# STORM AND THE TRASHMAN



## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

Okay here goes. storm is now 19 months old. anyway, it's trash day this am. so this big guy trash man who thinks he's funny, comes up to my fence and commences to stick his whole body into the fence and put his whole arm inside while holding a milkbone. don't know which one of my 5 dogs he was trying to give it to, but storm wasn't playing. he immediately bolted and lunged up at the guy going for his throat. now, i have signs posted all along the front of my fence. one of them says "Property Patrolled and Protected By A German SHepherd". i said to him, "don't go near him, what is the matter with you", don't you see the signs? he says, i'm not afraid of him. i could tell he was shaken up though. my hubbie also has a sign on the driveway gate that says "parking reserved for eagles fans". the other trashman says, maybe he knows you're not an eagles fan, making a joke of it. 

storm is a great dog, but VERY protective. i've had him to obedience training several times. i think it made him worse because the trainer was kind of using the scare tactic. it's weird though that i've had people walk right into my yard, like the pizza man and he's fine. it's just with people reaching over or coming near the fence. my lab/shep mix is that way too. you're fine if you come through the gate, but reaching over, no way. he's not real fond of people walking towards him while i have him on the leash either.

now for question time:

why are dogs like this? why is it okay to come through the gate but not to reach over it? 

and 2: could i be responsible for this if the trashman did in fact get bit? even after that "i'm not afraid of him comment" and my posted signs?


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

I would say yes you probably could be responsible but you would have to check the laws in your state.People have sued for more stupid dog attacks.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

Washington Inn, Lucky Bones, Mad Batter, Harpoon Henry's, 
Cucina Rosa,


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

> Quote:why are dogs like this? why is it okay to come through the gate but not to reach over it?


Dogs are territorial. Your dog was acting perfectly acceptably for a dog! Good boy for not taking treats from perfect strangers without permission.



> Quote:and 2: could i be responsible for this if the trashman did in fact get bit? even after that "i'm not afraid of him comment" and my posted signs?


Most likely YES. Sadly, your dog will be at fault unless you're in one of the few states that have good laws. Be aware that posting warning signs such as "BEWARE OF DOG" can actually make you MORE liable.









Hate to say it, but I'd build a taller and more solid fence, not so much to keep the dogs in but to keep the world's idiots OUT. And this trashman was a daft, ignorant fruitcake with an amputation wish.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

hee hee, yep, been there done that!!!

ya know, i have a feeling that i would be liable, but the laws down here are so not forthwright. it's like they claim that a person is not liable if the attack was provoked. but they do not clarify what the definition of a provoked attack really is. i would say that if a trashman is putting his arm over the fence to feed your dog, then that is provoked. i don't know, these dog bite laws really need to be written so that us dog owners have "some" "rights" instead of seeming like we have none. no one should approach your dog if he is in your fenced in yard. ridiculous!!


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

Don't let him give any kind of bones, etc. to you dogs - could have had something on it. And you know the dog is always liable for whatever. At least in my state unless you can prove the other person was at fault and that rarely happens.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

We don't let Athena take bones from anyone so she won't get that OK feeling if people feed her.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

and the messed up thing about this whole drama this morning was the fact that in the eyes of the law i find it unfathomable that they would not find that trashman negligent for putting his whole arm and body over the fence and trying to give my dog a milkbone. i would have to fight that fact in court, i'm sorry. ya know, the sad thing is that us dog owners don't seem to have any rights anymore. the lawyers aren't going to side with the dog owner because they're making boo coo bucks on dog bite lawsuits and the homeowner's insurance companies sure as heck aren't going to side with us dog owners because they're losing money due to bites, so who do we have????? now i'm nervous about that yummie. he didn't eat it, but i was so upset i left it out on the front lawn, and while i'm ranting here, why don't people read signs. it sure as heck costs me enough to order these signs off the net, only for no one to bother reading them. do i now have to get a sign that says "don't feed the dogs"??!! i'm getting one that says, "are you blind, or is it that you just can't read the signs"??!! lol, lol maybe then they'll read it!!! write something sarcastic and they'll see it. maybe i should drop the f bomb on one too, then they'll see it, the SHOCK factor!!!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Dogs are considered an attractive nuisance and as such you have to protect the incredibly stupid public from themselves. If there's any way someone can get over or through a fence and they get bit, it's going to be your fault. Stupid and unfair, but true.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

i kind of figured that....and we're not even allowed to have privacy fence in front of our house that is over 5 foot high......


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Geez that stinks. How about a perimeter of thorny bushes along the outside of the fence? Not many casual people will want to push up against that.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Call the city/trash provider and complain. Tell them that their employee stepped over the designated "trash boundries" and trespassed onto your property. Start a paper trail of complaints against trash dude.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

ya know my hubbie told me to do that. call the trash provider and complain. cover my butt at least if he does end up being stupid again and get his you know what bit. the bush thing is a great idea too!!!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why don't you ave a talk with the trash man. ask him not to reach over the fence to treat you dogs. explain to him the dogs don't like it and you don't want to be bitten by your dog. the trash man was being nice to your dog, wasn't he?



> Originally Posted By: crazyboutgsd'sya know my hubbie told me to do that. call the trash provider and complain. cover my butt at least if he does end up being stupid again and get his you know what bit. the bush thing is a great idea too!!!


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

well, he was more or less trying to be a "show-off". making comments like "i'm not afraid of him", so who knows what his intention was. i think he was just a dumbass.


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## k9sarneko (Jan 31, 2007)

Unfortunately in this world you cant fix stupid but sometimes you can adjust ignorance. Since he was carrying milk bones maybe he likes dogs but is just sadly uneducated. Could you take a different approach with him? Next time they come by would it be possible to put up the dogs and meet them with a pepsi or something at the gate. Thank him for liking dogs but educate him on how his behavior could appear threatening to a territorial animal. If he is not receptive to that approach I would then complain to the trash company. Maybe you could turn this negative into a positive. Let him know that calling out a happy greeting to your pack is fine by attempting interaction over the fence is a BIG no no.


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

We had a problem with the trash guys as well, Shadow goes nutso when they pull up to "steal" our tossed to the curb treasures. Difference here is that our trash guys were actuallt taunting her, stomping at her, and barking back...I was furious! First of all, I know darn well if Shadow wanted to she can clear the fence. I was on the phone so fast to the city filing a formal complaint it wasn't funny. And from then on, if it is trash day, she is not outside around the time they generally come, and if she is I am right there with her to keep her cool and focused on me. I would file a complaint...who knows if he has done this before to other people's dogs....for his own safety a reprimand might make the lesson easier learned than a dog bite. I would also suggest either you be with your crew when they come or don't have them easily accessible.


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