topic Re: Wording for Gate Sign in Community Spirit

Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:20:00 GMT

Could someone please help me with wording for a gate sign?

Some stupid woman (total stranger) opened the farm gate into our house yard this morning, drove up to the house and left the gate wide open. Our dogs were loose, it was lucky they didn't hurl down the driveway and onto the road. The gate is left closed for a reason - young dogs in training, still not 100% recall, thank goodness they listened to me this morning. To me a closed gate says DON'T ENTER without announcing your arrival.

I gave her a piece of my mind and pointed out that there is a sign on the gate saying Be Aware of Dogs Do Not Enter "Well I thought it was my friend's house" she snapped at me, jumped back in her car and in a spray of gravel was gone. I am still shaking, it gave me such a fright - everyone else has always driven up to the gate and tooted their horn and waited to be let in.

So I need to make up a ginormous sign for simple-minded people like her, but can't quite get the wording right.

Bascially along the lines of Dogs loose, don't enter, stay here and toot your horn and wait for us to let you in - but more concise.

I have written:

NO ENTRY: DOGS LOOSE!

Please sound horn for attention.

but it sounds pompous, the word attention is wrong but I can't think of a suitable alternative?

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

grandmoon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:29:00 GMT

I have seem a notice on a farm gate which read.

Shut the bloody gate

That means you.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:30:40 GMT

:^O

That's a good one, grandmoon. But I don't want them to open the bloody gate in the first place! :^O

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

aspie*mum — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:31:41 GMT

I would make it even clearer - your friends will know to toot the horn anyways, it's more for randoms.

DO NOT ENTER - DANGEROUS DOGS!

Please sound horn for attention.

Some people will not learn unless they think they are in possible danger. I am not implying that your dog is dangerous at all. At my parents house people were CONSTANTLY coming in the back gate and leaving the gate open - and when our dog was there he would run out and go AWOL.

So I put up a sign

DO NOT ENTER - DANGEROUS DOG!

Please use front door.

Now, my dog isn't dangerous at all. He's a white ball of fluff with legs so short he struggles to get up and down stairs - but he's also an escape artist. It just kind of makes people think twice if they think there is a dangerous dog.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

aspie*mum — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:33:56 GMT

or maybe less harsh

WARNING: DOGS ON PROPERTY

Please notify owner via car horn before entering.

Maybe stating dangerous dogs is not a great idea as your friends/family might think your dogs have gone feral.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

katydidthat — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:35:30 GMT

BEWARE OF THE DOGS. SOUND HORN FOR ATTENTION.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:37:08 GMT

AspieMum, thanks for your input.

I would like to put that, but I was under the vague impression that if you had something like Dangerous Dog or Beware of Dog on a sign, it was something along the lines of an admission of guilt; i.e., if anyone got bitten by a dog on your property and you had a sign up saying the dog was dangerous, you were automatically liable?

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

mtnlane — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:39:07 GMT

Monsters,

I have very much enjoyed reading your other thread and your recounting of trials and tribulations since you have moved to your property but most of all - your successes! Very sad of course, to read about the loss of your beloved dog, handled with such love and sensitivity by you and your husband. Such a super thread though 😄

Perhaps consider putting a padlock on your gate to stop a recurrence of what you have just described?

Your friends would know to toot to get your attention and others would be stopped from repeating such inconsiderate behaviour? Not everyone is attuned to the 'leave the gate as you found it' nature of rural living 🙂

Laney

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

aspie*mum — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:43:12 GMT

The dangerous dog sign laws are quite different to the USA and UK as they are in Australia.

BUT in short, if someone gets bitten by your dog (in my case a maltese X) whilst illegally entering my property - they'll be in a hell of a lot more trouble for the break and enter than I would be for the dog bite anyway. Australia isn't the USA, people tend not to litigate for things like that.

So you can always go with the Dogs on property?

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

*mrgrizz* — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:50:42 GMT

every time you enter or leave your property, you need to get out of the car to open the gate?

you may as well put a lock on it.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

daydream**believer — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:53:09 GMT

Tresspass its your ass

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:53:22 GMT

Katey, thank you for your help.

Hi Laney, thanks for your kind words :-x

I was actually thinking about putting a padlock on the gate. Such a pain in the tush for us, but I guess better a few extra moments for us to go in and out, to prevent a possible disaster. Not just for the dogs, but if they got out on the road and caused an accident it would be awful.

Aspie, I might phone the insurance co. and see what their take is for our household insurance and the liability factor regarding the sign - I would like to put Dangerous Dogs, as it would be a deterrent for people with less than sincere motives.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:54:42 GMT

every time you enter or leave your property, you need to get out of the car to open the gate?

you may as well put a lock on it.

Yup, we want to get an auto gate when funds allow, but for now it's manual, so a coded padlock is probably the way to go - will go up to Bunnings this arvo and get one.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

*mrgrizz* — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:55:22 GMT

if you put up a sign saying dangerous dogs........you are admitting that they are dangerous.

this will put you on the back foot already if something did happen

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

*mrgrizz* — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:57:29 GMT

Yup, we want to get an auto gate when funds allow, but for now it's manual, so a coded padlock is probably the way to go - will go up to Bunnings this arvo and get one.

do the dogs try and follow the car out?

you may need dual auto gates:^O

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

janeababe — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:59:00 GMT

TRESSPASSERS WILL BE SHOT ~ SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN! :^O

...but seriously, some people are not afraid of *beware of dog* signs, so i think the best advice you had here is to padlock your gate.

A sign saying something like ~ GATE IS LOCKED, PLEASE TOOT YOUR HORN might be all thats needed. 🙂

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:00:21 GMT

Tresspass its your ass

:^O

When we lived "suburban" and I was fed up with all the doorknockers I made up this sign:

The wording is:

NO SOLICITING:

We donated at the office,

We’re happy with our energy/telco/isp supplier,

We’ve already got a great vacuum/broker/whatever,

We’re are firmly committed to our hedonistic lifestyle,

We’re having dinner/breakfast/sex/a shower/a nap.

So no Hawkers, Canvassers, Salespeople,

Charity Collectors, or Preachers please!

Trespassers will be shot, tenderised, and fed to the cat.

People loved it, I had quite a few people ask if they could take a photo of it.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

mtnlane — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:00:53 GMT

Monsters

As Mrgrizz said - you have to get out to open the gate anyway so a padlock would only be a minor inconvenience for you and a worthwhile one to protect you, your dogs and your property.

We used to have one to which the local RFS had a key but they usually have bolt-cutters on board anyway.

The dangerous dogs sign (or words similar to that) would certainly be an additional deterrent for those with less than friendly intentions.

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

janeababe — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:03:34 GMT

MY DOGS BITE.... BUT ITS THE OWNER YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF!

lol... couldnt resist! 🙂

Re: Wording for Gate Sign

monstersinthedungeon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:04:41 GMT

if you put up a sign saying dangerous dogs........you are admitting that they are dangerous.

this will put you on the back foot already if something did happen

Yes, that's what I had a vague idea of.

Definately the dogs will follow the car out, but I don't leave them outside when I go out, they are locked inside the house - safer for them.

Jane, thanks, that's good wording, just what I was looking for (the gate is locked, not the I will blow your head off with a shotgun :^O)

Okay, signing off now, going up to Bunnings to get a padlock and to OW to get my sign laminated - you have all convinced me 😄