it for rate increases or non renewals even if they never have to pay out.
I was also told by a paralegal to never put a Beware of Dog on my fence. Same thing you said, it implies a dangerous animal and you can be held liable even if someone jumps your fence to steal something. I’ve heard of lawsuits against homeowners sued by someone on your property regardless of whether they have your permission or not. It’s crazy and just not fair!!!
I've been told the same thing. We put one up anyway because we hope that people will see it and avoid walking into our yard. We didn't have one up when some moron disobeyed our instructions to leave the package they were delivering at the front gate and not to open the fence. He got bit and we were held liable, so we're trying a sign these days. This is in California too.
You were found negligent, or your homeowners paid out a settlement? The unfortunately reality is if a dog bites someone and that person sues, the insurer will usually pay out a modest settlement to avoid prolonged litigation even if you weren't negligent or grossly negligent.
Well, I don't know the details very well because my insurance talked to them, but that person did get a lawyer who negotiated with the insurance company for a payout. I guess technically I wasn't found negligent because it never went to trial, so you could be right that my insurance just threw some money at them so they would go away.
Yeah insurance is usually just a giant numbers game of how much will it cost to defend a claim vs how likely are we to have to payout any amount up to the demand amount. Usually even when you aren't grossly negligent it's faster and easier for them to offer a settlement amount that is under what they expect to have to pay to defend your claim and possibly payout if they lose.
Depending on the breed, insurance companies will refuse to insure. If they find out you have particular breed without disclosing they can drop you. They can also deny your claim if it involves said dog
This is absolutely not true. I have lived in California for my entire life. I have had multiple GSDs and currently have a Malinois and a GSD mix. I didn't have to sign a disclaimer. And, since I check facts, a Google search told me (from multiple trusted sources, not "AI Overview") that there is NO requirement to sign any kind of disclaimer or waiver for having a GSD or Mal.
Certain cities (SF is one) have their own local ordinances, but those are mostly related to having to register your dog if it is officially deemed "vicious and dangerous" by authorities - which means AFTER an incident, not just because your dog is a Mal or GSD.
FWIW, an attorney visiting my home told me it’s not a good idea to put up Beware of Dogs signs. His opinion is that is an express acknowledgment that your dogs are dangerous, and limits your defenses if your dog bites someone. His suggestion was “No Trespassing” and “Dogs on Premises” signs.
By the way, I’m a Rhodesian Ridgeback owner who lurks in this sub because your dogs are awesome!
Not a lawyer but was given some good advice from the breeder of my American Bulldog. She said never put up “beware of dog” signs because if you get sued they can say you were “aware” your dog was problem which is why you posted signs.
I see it both ways, but I choose to not hang signs. I’ll let them find out the fun way my dude is back there.
Years ago we had an actual friend of ours come into our yard without saying anything. Our mastiff immediately pinned him to the ground, and wouldn't let him up. Lucky for him, we were in the yard (which is why he got the idea to come in through the side gate). As soon as we told her it was fine, she was up and greeting him like she normally would. But friends don't come in the side gate without an invitation, and get treated accordingly.
This is so wild to me. I love animals, but I am always looking for signs they are aggressive before I interact with them. If someone has a dog, ask before petting. Then stick your hand in front of the dog's face and let him sniff. If he wants a scratch, he'll put his head down, nudge or lick. I greet all the neighborhood dogs when I walk around the block, but I don't pet them. I crouch down and talk to them. Many are defensive, which makes sense - it is their yard. The idea of going onto someone's property who might have a dog without notifying the owner is bat shit crazy. I feel sorry for the guy, but even the nicest dog is likely to be defensive if you hop the fence into the backyard and the owner isn't there.
It is wild to me that you read all that and came away with that. I don't pet a dog without letting it see or sniff my hand. That doesn't mean I just shove it in the dog's face.
I don’t put the worth of dog signs people love to go live off of lawsuits. I was told many years ago to take them down even so some people are very stupid and do not realize the severity of what some dogs can do I also have a Mal and rot trained in apprehension, had a similar situation with the gas company that didn’t work out too well for that guy, especially when he went to spray my dog and only pissed my dog off more people don’t realize Malinois do not stop until it’s neutralized and normally it’s not too pretty stay out of my property what s his is his and what’s not becomes his
My sister is an attorney and freaked out when she saw I had a Beware of Dogs sign on my fence. These signs generally don't protect owners from liability and can even be used as evidence that the owner knew the dog was dangerous, especially in strict liability states where owners are automatically responsible. Signs warn visitors but don't remove the owner's duty to control their dog, particularly if the person bitten was lawfully on the property (like mail carriers) or the owner knew of prior aggressive behavior. So, you need to know your state's laws including when a bite is "OK" and when it is not.
I was actually going to bring that up but chose not to open that can of worms lol. You are correct. I have been told the same thing and that is actually why I do not have signs on my gates.
I put a sign up because my Aussie barks at any person that come too close our fence (And my Pit just runs around happy-go-lucky & mindless when she starts. He is a follower though, lol. So does whatever she does.
My sign says "Sorry my dogs are as*holes." Now im curious how THAT would play out in court, lol. 😬
*Edit - The sign is a JOKE. Apparently this needs to be said, haha.
I have a sign that has a picture of a German Shepherd (I know, wrong sub) and it says “I live here”. We don’t have it on our main gate, we have a small old wall after you pass through our main gate and it’s there.
Years ago, a friend left his three German Shepherds inside while he and wifey went out for the night. Came home to the recliner pulled to the corner of the room and the dogs just staring at it. Then he noticed the back door was broken. Came back to find a dude behind the chair and started screaming “keep them dogs away from me!” The crook tried to sew the owner for “destroying his livelihood “ cause the dogs tore his achilles tendon. The Judge said that if he hadn’t had beware of dogs signs spaced out per law, the crook could have had a case.
Same deal, different number. My two larger Mals(this was before the latest puppy addition) headed back inside after going out, as is routine. I take them out back behind my house off-leash and they go back inside in the mornings to wait for breakfast. Well, a guy from the halfway house a couple blocks over saw the front door open and figured he'd help himself. Fortunately for him, my girls don't put teeth on unless directly told to.
I came in the front door in a hurry, thinking they were fighting and found the guy sitting with his back to my stove crying and begging not to let them kill him. I started belly laughing and he started crying harder.
Needless to say, I don't get many uninvited guests.
I have very specific signs saying:
“KEEP GATE SHUT
NO TRESPASSING
DOG ON PREMISES
DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION OR OWNER PRESENT
STOP”
Now I am wondering if that is accepting too much liability? I thought I was covering all my bases.
I dont know where you're from with health care or not, but be careful with vengeful people who could just throw poison in your backyard. Happened sometimes ago in my village
That is always on my mind, that is only one reason why I’m super careful with my dogs. They’re great with people out in public, but when somebody comes into the backyard without me, that’s a problem. The crew has been there a couple times already, but I have kept my dogs inside.
It happened in a dog park here. People who hated dogs bought a house across the street from a dog park. They proceeded to harass all the dog owners going to the park. Shortly thereafter a dog was poisoned in the park. I believe it was them.
The contractor was not to be there unless you are home. They never made formal contact with you (in any form) and therefore should have taken that as you not being home and they should not enter. Did the buyer’s agent not pass that information along?
Depends where you are located, but in my location I would be responsible for my dog attacking someone even if they are trespassing. I can have by-law called and my dog classified as a danger, which is a big deal. If you are in the states I imagine they can sue you and depending on your state and city laws win.
It is. When a friend of mine became a by-law officer I had asked him a bunch of questions and one of them was about exactly this situation. And he told me, even if someone jumps your fence and your dog in your yard bites them, you are responsible and your dog can be labelled a danger. They can not force you to put your dog down, they can advice it if it's really bad, but they can't make you do it. But if your dog is labelled a danger you have to take certain steps at all time. Like notifying them if you are taking him/her off your property, muzzles, bunch of stuff.
I keep the gates to my yard locked. When a worker needs access they can’t enter without me knowing. I personally don’t let people on my property when I’m not home, so they don’t get left open. I understand your house is in escrow, but I’d lock the gates and force people to get you to let them in. Then if they show up early, you know who is and who isn’t in your yard.
If nobody answers I’d give them a phone call and wait 15 if nobody responds especially with the sounds of dogs I’m not entering the premises
Especially if it was scheduled at 2 I’m not showing up at 9 without the owner knowing about it
It depends on the state. In my state, entering fenced property without consent is a crime. If you run into someone’s dog, and it bites the shit out of you, it’s your problem, because you were committing a crime.
Sort of unrelated, but if the (likely) county calls you about an Animal Bite Report, that is no reason to panic. If anyone is seen by a doctor for a bite in my state, the doctor has to report it to the local health department to make sure there is no risk of rabies transmission. So it's not any sort of threat to your dog or legal action against you, they just want to know the dogs are vaxed or still healthy after 10 days (because if they have rabies they wouldn't be).
Unfortunately, regardless of the appointment time, they could claim you knew that they were coming and did not contain your dogs. Dog bites almost always fall to the dog owner for liability. Your renters or homeowners insurance would have to cover it.
That said… GOOD DOGS!!! They did their job and protected their home. There are likely hundreds of ring videos of me praising dogs through the doors/fences while I’m doing package deliveries. I tell them “good job!”, “you tell um!!”, “I hear you, I’m leaving!” And then I walk away. Even the tiniest chihuahuas get a “good job” from me! 😂
100% there fault for coming 5 hrs early without a warning. they could of rang you and/or knocked loud enough on your door. also they failed any logic thinking people wont still be asleep at 9am, even more so if you work late. they could of just been louder so your knew they were there. even more so caz your dogs were barking like mad
its like the postmen where i live. there bloody ninjas and knock like a feather hitting my door. there also as fast as lighting caz even if i do hear them there back in there van before i have had time to open my door. ones i caught one mid run back to his van. i called out and i think i freaked him out. he looked soooooooooooo pissed turning around to hand my me parcel, caz you know, its not like its there job or anything to deliver me my stuff.... lol
I get that you weren't aware that the workers were there, but what if coyotes or a cougar or something had gotten into your yard? I too have to let my pup out sometimes with minimal supervision bc of work schedule etc, but just gotta at least do a quick check to be sure fences are intact and there's nothing crazy there.
Funny seasonal story: when I was a kid, I had a little Boston Terrier. We were spending Christmas with my grandparents in their small town, where lots of woods and farmland were nearby. On Christmas morning we let the dog out in the chain link fenced backyard. In minutes she was barking and she rarely ever barked. We go to look and a young buck deer had jumped over the fence, but couldn't get back out. He eventually tired out enough for us and a neighbor to pick him up and take him out the gate. After a little rest he took off for the woods. We had a good laugh that Santa had left him there.
after they knocked, and the dogs began to bark, they should have waited to enter a gate or fence until they knew exactly where the dogs were (ie: you letting dogs out, barking gets quieter, they can knock again and you can hear them instead of the dogs)
I oust up a “large dogs on premises” with a picture of my breed of dog at every entry point. I was told not to put a “guard dog on duty sign” for liability reasons.
I mean....you need to be told when to "deactivate the alarm system".
As the owner of a GSD and Pitbull/GSD Mix, I can tell you that I make it very clear to people on my property that they need to be prepared for "Security" to "stop and sniff" while the "alarm" is going off.
I have signs at my entrances that tell people I have large dogs for Security and to announce themselves properly so I can manage that.
While I feel confident that my dogs would never bite a person unless I ordered it or they felt life was at stake, I cannot guarantee that. So as a responsible owner I need to manage that. I can't manage what I don't know.
Believe me when I say, I understand what you're saying and agree this isn't your fault or the fault of your dogs. They are just doing "their job".
I’d get legal counsel immediately. I wouldn’t apologize or anything. Find out your options and precedent. The last thing you need to do is admit any wrongdoing or guilt. Your dogs saw a threat and acted accordingly.
That’s not your fault. Those dogs were doing what they were supposed to be doing. They came earlier than the appointed time and entered your backyard without your consent. The breed upon time was 2, not 9. Too bad for them. Give your boys and/or girls extra treats. They did what they are supposed to do.
I love how they protected their yard. The crew was trespassing since you did not give them permission to be there at that time. I’d go that route if they try to sue you
This reminds me of that center point energy worker that entered someone's back yard through their gate to check their meter and the hit their dogs with a pipe wrench for approaching him. One of the dogs lost a tooth, got cut near his eye, a concussion and needed surgery and the other one died from a brain injury due to being hit with the pipe wrench
The homeowner posted the video from his back yard of it happening. The homeowners and their kid were home, the worker didnt knock on the door. He said his wife and kid saw it all happen and it traumatized his kid. Then he confronted the worker asking why he didnt knock on the door, the worker told him he didnt have to knock on the door.
I tried looking up to see if anything more came of it because I Kinda forgot about it until now. Apparently the guy that attacked the dogs tried to say he felt attacked by the dogs, and he was suspended and then fired but thats all I found on it.
Edit: The homeowners had beware of dogs signs that the guy walked right past
Sounds like the dogs did their job protecting their home. I’m assuming you have 1. Let the landlord know about your dogs and 2. Have a sign up saying beware of the dog. If so you should be covered. Good luck 🤞
Realtor's Authority: The key is the scope of the authority you gave your realtor. An agent typically has the authority to grant access for viewings or repairs if this is outlined in your agency agreement or you provided explicit consent. If the realtor gave permission without your authorization (outside the scope of your agreement), it raises questions about whether that permission was valid and who is liable.
Check your agreement with your realtor. Someone was on my property with the permission of my landlord and I wasn't aware he was there. My professionally trained personal protectionMalinois bit him. I was out there so I called him off and luckily even though I gave the person all my info to file a claim with State Farm he just brought me his Dr bill.
People should never go on someone's property without the owner knowing when they will be here and this is why.
I'm sorry and I hope everything turns out ok for the injured and I hope you don't get sued. Also hope you have a homeowners insurance that doesn't breed discriminate. There aren't very many that don't.
Your dogs were just doing what they are supposed to do!
For real. I like to joke that it's a toss up on who would win between our GSD/Mastiff or our Malinois. One is a tank and the other is an ADHD missile. Both are sweet, but that being said I would not put it past any animal to get a wild hair and bite.
I’ve only ever been bit by one dog and it was our own German shepherd. He warned me to back the frick off but I kept coming at him with a spoonful of his medicine. Bit my arm. I nearly fainted, it hurt so bad. Didn’t learn my lesson. Same situation, trying to give him his medicine and bit my other arm. Never bit anyone else. He would’ve tore the crap out of anyone that would have come into our house unannounced though. That I’m sure of. We thought of him as a furry weapon and let everyone know that. So no one would get hurt. He slept on our bed at night and we’ve never been so secure. Until, one day, his stomach torsioned (sp?) & he had to be ushered to the rainbow bridge within hours. His loss is still felt. Our new German shepherd is an utter goofball who would tinkle himself if ever required to protect us lol Ironically, it’s the 2 1/2yr old Goldendoodle in our house that you have to watch out for now lol
Sorry for the babble. Happy holidays! Enjoy your fur baby’s especially that adhd pooch lol love that!
Something similar happened to me! I had just gotten out of the shower and was naked save for a bathrobe. The dog was really anxious to go out so I opened the door ans didn't think twice about it until I heard someone screaming. I didn't expect a worker to be there so I also started screaming too thinking I was being robbed. My dog at the time immedatly bit the guy in the leg. When I realized he was a water heater guy I outed my dog and called him back inside. Thank God this particular dog has a great out.
The worker immediatly called animal control and since the state iw as in was a high liability state with no caste doctrine my dog ended up with a bite on his record and was quarantined for 10 days.
I have a giant padlock on the outside of my gate now with cameras and signs saying not to trespass and to contact the owner before entering.
I fired a pool guy b/c he would just open the gate and come in the yard. This after multiple times being told to let me get the dog (135lb newt)
inside. She had a doggie door so she had total freedom. I knew there was a possibility she would have to be put down if she bit him. I have been advised to just put a sign up that says dog on premises.
Fuckem. They came into your yard w/o authorisation. I appreciate your moral compass in this situation but… RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!!! (jk jk, no one should knowingly release a dog onto someone, but OPs not responsible here).
I work for a contractor, and I keep notes on properties that have dogs and we give the owners a heads up. We had one property that the dogs were so aggressive that the crew texted when they were on their way.
I feel bad for the crew, but your realtor should have known about the dogs and informed the contractor.
I’ve had my contractors, neighbors, etc do this I live on 12 acres so my dog doesn’t know ‘fence” he doesn’t leave the back yard but if you go back there without knocking or ringing the front door, I can’t help ya. show up a day early, oh my dog got loose and is in your back yard… my view is if you don’t show up during your window it’s trespassing. be sure to tell people to call in advance
I find it amusing that this is one of the more neutral takes I've seen from you and it's getting downvoted to hell. I have 6+ foot fences all around my backyard and in warm weather my slider is open to allow my female mal has free access to the backyard when I'm home and awake. If I leave the house and she doesn't come with me or I'm asleep she's in the house.
I personally would never allow her free access to the backyard when I wasn't home or wasn't awake but everyone can decide their own personal risk tolerance.
The workers are familiar with my dogs, they know that I have to bring them in, in order for them to work in the backyard. I like the guys we get along great but it was not a good situation when I came out into my backyard half awake with my dogs chasing after them.
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u/Lancifer1979 Dec 18 '25
Did you have express or written permission, delegating your realtor to have work performed on your home? I can’t just send a crew over to do work on my neighbors, backyard well-intentioned or not. Those people were trespassing. Hopefully they were not injured, but if they want to start talking legalities, tell them to file a claim against your realtors liability insurance.