Incident Yesterday .... Child At My Side Gate Wanting To Pat My Dogs

[Ravyk]

That really sucks Tilly

If it were me then yeah I would put up a second gate. Perhaps something that is easy to unscrew/take down when you need to access the side area. I'd also whack some kind of sign on the second fence too..

Why ANYONE would allow their kids to run onto private property and stick their fingers through a gate and into a yard with 2 large GSD's barking their heads off is beyond me. Some people have no brains!

As someone has already said, ring all the nearby schools, explain what has happened and have the principle chat to the kids about how dangerous this is.

Hopefully the schools will listen. I had a similar issue with kids patting and razzing my dogs up through the fence while we were redoing the back [we live on a corner property] and the dogs had run of the front yard. I called the school as it is a local one, and the receptionist was really nice but said they cannot do anything because it is out of hours and we'd have to call the police if they did it again. They were nice enough though to print a notice in the school newsletter about the dangers of patting strange dogs over fences, etc and the behaviour from these children stopped.

[poodlefan]

All the legislation I've read exempts a dog from "dangerous dog" actions if the bite occurs in the dogs own yard.

Either colour bond gates or some form of covering of the holes (shadecloth) would be a good idea.

[Frostypaws]

What an irresponsible parent. Dangerous dogs or big sooks, you should not be encouraging your child to go up to strange dogs without the owner present. Especially on their home territory.

Would it be possible to cover the fence/gate with flywire or shadecloth? This would allow visibility but stops fingers and sticks being poked in.

[Burkes]

Hmmm, I have the same problem but with my back neighbours feral kids who throw things and spit over the fence at the dogs. I spoke to the pound when I was down there and they said that dogs have the right to protect their own property so you would not be liable if the kids hand gets eaten.

However, as much as I wouldn't mind it if the dogs ate my neighbours kids, it would mean a whole lot of problems and then people not trusting my dogs who are genuinely beautiful friendly dogs. So, I prefer to try and prevent it.

I would go with the shadecloth or brush fencing idea. Its a pain that you have to spend money to keep people from doing stupid stuff on your property but a lot less painless than having your dogs branded vicious for defending their territory.

[Nekhbet]

I put up brush fencing to fill in any gaps and extend my fence to over 8 feet. THe neighbours grandkids try and hang over the side and bark at the dogs so I put a ping string fence a couple of meters from the fence on that side too so the belgian cant jump up and accidentally hurt on of the precious darlings.

[FranVT]

I thought you were going to say you put the ping string on the side where the neighbour's grandkids hang over and I was going to but I guess your solution is good as well...

[Tilly]

Apparently I can't use electric fences (on the boundary fence) or barb wire on suburban fences ... personally can't see why it would be a problem

I am looking at putting a new fence/gate in front of the existing gate (in line with the front of the house) but this can't be locked because the meter reader will need to get to the meter box which is why the gate was initially set back to its current place.

Something like shade cloth would be great but the youngest would see it as a new toy and rip it to shreds. Making the gate solid timber would cut down the breeze they get on the hot days and would probably cause them to bark more - they like to see what is going on out the front.

I just can't take the risk of something happening for the sake of the dogs.

[poodlefan]

Tilly:

Something like shade cloth would be great but the youngest would see it as a new toy and rip it to shreds.

Attach it to the outside of the gates.

[Nekhbet]

I was just about to say that PF, great minds think alike

Edited July 27, 2010 by Nekhbet

[whiskedaway]

Tilly:

Something like shade cloth would be great but the youngest would see it as a new toy and rip it to shreds.

Attach it to the outside of the gates.

Even attached to the outside of a gate, shade cloth would not last in my yard and I suspect it'd be the same for Tilly. I've seen the damage that my pup did to a couple of pool chairs that were on the other side of the pool fence at OH's parents place after she stuck her nose through the gaps.

[Whippetsmum]

How about...."Beware of the Owner!"

[Staff'n'Toller]

I thought you were going to say you put the ping string on the side where the neighbour's grandkids hang over and I was going to but I guess your solution is good as well...

I thought that too (well I thought you were going to say you ran it along the top) and I was thinking hmmm....yes....great idea.

[The Ark]

I think dogs should be able to eat stupid people without legal recourse. It should be enshrined in legislation somewhere.

[Dame Aussie]

I think dogs should be able to eat stupid people without legal recourse. It should be enshrined in legislation somewhere.

Amen to that!

[Busterdog]

I think dogs should be able to eat stupid people without legal recourse. It should be enshrined in legislation somewhere.

Hard to tell who are the stupid people though. The mother might be feral but the kid might be the next Beethoven. And what about the feral people who have a yard full of uncontrolled dogs of whatever breed who attack your child, you have just exemempted them too. We let stupid people do all sorts of things, in fact we make them vote !!!!!!! Agree, but tough to do.

[Nekhbet]

Hard to tell who are the stupid people though.

not enough common sense NOT to poke your fingers in where a couple of big dogs are going bananas ...

there's ur sign ...

[skip]

As suggested I would just put shadecloth or brush fence up.

In regards to the meter reader - I locked all my gates in my rented home previuosly as didn't want someone in with my dogs. They just guess your reading or leave a card you can read and call thru your reading.

But in my home I just brought , the meter box is out the front and also fenced in as well. The meter man quessed my last reading, either because the previous owner had a GSD or because there was still a sign. " My dogs can get to this gate in 5 seconds - Can You?". I have been too lazy to remove it ( I have small dogs never allowed out in front yard anyway) but now I have ripped it off.

But I was aware that having this type of sign is leaving you wide open . Anyway, you can have the meter reader leave a card and you call thru your reading. But you need to make sure that if the reader was a different person etc that they can't get in anyway.

Can't beleive that parent with their kid! How could they be so rude anyway and how could they think the dogs needed a pat?

[The Ark]

I think dogs should be able to eat stupid people without legal recourse. It should be enshrined in legislation somewhere.

Hard to tell who are the stupid people though. The mother might be feral but the kid might be the next Beethoven. And what about the feral people who have a yard full of uncontrolled dogs of whatever breed who attack your child, you have just exemempted them too. We let stupid people do all sorts of things, in fact we make them vote !!!!!!! Agree, but tough to do.

Yes I know - but we can dream. Voting is a whole other issue.... BTW - I don't really know when I last let my children near a feral house with a yard full of uncontrolled dogs, but I get your point!

Just really sick of idiots at the moment!!!!!

[Maddy]

We have three gates (a colourbond steel, then a wrought iron gate and then a wire gate) between our dogs and the street and two of those gates separate the dogs from our water meter and fusebox (to allow access). We also have a sign on the gate advising dogs on the property (not warning).

I'd like to hope this would protect us legally in the very unlikely event someone ever came into our yard and got bitten by one of our dogs.

Personally, even if it's an extra expense, I'd be putting up another fence rather than risking any sort of accident involving my dogs.

efs

Edited July 27, 2010 by PokeyLittlePuppy

[vernie]

I would put a sign up saying 'beware of dangerous dog.' Even if they aren't most people would think twice about trying to pat the dog. Or I would put up a baby gate style rig up so that you're dogs can't get down the side of the house to the gate.

maybe just put up a sign saying something like ' beware of the dog' - i think if you say something like 'beware of dangerous dog' and they nip someone, you can still get in trob 'cos you are acknowledging that the dogs are dangerous.

silly really, since it's your property andyou sound like you are doing the right thing.