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Ok I have to rant !!! We live in a decent little house keep the yard up and yes we have a dog . Now problem is we don't have a fenced in yard so when we let our pup out we put her on her lead and let her out the front door . She is a good 10 feet between her and the sidewalk when she's at the end of her lead. We have a puppy pool for our pup she has lots of shade and in this heat she is never outside for more that 10 min .. Long enough to pee and have a crap. Well today while I was at work around 5pm my other half let our pup out and went to change our daughters butt . So no longer than 5 min. When she came out to check pup some lady had walked up I to our yard and was petting our dog!!! Wtf my gf asked her to kindly get off privet property at which point the lady started giving my gf heck saying " you should be ashamed leaving your dog out in this heat with no water" well if she had opened her eyes she would have seen to pools full of water and lots of shade . Now short of spending a fortune on a fence or standing outside the whole time my dog is out can I make it clear. DO NOT come on our property and aproch our dog !!!

Put up a beware of dog sign and a no trespassing sign. Some people are stupid, if your dog bites them sadly it's your fault.

We have asked bylaw already about beware of dog signs we were told putting one up was not a good idea. That our dog was well within property and anyone trespassing was at fault if she ever did bite. At this point if we put up no trespassing signs we were told we could start pressing charges. Our dog is friendly but she is to be trained as a service dog for my partner. People are putting her at risk when they approach as well as as themselves and their animals. This is common sense. Strange dog , you do not know how it will react to you or your animals . Leave it alone unless you have owners permission to enter property ( animals territory) and know it is friendly! And had she attacked your animal or your animal attacked her legally you are 100% at fault and responsible for all vet costs . So please , I love animals and I know many others do as well but be smart and don't go on private property and approach strange dogs!!! If you are that concerned for the animal call animal control and they will deal with the situation safely.

unless the dog is actually showing signs of distress due to the heat, there's no purpose to even approach the dog or to confront the owner.

 
 
Edited by Trevor B, 2015-07-13 20:23:25

Not true about if it bites on your property it's not your fault. We had a dog that "apparently" bit someone while inside our fenced yard, they jumped the fence the dog went over to them, they jumped back over and scratched there leg. The dog was going to have to be removed from city limits except the doctor said it wasn't a dog bite.

Thanx for sharing, the animal control officer with bylaw that we talked to said that if it bit then it would be 100% their fault for approaching dog without permission on private property. I will be looking into this further . I don't believe she would but she is protective of my children so want my bases covered

People don't seem to understand how careful you should be when it comes to dogs, even when they are out being walked. I have a young son who LOVES animals, and will happily go right up to any dog. We have taught him to ask the person first if he can come pet the dog. I couldn't even imagine going into someones yard and petting their dog. The most laid back dog could freak out at the sight of a stranger coming into their yard!

She is a black dog so it doesn't take her long to start panting but she did have a small kiddy pool we fill every morning for her and was sitting in the shade . She also let's me know if she wants in if its before I go to check on her ( witch is often because it is so hot !)

Yes exactly! She's only a pup right now but won't be long and she is growing more protective everyday especially when my kiddlets are around

Imagine if your GF had said "Good evening, how are you doing?".

SilverThorn said "She is a black dog so it doesn't take her long to start panting but she did have a small kiddy pool we fill every morning for her and was sitting in the shade . She also let's me know if she wants in if its before I go to check on her ( witch is often because it is so hot !) "

that's perfectly normal and there would also be other heat distress signs. It wasn't like she was locked in a vehicle with windows up. You did nothing wrong, just sounds like someone looking for something to argue about.

Put a sign on your yard that says beware of dog, If your dog bites some idiot then the courts will say that because you had that sign you knew your dog was dangerous and you and your dog losses. Get a sign that clearly states that this yard is your dogs domain and he may protect it from strangers. It will protect you and your dog.

Really? You are delusional... A person has a right to ask someone (and op said they were polite) to get off their property.

I wouldn't put up beware of dog signs. Instead I opted for a really nice camera set up with audio and I'll be placing a sign stating . Please do not aproch dog she is on privet property smile your on camera ..

I used to live in town and people would always let their kids run up and pet my dog without asking, he is protective of me and never snapped at a child but he did lick and would prick his ears up ( his warning signs to back off). Unless I "introduced" the child or adult to him, he would get protective by growling at them, but once introduced he is happy to have his butt or belly or anything scratched! but he needs that "okay"  
 
If I did not give the okay and ask them to not touch him I would hear the speeches of " oh why do you have a dangerous dog in public" "he's trying to attack me" (Growling is not attacking it is your fair warning)  
 
Even the nicest natured and best trained dogs have bitten, whether it be playing or out of fear or frustration.  
 
I happily reside in a rural area now, with 10 Acres for him to run and protect to his hearts content.  
 
But parents please don't let your kids run up to a dog EVER! put yourself in their position for a minute...  
 
To a dog, especially to a nervous dog when a child is running to them with their arms outstretched and squealing (as most do "PUPPY!!! or DOG!)can look like their are trying to attack them.  
 
Teach your kids to walk as calmly as they can, even though they are excited and ASK!  
Show them how pet gentle: This simple thing could have avoided so many unfortunate situations with children getting bit.  
 
And too the parents that have already taught their kids to do this, myself and fellow dog owners thank you!

If you posted a sign saying this is a service dog in training. Please don't approach, you would likely get better respect from passerbys. It's a positive message, and they will (or should) realize this is a well cared for and special dog.

KJ2013 said "Really? You are delusional... A person has a right to ask someone (and op said they were polite) to get off their property. "

Who said they didn't have a right? Who? Where?  
 

A person walks a few feet onto your unfenced property to say hi to your puppy. So you come out and swear at them and say get off my private property. Nice.

bigmoe said "A person walks a few feet onto your unfenced property to say hi to your puppy. So you come out and swear at them and say get off my private property. Nice. "

Swore at the person who entered their yard. I don't blame her for being defensive. It's always appalling to me that people think they have the right to touch stuff or enter places that don't belong to them. The pup was tied up. It wasn't running at large. No one has the right to enter your yard just because it isn't fenced. I must ask, "would you appreciate someone entering your property for no other reason then to touch your dog?" I would guess not. Not only that she was probably shocked to come outside to find someone standing there. There is just no boundaries in life anymore! People need to learn to mind their own damn business and if something doesn't belong to you leave it alone.

The OP typed wtf but I didn't read it as those words were actually said to the woman. I could be wrong. Hard to comment much as there is not much info on the actual exchange. However, best be careful when entering someone else's property as it is trespassing. Most are fine with it to some degree but others have zero tolerance.  
 
Edited by CommonTater, 2015-07-14 11:50:08

I love my pup to death, she is treated better then my 22 year old son (lol), but you come into her yard and try telling me how to manage her, I would tell you to mind your own business and get the hell off my property as well,I think your wife handled it right !

If I was your gf I would have told that lady to go fly a kite and not so kindly told her to get the flock off of my property!!! I do not own a dog but I sure hope that it would not be your fault if your dog decided to bite one of these morons.

LightSaber1111 said "If I was your gf I would have told that lady to go fly a kite and not so kindly told her to get the flock off of my property!!! I do not own a dog but I sure hope that it would not be your fault if your dog decided to bite one of these morons. "

C'mon. We're talking a few feet off the sidewalk in the front yard. She was probably doing you a favor teaching the puppy some good socialization. Also dogs should not be tied up. Dogs that are tied up are more likely to bite and more likely to run away if they get out.

bigmoe said "    LightSaber1111 said "If I was your gf I would have told that lady to go fly a kite and not so kindly told her to get the flock off of my property!!! I do not own a dog but I sure hope that it would not be your fault if your dog decided to bite one of these morons. " C'mon. We're talking a few feet off the sidewalk in the front yard. She was probably doing you a favor teaching the puppy some good socialization. Also dogs should not be tied up. Dogs that are tied up are more likely to bite and more likely to run away if they get out. "

Passerby to make that call. Many have a sense of entitlement. A few feet or several feet off the sidewalk doesn't not make it right! the owners of this dog , iMO are acting responsibly and passerby lady should have respected this family's property line whether there is a fence or not. It is not up to me, you or passerby lady to decide that their dog needs to be socialized. Again, people need to mind their business and this means not trespassing on someone else's property. Just cause it's not fenced or unlocked does not give anyone the authority to enter it, touch it or take it. The OP in this case has ever right to be ticked. I hope passerby lady is reading this and will think about her responsibility in this. This confrontation was provoked because she entered someone's else's property, uninvited and then proceeded to touch someone's else's dog. Comments like" yard was unfenced or wallet was taken because you left car unlocked" just drive me wild! If it's not yours stay out or don't touch it.

Who came onto our yard wasn't even walking by she deliberately pulled her SUV over got out and walked the 8+ feet up onto our yard !!! She should be happy this is Canada and not the U.S. !!

Especially considering all the break ins/ thefts lately, you think somebody is going to be nice and friendly with someone being on their property when they aren't supposed to be? And dogs shouldn't be tied up?? Really?? If it wasn't, everybody would be down the OP's throat about how their dog shouldn't be out wandering.

Over and over on these forums, we hear about people trespassing, and when they get away with it, it simply encourages more of the same. The OP had every right to be angry, and the fact is, is that there is no need for a no trespassing sign in this case. Clearly, your home and yard are private property, there is nothing to indicate that access is expressed or implied, it is not a parking lot or a home based business. It is your residence, end of story, The lady had no right whatsoever to enter your property, and the fact that she then had the nerve to lecture your spouse blows me away! There is a simple remedy to this, if every time this happened, people simply asked the person to please wait while you call the RCMP as you plan to lay a charge of Trespass, and they can then address any concerns they might have with them, and if they faced the legal consequences of their actions perhaps they might think twice before doing so again.  
Although we live in the country, we face the same stupidity and boldness, where people just assume because it is a large tract of land, they are entitled to trespass on it. Again, the lack of a no trespassing sign is not permission to enter!

ICYMI said "    KJ2013 said "Really? You are delusional... A person has a right to ask someone (and op said they were polite) to get off their property. " Who said they didn't have a right? Who? Where?     "

You basically applied that if they said "hey how are you?" instead of what they did which was politely ask them to vamoose that it would have gone differently. I'm saying that since they are on their property they can say it however they like. From your post I assumed you were blaming the dog owner because they weren't nice enough.  
No one has the right to pet a dog that isn't theirs and the lady shouldn't have flown off the handle just because they were asked to leave.

With no fence and no 'no trespassing signs' I suspect you will find that your yard is 'legally open to the public' ... This is how you get mail and flyers delivered. You cannot claim trespass against anyone that has a reason to go on your property (even if it is to drop off a copy of the watchtower) unless they have broken the law to gain entry e.g. jumped over a fence etc.