To think that you don't just let yourself onto someone else's property? Especially when there is a dog there?

[NeonStarfish]

At around 10am this morning I was upstairs having a wash and getting dressed when I could hear my dog barking like mad downstairs. Now when I'm there I always leave the back door open so he can run in and out of the house as he likes, I always keep the gate locked to stop someone coming around the back when he's there. He's not a nasty dog and has never bitten anyone but he does bark when strangers come to the house, he's a big dog and his bark is quite loud when he starts.

Anyway I hear him barking so I come downstairs and I find a woman standing practically in my conservatory. She was stood there rigid, with the dog in front of her barking like mad. She was obviously delivering something and I'd obviously not heard her knocking becaue I was upstairs. She was clearly terrified of the dog, now like I said he's not nasty but I understand lots of people don't like dogs. But this is his territory and when someone unfamilar comes he's going to bloody bark at them! She'd also left the gate wide open behind her meaning he could have got out.

I apologised and said I'd not heard her knocking, and then asked her how she'd got around the back. She was a bit stroppy with me said that she'd put her hand over the gate and unlocked it herself! The dog would have strarted barking as soon as she'd done this. So I took the parcel off her signed for it and she ran off make a silly shuddering noise as she did. I should say that he stopped barking as soon as he saw me and realised she wasn't a threat.

AIBU to think firstly she'd shouldnt have just let herself in anyway? And secondly you don't let yourself into a property where there is a loose dog? I used to do leafleting as a student and we were always told not to go into a property where there was a loose dog for our own safety! He's not a nasty dog but I believe any dog can turn when threatened and protecting its territory, my Uncles dog is as docile as they come but he nipped the postman.

Sorry of this sounds ridiculous, but I love my dog so much and I would hate him to bite anyone and have to have him put down.

[Tinklewinkle]

YANBU

We had similar with a delivery driver here and our dog did get out.

DH and I were upstairs doing some DIY and as it was a sunny day had propped the back door open.

Heard the doorbell go and I come down to find a man with my dog. They'd found the dog in the park behind our houses. Thank him profusely, completely confused as to how dog had got out and walk through the house to find a parcel sitting on my dining table and the back gate wide open.

The bolt on our gate is half way down, you can't reach it without climbing on the gate.

The dog will leg it as soon as the gate is opened, so the driver must have known he'd escaped but not bothered to let us know.

I was furious, the dog could have been hit by a car, bitten a child in the park (I don't think he would, but you never know do you), anything. If the dog warden had picked him up I'd've been fined.

I'm not even convinced the driver had even rang the bell, we were only painting so we would have heard it.

It wasn't even just the dog escaping that made me cross, as far as I think my dog is a softie, I have no idea how he'd react to someone entering his territory uninvited. The driver put my dog at risk of all sorts of things. If the dog had bitten the driver, who would be responsible? Would our much loved pet be at risk of being put down? If he'd bitten someone in the park would he be at risk of being put down? Obviously, he's my dog so the buck stops with me, but the driver was a fucking idiot

I was so cross I rang the company to complain (pissing about with their automated answering service for 10 minutes cheesed me off even more). The manager of our local depot rang to apologise, it was a really stupid thing for the driver to have done.

Alls well that ends well, but it could have been a very different story

[Littleen]

That's outrageous that she just let herself in!! yanbu!

[NeonStarfish]

I don't think our dog would have bolted as he's scared of traffic, but you never know do you. I was more concerned that he might snap at her for coming onto our territory. As it was he just barked, a lot.

[Helgathehairy]

I have a "warning - dog running loose" sign on my gate as my golden is usually loose in the garden. Sometimes I think it makes thing worse , people leave the gate open behind them so they can run if they see a big dog coming towards them.

[KoalaDownUnder]

No, mellowjello, they only have an implied licence to open a gate if they need to do so to get to the front door and effect delivery. They don't have an implied licence to bypass the accessible front door, open a side gate and go round the back!

YANBU, OP.

[Fleecyleesy]

The delivery person was very silly but I think that for your own and your dog's safety and security you should get a padlock or other lockable thing for your gate. The nobody can unlock even if they do reach over.