Change in BEWARE of the dog sign. Ive looked into this and the law is completely wrong.
The law takes a peculiar stance when it comes to the use of ‘beware of the dog’ signs.
If such a sign is on display when the dog attacks a trespasser, then its owner is liable for prosecution, because it could be argued that by displaying the sign they knew the dog was dangerous. However, if the dog attacks an intruder when no sign is visible then the court would decree that the owner was unaware of the threat of the animal, and is therefore not liable for court action.
So for those considering a sign, according to the law if you have a harmless pet dog then by all means display a ‘beware of the dog’ sign as a deterrent, but if you have a dog that would be liable to attack an intruder then don’t, as you might get into trouble.
So basically its saying that if you have a small, medium, large, non vicious, vicious dog and DO NOT have a sign up and an intruder breaks in and gets biten then NOTHING will be done and the owner will NOT be prosecuted.
However, if you put up a BEWARE sign and an intruder gets attacked by the dog defending its property/master your liable for any damage caused to the intruder because by putting up a BEWARE sign its classed as a threat and foreknowledge of your dog/s aggressive or possible aggressive nature.
I have currrent signs up saying BEWARE and own 2 rottweilers who are both very placid and are now known to be a placid breed and NOT Dangerous and one is even a qualified PAT dog enabling him to go into hospitals, schools, homes etc but should an intruder break in and for some reason he decideds to protect that day we will be prosecuted purely because our sign is up and states BEWARE.
We also travelled to several pet shops today asking if they knew of the BEWARE sign law as they all sold BEWARE of the dog signs and NOT one was aware. You only seem to learn this ridiculous law when its too late and surely BEWARE is a WARNING not a THREAT.
because many owners in britain own 1, 2, or several dogs and have signs stating BEWARE but unknowing to them their breaking this ridiculous law. As I mentioned BEWARE is a WARNING and NOT a THREAT!!!!!
I think the answer to this is quite simple, particularly as the law plays on words.
“Beware” implies an instruction to avoid, so what’s wrong with “Be aware of the dog”?
the ….”I live here” signs would be fine too x
I have signs that say “Caution, Dogs running free” does this come in the same category as “Beware of the Dog”?
I woild like to know this too as this is the sign I have
If you’ve looked into the law could you please let us know the statute or case law to support this? As for the statement that the court “would” decree the owner was unaware of a threat, each case would be decided on its own merits and the facts of the case.
How about – Beware of the owner?”
Beware of the owner is good one
I don’t find the argument at all convincing. At best, the sign is an adminicle of evidence and while so a
smart lawyer might argue that it means that you think your dog is dangerous, all you are doing is warning the public of the presence of a dog on private property. If someone ignores the sign and gets bitten, then they may not have a leg to stand on. The bottom line is that all dog owners must act responsibly and keep their dogs under control. But you are unlikely to be successfully prosecuted unless your dog has a history of behaving dangerously. Having appropriate insurance is worth considering. I think the reality is you’re more at risk if your dog attacks sheep than a human but there have been prosecutions when dogs have attacked other dogs and cats
I have a German Shepherd. This breed unfortunately has an undeserved reputation – thanks to Police, Security guards, etc. I have a sign with a picture of him with the words ‘ I live here’. An intruder can then make his/her decision as to whether or not to climb over the wall. I don’t doubt that he/she would be badly bitten, but I’m confident that no prosecution would follow.
Why do the police or security industry give GSD’s a bad reputation? Our dogs are trained to high standards and doing a job they are trained to do and respected for! A proper trained dog will accept people of no threat, it’s idiots who have dogs of any breed and don’t train them properly are the ones who ruin breed reputations.
By front door, watch out German shepherd about. Back door, warning German shepherd on duty, are these ok?.
Cannot help thinking if one knows about a dog surely it is the intruders fault for taking no notice?.
I put up a hand drawn poster on the inside of my front door glass.
It showed a shotgun and the word
“Tony Martin Home Protection operates here”. Tony Martin was a Norfolk Farmer who shot dead a burglar. GOOD ON HIM I SAY.
I would have no hesitation in shooting anyone who should not be in my property
My sign says dog loose, please close the gates.
I also have a door bell (wireless) at the side of the garage with a notice saying My dog lives here, please ring the bell and wait outside the gate. I did the second one for delivery people, especially the postman who after being attacked by dogs is very wary of all dogs now including my very friendly but boisterously welcoming dog. I have also put a mail box on the garage wall so the postie doesn’t have to enter the property. I believe in identifying and eliminating as many risks as possible before a situation occurs.
My dog is friendly and socialised, but she gets excited in welcoming ‘visitors’ and there are no guarantees in life.
I’m totally against any sign to advertise I have a dog or dogs in the house. With the way dog crime is at the moment, when they mark your gate or path to tell the kidnappers which dog you have in your house to steal… We do our upmost to protect our dogs from these people, now they are asking us to opening advertise our dogs on our own doors to tell everyone what we have. If you have a dog that attacks they you need to take your own measures to keep others safe. Plus if anyone came in my house I would expect my dog to let me know as that’s what they are there for apart from living in a loving home, if people didn’t break in and rob the innocent they wouldn’t get attacked
I don’t need a sign. The dogs soon make their presence known. My dogs are perfectly safe with normal visitors, but anyone stupid enough to break in would soon regret it. Dogs have been kept by man for tens of thousands of years to scare away intruders and predators, how are we supposed to train them to be fluffy bunnies when we are out of the house? I think this article makes it all a bit black and white, when in reality I would hope that each case would be judged on the facts and circumstances.
I would like a sign that said ‘If you come to steal my property YOU take the consequences of possible injury’
Aa someone who has worked in the security dog industry since 2006, I have never used beware on my signage, always be aware, even the signage I use at home has always carried the words be aware
I have been warning people about displaying the ‘Beware of the dog’ sign for years & what the law says about your liability if such a sign is displayed.
Showing a picture of a breed & saying ‘I live here is better’ then you are not making any statement on the character of the dog.
This sounds like a load of rubbish. What statute and case law supports this rant? If you aren’t quoting any then I assume you don’t know what you are talking about, and probably shouldn’t be posting clickbait legal advice on the interwebs.
this isn’t new, 40 yrs ago my moms dog bit a man(he was tormenting dog) because she had the sign beware of dog, she got into trouble by police as the sign was an admittance that dog was vicious, so I have never displayed one, you can have this dog lives here or please close the gate etc. but not beware of
I have had a rescue/stray for 10 years and have never displayed beware of dog or other signage. All my friends and family know I have a dog. If someone comes to my house ie meter man or on official business, I tell them I have a dog and would they prefer not to have contact with it. She is no threat to anybody but if someone tried to break in the consequences might be different. She is friendly and likes attention but at the end of the day a dog will defend its master or mistress and whatever breed or size it is dogs are loyal so god help intruders!!
What a load of crap.
The author is even stating that a person is breaking the law by displaying such a sign…
\facepalm
I had a sign that had a picture of a german shepherd which said
I can get to the gate in 3 seconds can you
I have dogs running loose. Do not enter. Do not open gate on both my side gate and rear gate.. If someone’s silly enough to enter there ground, after reading that, then so be it.
I’ve got a beware of the wife sign so If she bites someone’s leg, am I libel or would they just enjoy it ??
My dad is retired police officer. I always since owning my dog at 16 have had 1 of these on my property. My dad has always told me i shouldnt have it because of this stupid law. My sign now says beware of the dog ( and dont trust the cat). I am 30 now so this law has been in place for many many years i just think no one knew about it.