If you have dogs on the premises, you may want to consider purchasing bold, clarifying Dog Signs that will warn guests, visitors, and, yes, unwanted trespassers what they are going to encounter when they arrive on the property. While displaying these dog signs does not necessarily remove your liability for anything that might happen when these individuals are around – you are still fully responsible for your dog’s behavior – they can at least mitigate any potential tragedies from unfolding. Don’t simply assume that because your dogs are friendly to you and your family that they will be friendly to strangers. Put up some warning signs and feel secure in knowing that you’ve done your part to keep everyone safe.
Warn Trespassers
It’s one thing to put a sign out by the road that informs potential intruders that you will prosecute any trespassers you find on your property. But what if the trespassers have reason to believe that they won’t be caught? Then your sign is just an idle threat. On the other hand, if you put up Beware of Dog signs, they know there is a clear and present danger on the other side of that fence. You can’t throw on a mask and fool a rottweiler. You can’t say to yourself, “Eh, no one’s around, it’ll be okay.” No, you have to take that sign seriously and reckon with the potential consequences of ignoring it. These signs can be powerful deterrents for that very reason.
Protect Yourself
While it is your responsibility to train your dogs so that they aren’t biting random children who are invited onto the property, you can shield yourself – or at least provide some degree of legal mitigation for yourself – by posting clear and concise Dog Signs. If an unfortunate situation does transpire due to someone’s refusal to heed the sign’s warning, you will at least be able to explain to the courts that you took reasonable measures to avoid just such a scenario. Under some circumstances, this signage may be enough to put the court on your side and help you avoid what could otherwise be a very expensive and sad outcome.
The Effectiveness of Humor
You may think that it’s a bit silly to put up Dog Signs with a humorous message. Are you undercutting the message by injecting a dose of humor into it? Will this only encourage people to take the signs less seriously than they otherwise might have? It is actually our experience that people pay MORE attention to guard dog signs that use a bit of humor to get the point across. They aren’t appropriate for every situation, but if you run the kind of business where “tongue-in-cheek,” dark-style humor is part of your brand, we suggest trying them. The same goes for private property owners/homeowners who want to send a sharp message to would-be trespassers and burglars.
