Posted by snoopdogMs on 12/22/11 10:14pm
Msg #407391

Small dogs and rude inconsiderate owners

What is it with these dog owners that allow their small dogs to go crazy and jump all over you when you enter the house? Today I went to a nice home and I could hear the dog going bonkers when I rang the doorbell. The lady spoke through the door and said to wait while she contained the dog. I was more than glad to wait. I am invited in and she is holding the dog on a lease. BUT then she allowed the dog to claw and growl all over my pants legs seemingly totally amused. I had to put my briefcase between me and the dog to make my way to the kitchen. She then put the dog outside after she allowed such a rude encounter with her beloved pet. This won't happen again. I've had it. Next time I will wait outside until the pet is put away.

Reply by HisHughness on 12/22/11 10:43pm
Msg #407393

I guess it just depends on what kettle boils your tea. I adore overly friendly family pets; many times, I like the pet a helluva lot more than the owner. It's always a downer for me when a borrower elects to cage his pet. Besides, it's a treat for Lucy the Chihuahua when I come home from a signing with a whole strange pet narrative impressed on my clothing. She can spend half an hour trying to figure out what I've been doing.

Reply by CJ on 12/23/11 1:08am
Msg #407409

The other day as I came in, the owers were chuckling and saying how funny it was that the dog didn't notice me, and when it DID notice me, "all hell would break loose". It was whippit. I sat down and then the dog noticed me. It ran over real fast and put it's front paws on my lap and they howled with all it's might three inches from my face. The borrowers thought it was hilarious and said, "See? Didn't I tell you all hell would break loose? Ha! Ha! Ha!" I didn't say anything, but I thought it was very rude.

Another time, The borrowers were siging, and a great dane was outside the window barking and barking. I was so glad it was outside, though it was very annoying. The husband said, "I'm going to let the dog in because his barking is driving me crazy". The dog ran in the house and right over to me, and jammed it's nose into my lap. Very rude and embarrassing. The husband said, "I feel a lot better now".

Reply by JulieD/KS on 12/24/11 8:18am
Msg #407496

I'm an animal lover and I always ask people to let their dog come out. They are usually pleased about that. I've not met many animals I didn't like.

As a homeowner, however, I never assume that someone coming to my house will want to be given the big sniff by my dogs. I always put them in the family room and put up a gate to keep them confined. Then, if the people want to pet my greyhounds, I let them out. (addendum to this story: My newest greyhound was so excited to meet a lady who came over for notary service, he JUMPED the gate! Note to self: Must put gate higher to keep Gallagher confined)

It's just common courtesy to put the animals away when someone is coming over....but a lot of people lack that quality. Sorry to hear of your experience. I wouldn't really want a dog jumping on me, either. It would snag my pantyhose!

Reply by LindaD/NJ on 12/23/11 8:24am
Msg #407429

I'm with you Hugh, Love animals, but some people prefer

fido and feefee to be contained. Either way I am usually asked if it is okay to leave the dog out. I should say maybe 75% ask.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 12/23/11 6:05am
Msg #407419

You want this, or that?

Absolutely nothing wrong with venting w/colleagues, but no matter what the life or livelihood, there are going to be annoyances. My own self, I put the animals on the 'job perks' side of the list - but it's a decidedly subjective list. =)

Still - when you're job is primarily done within other people's homes, and the industry intends that to be for THEIR convenience, there's a long list of things we can expect to encounter - and endure. On the flip side, there's a long list of things we can expect to NEVER encounter that makes it all worth it ...

For me, not having to be locked up in a felt-walled cubicle, gasping for breath in the oppressive atmosphere of Corporate America is well worth whatever might annoy me - and very little does. Might be that I just HATED that life SO MUCH (yep, yelling) that I'll never get 'over it', and all the years of thinking "I'd do ANYTHING to not be here!". I'm not there. Bring it on, I say. =)

Reply by Molly Richardson on 12/23/11 6:58am
Msg #407423

I carry dog treats in my briefcase.

This usually averts the dogs from crazy to liking me. Once we meet and I share a dog treat....they usually calm down and sit at my feet.

Doesn't do the trick all the time but generally speaking it does.

Go get some dog treats....

Reply by Shauna/WA on 12/23/11 8:58am
Msg #407433

I'll have to get some treats, great idea!

I love animals to death. I could easily spend the entire signing time interacting with just the owner's animals and rarely have a problem.

Except - a few signings ago I had this lovely black lab that wanted to love. He was a nuzzler and every dang time I tried to notarize or write on anything, he'd bump my elbow, causing my pen to make some pretty marks on the paper.

After switching out with the borrower's copy, it kept happening. Finally told the owners/borrowers that I hate to do it, but I was running out of copies and needed my notarizations to be neat and maybe the dog could go in another room so we could finish up.

I think they understood and I tried to word it nicely, but by the end I was frustrated.

Reply by CinOH on 12/23/11 9:13am
Msg #407435

It's not just the small ones either. I've shown up and there were big dogs going nuts inside.

I understand the animal lives there, however, I'm not a chew toy or a claw post.

I always ask if there are animals at the residence when I set the appointment. If there are I ask that they be put away before the appointment.

I will not go in if there are dogs running loose.

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 12/23/11 12:15pm
Msg #407445

I'm amazed by all the different responses here. Me, I'm just happy if the dog's not a pit bull. As for dog treats, sounds like a cute idea; however, I'd be afraid the owners wouldn't like that, fearing they were junk food or would give their mutts gas - or worse, what if Fido got sick after you left and borrowers decided to blame it on the dog treats? (Call me paranoid, but I'm not going there).

Second, I would never tell a bwr during the confirmation call to corral their pets before I got there (or anything else for that matter, besides having their ID ready.) I think that's rude and presumptuous. In fact, if someone called me and started telling me how things were going to be in my house re my dog before they came over, I'd tell them not to bother to come over. But that's just me. Not that I'd tolerate a jumpy hyper sniffy dog when I got there ....

As to the dog nudging your elbow, this is just one more reason I never notarize at the signer's kitchen table.

And as far as Hugh's comment - "...when I come home from a signing with a whole strange pet narrative impressed on my clothing. ...she can spend half an hour trying to figure out what I've been doing." I thought you were talking about one of your ex wives for a minute! Merry Christmas, His Hughness!

Reply by CinOH on 12/23/11 4:28pm
Msg #407462

What's rude and presumptuous is pet owners thinking it's okay to allow their animals to lick, scratch, jump on, and stick their nose in every orifice of a guests body. That's just rude as hell.

I never "tell" customers anything. However, I do politely ask them to provide a respectful, safe, and reasonably quiet environment where we can execute THEIR very important loan documents without error. I'm not there to entertain or be assaulted by their pet.

A lot comes with the loan signing territory. But, I'm sorry I refuse to put up with dogs jumping all over me. That is uncalled for, outrageous, and the height of rudeness.

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 12/23/11 10:30pm
Msg #407491

You said: "I always ask if there are animals at the residence when I set the appointment. If there are I ask that they be put away before the appointment."

I said: It's really out of line to tell a borrower what they have to do to accommodate your personal desires. And don't lay it all on creating the ideal signing environment. Why don't you also tell them to be sure they have a cleared-off table for you with proper seating? And you want "a reasonably quiet environment"? What the heck does that mean? No rambunctious kids? You make them turn down the TV?

Again, if someone talked to me like this in a confirmation call, I'd be on the phone finding another notary (or whoever) who wasn't telling me the way things were going to be in my own house - safe, quiet and pet-free. Yikes!

And yes you are "telling" them the way it's going to be since "you will not go in if there are dogs running loose." If that were my standard, I'd be walking away from about half of my signings.

I said NOTHING about your refusal "to put up with dogs jumping all over me." And you don't have to put up with it - but at least wait until you get there before you lay down the law. Plenty of other notaries posted that they find pets kind of endearing.

Sounds to me like you need a doggie intervention. Your "rude as hell" fury with dog owners is over the top.

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 12/23/11 2:07pm
Msg #407454

Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish... It doesn't matter...

I love them all!

When I hear a dog bark when I ring a doorbell, for me, it's actually a welcoming sound. I have 3 dogs (Standard Poodle and 2 Chow Chows) and 2 Maine Coon cats. My signings generally start off on the right foot when the borrower learns that we have something already in common. There are a lot of pet owners out there who trust their pet's judgment when it comes to strangers. If Fido likes you, the borrower will too.

Most people can't apologize enough about the behavior of their pets and try are very considerate. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I've had my heels nipped at once by a little cha-who-ah-who-ah and to be honest the borrower was a little on the snippy side as well in that instance.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 12/23/11 4:08pm
Msg #407460

Same here, Maggie. Meet the fur-faces, give pets and

scritchies, shake hands with the borrowers while giving "absently" the pat-pat-pat. To dispel fur-face-fears, assure bo's the pet(s) will soon settle down because I'm so boring, all I have is papers - no fooooood - and more often than not, I've got a friend(s) for life.

So agree about judges of character, too. If the fur-faces like me, their folks tend to trust that decision. Even my goofy Afghan had incredible people-sense.

Reply by Blueink_TN on 12/23/11 2:26pm
Msg #407455

Claw and growl all over your pant legs?? You make it sound like you were attacked by a coyote with rabies. Did the little dog scare you or was it lifting it's leg on you? Pets in the home are the least of my concerns when I'm at a job.

Reply by snoopdogMs on 12/23/11 7:33pm
Msg #407476

As I said originally, the owner asked me to wait outside as she knew she had a problem dog. But then to let me come in and not keep the dog off of me was rude. And yes the Schnauzer dog, acted like he or she was digging at my legs and growling all at the same time. It would have bit me if it could have grabbed something. I had to put my briefcase between me and the dog to keep it from tearing my pants. I'm sorry, but this is not acceptable in my book. Am I supposed to say, Oh how cute, your dog almost tore my pants and bit my legs? And those claws really felt good digging into my legs. I went to the table without saying a word. I love animals and have had 3 dogs (labs) that we trained not to jump on people. When company comes over I put my 2 cats up as I don't know who likes cats and who does not.

Reply by BossLadyMD on 12/27/11 8:08pm
Msg #407651

I will not go inside a home with animals attacking me or

Walking across the table, stepping on docs. The SS & TC know I will not enter the home. Borrower has never had a problem either. They're free to hire someone else if they so desire.