K9

[1Admin]

Our latest, a boy.

Definitely advantages and disadvantages to having dogs as PART of your retreat security.

First and foremost you have to not worship them and understand that they are doing a job. The not so nice way of saying this is that they are expendable.

[cpwhip]

yep! no one comes on the property without seeing this. they are my family!

[rockriver]

thanks for all the info...
we need a dog or two.
we lost chickens to a predator. chickens are coming back soon.
question 1. which dogs will understand that our chickens are o.k.

question 2. which dogs will understand our property line quickest.
i would like for the dogs to "stay home."

thanks.
rr

[rockriver]

i forgot to add..
i have long experience in the ins. industry..
primarily in the rural insurance environment.

the earlier comments about dog no - no's are correct.

when your agent or the insurance adjuster comes to visit
to take pictures, or measure your house, or just to visit,
it would probably be wise to take the dogs to a neighbors house if they have any
vicious tendencies OR the breed has any vicious reputation.

if you can't hide the fact that you have dogs, i strongly suggest that you not
show your a@@, go to screaming, threaten to get him fired, cuss him,
complain that he was slow getting there, or otherwise pick a fight to the agent or adjuster.

here's why. you have every right to "show out."
but the ins person has every right to turn in your dog situation, or "look the other way"

examples.
i think having a dog is a good theft deterrant. which is good for my insurance company, so i would "fail to see any problem"
BUT, when the customer went to "showing out" i would remember that the company wanted to
know about the dog situation. i could write the company and say the customer was a huge jerk
and needed to be cancelled or rate increased. the company would not do a thing.
however, if i included a picture of the dog, and a note about how vicious little doggie was, a cancellation would be
forthcoming quickly in most instances.

i was "nipped" several times over the years. (lightly bitten on the ankle/calf) in just about every instance the customer would
turn and smile. these were usually little rat sized dog. these customers got cancelled quickly once i turned in my short report.

most folks would warn me. "hey, don't go in the backyard, we've got dogs." or "let me know when you are coming so i can put the dogs up"
i never said a word to the ins. co. in those situations. however, some of my co-workers would turn in a report of vicious dog in those situations.

bottom line of this speech.
1. unless, you have a lazy mutt, than can hardly walk, it would be best to move the dog, when the ins. employee comes.
2. if you don't move the dog, have it well restrained, and happy or docile (sp?). make it visiblly clear that your dog is under control and not vicious. you don't want it bounding along the edge of the fence, baring it's teeth as the ins. employee walks along the 4' chain link fence, and the dog is jumping 5-6' into the air.

in the for what it's worth dept.
between today and when the shtf, it would be best if our insurance was very easy to get, and as cheap as possible.

rr