Dogs at Play

We have a couple of golden retrievers who mean a lot to our monkey family. However, given the chance, they'd probably head off with any friendly face so we're careful to keep them in the yard (when not in the house). It's also important to me to let our service people know about the dogs just in case I don't have them inside when they come around. You can never anticipate everything that might happen. Also, some people just aren't dog people and my gentle goldens may as well be fighting dogs to them. I had visions of someone opening the gate, the dogs in all their glory go bounding for the gate looking for some head pats and kisses, and scaring the person away, leaving the gate wide open to let my precious pups roam the neighborhood.

I didn't want one of those hardware store 'Beware of Dog' signs because they're not very attractive and, despite their best efforts, my goldens really aren't menacing. I also found out that if you have a 'Beware of Dog' notification posted and something happens, there may be more legal repercussions for your 'admission' to having an aggressive dog. Living in Texas where they're quite liberal when it comes to protecting your self, I feel that it's necessary to make people aware of my dogs, but without scaring them. A simple notification of the dogs presence is enough so people aren't surprised or they have the option of coming to my front door and asking me to bring the dogs inside so they can enter the yard without worry.

I came across The Original Property Postings and loved them. There are several options including Dog In Yard, Dogs in Yard, and Dog at Play. Dogs at Play seemed completely appropriate for my house. I initially wanted it in black with brass writing, but it wasn't available for Dogs at Play so I chose brown. The signs also come in blue and green. As it turns out the brown works really well with the tan coloring of my house. We'll eventually get the fence stained so it will look even better, but I really love the way the sign looks. It's a little classier with a friendly tone.

Installation was easy and took about 5 minutes. The powder coated steel signs are 3.25 x 12 inches and come with the mounting hardware (4 very shiny brass screws). There are 4 holes in the corner of the sign for installation. It might be easier to drill pilot holes in the fence first, but Dadda monkey did just fine screwing it directly onto the fence. If you have a chain link or wrought iron fence they also provide cable ties for those mounting options. We have a black wrought iron fence along the back of our property and if we get a gate installed back there later I'll probably order another sign. They have black cable ties as well, which would look great.

I couldn't resist posting this photo of Monkey girl helping with the installation.

Here's a couple of interesting points taken from www.doginyard.com:

• Most dogs are friendly but even normally docile dogs may bite when they are frightened or surprised.
• Dog bites account for 33% of all homeowners insurance liability claims.
• Over the last several years, many insurers have implemented rules aimed at limiting their exposure to dog bite claims. 
  

You're better off safe than sorry and with these elegant signs there's no excuse not to take the precaution. The story as to how these signs came about is really interesting too. You can read the meter reader story here. The Original Property Posting started in August 2002 and they have shipped to all 50 states. The signs are a nominal $16.95 which includes shipping (they also take care of the tax for their Illinois customers). They're clearly dedicated to making our pet environments safe for everyone. They don't take credit cards, but their order form is very simple and then you just mail a check to them.

If you own a dog, there's really no reason not to post one of these signs, just go to www.doginyard.com, they can blend in any decor and are very informal. Clearly my favorite is Dogs at Play, it's just so whimsical, but Dog in Yard still gets the informational point across which protects everybody.

Introducing Doyle Dog (Bailey puppy wasn't as cooperative for the photos). See, he loves his new sign too!

As a side note, we live in a fairly new neighborhood and as a result we get a lot of solicitors. Everything from people selling steak to vacuums to yard services and security companies. I've been contemplating getting a no soliciting sign. On days when I'm really annoyed you'd get a kick out of my hand written (in crayon) No Solicitors sign on the back of a blank envelope. The Original Property Posting carries the No Solicitors signs as well as signs for Private Property, No Trespasing, and No Parking among others.

Disclaimer:

Mommy 2 Monkeys was provided with a sample for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own.