Woman explains why people need to get rid of 'Beware of Dog' signs on their property

Many people are used to putting up 'Beware of Dog' signs on their gates and doors to avoid burglars or people pestering for sales. Kay Guzman, from Canada, shared an important message regarding these signs in a video that people might be unaware of. Guzman—who goes by @kay_guzman98 on TikTok—starts the video by saying, "If you put a sign up on your property that says 'Beware of Dog' that means that your dog is potentially aggressive, potentially attack somebody and therefore it could make you liable for anything that happens."

She says that she knows this because her family has worked for the police over the years. "They have said, do not have a 'Beware of Dog' sign. If you are worried about people coming in, better be surprised that your dog is aggressive and it attacks than you to put a sign that says beware of dog that could make you liable for any attacking or whatever aggressive behavior your dog does," explains Guzman.

She clarifies that she wants to share this because she is planning to put up a sign. Guzman says, "And I'm only saying this because we were thinking about it not that our dog is scary but just to deter people from trying to come into our house break into our house and when I talk to my family about it and they are like don't do that."

She adds: "You will be basically admitting that your dog is aggressive and not safe and therefore, people have more grounds to come after you if your dog attacks them. So, just a heads up, if you are thinking of getting a 'Beware of Dog' sign or already have a 'Beware of Dog' sign, get rid of it. If you're worried about people coming into your house, get a security camera, or better yet, get private property signs."

The video went viral and several people on the video-sharing platform found it extremely helpful. @danalynnann commented, “Thanks for the heads up. Signs, coming down.” @dog_dad4 wrote, “You just need to get ‘dog on premises’ signs.” @cheyannelev86 said, “Good to know. I thought not putting a sign in your backyard was a liability! This is helpful.”

@kristinamdm said, “Wow. I actually thought it was the opposite this whole time that if you had the sign, they couldn’t come after you if something.” @icrabtreea21 shared, “Wow okay thank you. I used to have one up. Never again.” @k.yraf commented, “I recommend anyone in Ontario read the owner liability laws. I was shocked at how strict they are here.”

According to DailyDot, laws in the United States against dog bites differ from state to state, including the "one-bite rule." The rule apparently determines if the first bite from the dog on your property is grounds for legal action or if the owner gets a pass. Legal experts claim that many factors like state laws, motives of being on the property, history of the dog, and other factors determine the liability.

Watch the full video here: