Dog came to our house viewing

[Memberberry]

Our estate agent brought a potential buyer round to view our house today who turned up with their dog. I saw them on the front door ring camera carry it in to our house but when I checked the back garden camera I could see it walking on our carpet!

We have a 5 year old and a 5 month old and it walked all over where the boys play (luckily most of their things were put away for the visit) and the estate agent knows this.

The dog also was carried into their bedroom and held above our baby’s cot.

if this hadn’t annoyed me enough when asked about it the estate agent lied and said the dog was carried the whole time. When I told her we can see it on the ring she said she’d make a note that no pets would be allowed on future viewings and that’s it ok as the dog didn’t go to the toilet in our garden.

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable but just wanted to gauge opinions before I speak to the agent properly tomorrow and whether that’s normal behaviour or is as bizarre as I think it is.

Thing is though, anyone can view a 7 figure property, from sheer nosiness. I know a few people who have done this locally...

@Memberberry You don’t happen to be in the west coast of Scotland OP? 😅 I only ask as I had similar and it was so bizarre 😂

We’d agreed with the agent that they’d let us know of any viewings, and I’d do the ones I was available for and they’d do any other ones. I was sitting at home with my 1 year old one day when I heard a key in my front door, so I went through to see what was going on to see the agent letting bringing in a family (parents, 2 kids and a black lab 😂)!! I hadn’t been informed of the viewing at all.

I was very annoyed but said they were welcome to view provided one of them waited outside with the dog and then they could swap over. They weren’t impressed at all! Although neither was I at their kids being left unattended messing around with stuff in my childs bedroom 🙄 I hadn’t to go and ask them to go downstairs with their parent!

The couple fed back that they loved the property and would have offered over the odds but weren’t putting in an offer as they were made to feel unwelcome by their dog not being allowed in 🙃😂😂

Best case scenario is that the buyer believes the dog to have psychic sensitivities and it was running a ghost check.

The EA has no excuse.

I love any number of dogs in my home but by invitation only.

Definitely disrespectful and what were the owners thinking. What if you’d had allergies or something!

OP I’m genuinely missing the problem here and I’m not being condesending. I have two dogs, I wouldn’t bring them to a viewing and if I found myself needing to I would likely ask if it’s ok first but only because my dogs are large, nervous and can’t be carried. People with small dogs often take theirs everywhere. I agree it was weird not to ask you first but what I’m confused about is why is it such a big deal? Why does it matter if a dog was carried and held near your child’s cot? I genuinely don’t see the problem, it’s not a rodent that carry’s diseases, it’s just a dog. It’s been done now, you can just tell the estate agent no more dogs but what is the big reaction for? I’m assuming you’re not allergic to them? Are you a germaphobe? Nobody died OP so time to move on.

Allergy is red herring. Allowing animals to accompany their owners on a property inspection is a non-starter, total lack of respect by the estate agent, and also the potential buyer.

What if you or one of your children had a an allergy to dogs, totally should not have brought a dog into the house without your prior agreement - it's not like it was there to give them its opinion.

You are missing something. They didn't check with OP if it was OK to bring the dog which is just basic manners and an acknowledgement that it might not be ok for any number of perfectly valid reasons. She might very well have had a member of the household with a severe allergy and had she not had a ring doorbell to see that a dog had been in her house and on her living room carpet, she could have been dealing with a severe medical incident. It's completely beside the point that nothing like that happened.

I’m a dog owner. I’d never dream of bringing him to a house viewing! It’s rude, inconsiderate and unnecessary.
I’m also a Mum and I’d be incredibly annoyed to see another persons dog trotting about the house and in the children’s bedrooms.
I’d be calling the Manager and complaining. I wouldn’t be able to trust that particular agent anymore and would insist they only do viewings when you are in or that person is no longer involved. Allowing it is one thing, lying about it is another. Very poor practice 😞

What if there are cats in the house? What if they have a territorial dog of their own? What if a family member is asthmatic?

All three of these apply to my household so for some of us it is a big deal.

I'm obviously missing the point here as well. I don't particularly like dogs tbh and especially not in the house but you have people traipsing through your house when you're trying to sell it, it's not particularly pleasant, it's just life. Would struggle to get worked up about a dog in that context, assuming it did no damage and i hadn't specified allergies or whatever. Certainly don't see it as bizarre.. You are asking people to imagine your house as their home. But just ask the EA to not let dogs in in future and move on.

@TwistedWonder

Whatever next? Maybe turn up with a llama or a camel or a penguin or maybe an aardvark why not eh?

oooh, I don't want sell, but I might put my house on the market & do my own viewings!!

@Caerulea

i wonder if it's breaking the law not to make viewers aware they're on camera?

Shocking behaviour and I would be furious at the estate agent.
I would also no longer trust them for their stupidity to allow it and lying about it.

They would have been aware. Ring cameras come with a sticker to let people know, the estate knows we have them and the cameras are also very obvious.
I wouldn’t even have looked at it had I not seen a dog on my ring notification.

I think it depends. I’ve taken our dog on house viewings but only with prior permission. I have also done viewings where we took it in turns to wait outside with our dog whilst the other person went inside. I would prefer for our dog to have been inside a house before we buy it but we can work around it

I don’t think my dog has an equal say but I do want him to like where he lives. I wouldn’t buy a house that wasn’t suitable for him. Not really any different to taking children on viewings, they have no say either

Why do any of those things matter?
I wouldn't turn up at a friend or family member's house with my dog without asking first. Let alone a complete stranger's. Everything after that is completely irrelevant.

How is your dog going to communicate to you that a) he likes this house more than that or b) that he finds one suitable and not the other. These are human decisions, your dog doesn't need to be physically present.

I have a dog I adore but I wouldn't take him on a house viewing!!!

An EA who lies to you isn't working for you. Switch agent within the firm after raising a concern in writing with their line manager, if it's a big firm? Switch firm if it's a small cosy unprofessional one.

I'm also irresponsibly dreaming of startimg a business that for a fee will send Psychic Dogs to accompany house viewers to sniff out any ghost trouble.

I’d go ahead and specify: no dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, rats, dolphins or goldfish and ask the agent if they are crystal clear on house rules?

what if someone had a serious allergy to dogs? like your baby? Its not right!

Of course it’s different. Children are humans - animals are nothing like the same thing. Or maybe you think the kids should be left tied up outside as well as the dog.

A well trained, well-treated dog likes living with their owner. They don't have a preference for detached new build over Victorian terrace. Of course, depending on dog breed, age, and health, the owner will look at garden space, stairs, hazards, fencing, busy roads, neighbouring animals and so on. Humanly. On the dog's behalf, not in the presence of dog.