Dog came to our house viewing

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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.

My emotional support armadillo goes everywhere with me.

I have a dog but wouldn’t dream of taking it to a house viewing!!!

It is a point of principle. You are coming at it from the POV that nothing happened, so why fuss but the reason nothing happened was pure statistical chance, not due to any application of common sense or intelligent thought by the agent.

Had it gone badly no doubt she'd have said,"Well I didn't know they had allergies!" The fact is it's not her business to know that kind of info but it is her responsibility to ask BEFORE a viewing, whether a prospective buyer can bring their dog. It is up to the vendor to say yes or no, and if no, not necessarily why (she may hate dogs, she may have a friend who comes by to visit who is allergic, she may not want the risk of inadvertent shits, voms or fleas in her house, she may not want vestigial evidence of fur or whatever it is!!) It's still her home until it sells and to act like some kind of overly entitled arsehole about taking your dog to house viewings is completely out of order .

I think if you have someone who stands to gain thousands of pounds in fees from you for selling your house, you have a right to expect they will act on your behalf with integrity and honesty. They have not done so on 3 points:

1. Admitting a dog in the house without prior arrangement and thereby taking potential small but serious risks with OP's family's health
2. Lying about the dog being held all the time when video evidence shows otherwise
3. Showing a house to potential buyers whose own property has not yet sold, counter to OP's requests.

The OP has every right to complain about the agent: past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour. Letting a dog in OP's house without prior agreement is appalling judgment on the agent's part. The risks, however small, were not HERS to take. It's that simple.

I'm a dog lover.

This is NOT ok!!! And really weird!

I think I'd probably change estate agents if they lied to me like that as well!

Maybe they were checking the house wasn't haunted - there have been many posts from people here saying their dogs won't go into certain areas of their house!

More seriously - no they should have checked with you first. I personally wouldn't mind as I have dogs of my own but I appreciate it would be a problem for some non dog owner

Because people, the dogs' owners, are becoming and more incontinent.

You, as the seller, might say yes to owners bringing their dogs as long as they do no damage so how does that work? You get a couple of teacup sized pooches snoozing in a handbag, no problem.

Then you get someone bringing a geriatric short-haired chocolate labrador that sheds hair everywhere and stinks to high heaven but his owners say he's too old to be left on his own. The stench lingers long after they've gone.

Then you realise you have had a visitor who retrospectively clearly does not flea treat their dog/or they do but it's ineffective anyway so now you have a flea problem to take care of.

Then you have a dog with a stomach upset which goes under a table out of reach where it retches up a slick of something horrific on your carpet before anyone can get it outside. Who cleans that up and what if it stains the carpet? The owners say he reacts badly to the scent in carpet cleaner and make it clear they think it's your fault. All of this is unnecessary and avoidable if you accept that taking your pet to people's houses involves RISK to THEIR property/family, not YOU, which THEY don't want. Dog owning people have been buying and selling houses for decades and done so without foisting their dog on house sellers. Don't take your dog to house viewings unless unavoidable and at least have the good grace, common sense and basic manners to ask beforehand.

Good one @Twototwo15 😂.

Absolutely nuts behaviour to take a dog to a house viewing??

You are NOT being unreasonable. At all.

I have lots of pets and love them to bits but would never dream of taking any of them to a house viewing, let alone allowing one to walk around inside.

I wouldn't even take one and leave it in the garden; this is why pet sitters, dog daycare, dog walkers, kennels and catteries are a thing.

The potential buyers were inappropriate. But the agent is disgraceful to a) go against your wishes and b) lie about it initially.

Add that to the fact they've shown people around who don't have a property on the market or who aren't otherwise ready to progress with the purchase means I'd be going with a different agent as they clearly don't give a fuck about your wishes or your home. Don't give them your custom.

Dog lover here but I wouldn't take them to a house viewing! Most viewings the agents make you take your shoes off at the door, never mind dog paws walking all over the place!

My daughter cant leave her dog at all aa it howls the whole time so she would definitely have to tale hers with her. But she would definitely have checked with them first if it was ok!

However many are in that situation. Is it worth losing a potential sale for?

We have dogs and if we can't leave them anywhere, we go in separately, and take turns waiting outside with the dogs. I'd never take them into a viewing, although, people have brought theirs to ours to view.

I love dogs (I own 2) but I certainly wouldn’t take them to a house viewing. I do find your comments about the dog walking where your children play a little extreme but then that’s me! What about the many people who have dogs and children!

Personally I could tell several tales of people who have turned up at houses I’ve had on the market with their children who I would rather they had left behind!!

Once again, the equivalency with dogs and children! Children are young humans, dogs are pets. Although, even on here, the lines get blurred "dog mum", "fur babies" etc. they're not your child, they're an animal.

Can’t speak for the OP but yes I would be happy to let that potential owner not view and then offer if they insisted in bringing their dog with them

As I mentioned in a previous post I don’t allow dogs that belong to people I know in my home, I certainly wouldn’t allow a dog with someone I didn’t

If that means losing a sale then so be it. In fact we are putting our house up for sale next year and this thread has made me realise that you do have to stipulate things that you would think are obvious

Children can come and run around for as long as they want, dogs absolutely not

Or she could train it rather than expecting everyone else to accommodate her problem dog?

Christ of course it's not ok to take your dog to a viewing. What if you'd had a cat? Or someone in the house with an allergy. I'd change agents for that or yes send them the professional cleaning bill.

I have 2 dogs but definitely would not take them to a house viewing.
That is pushing boundaries and taking the p*.
I suspect owner is one of those people who equates a dog to a child.
Estate agent might have been put in awkward situation and lied to cover their tracks.
However unless youor DC have allergies you are overreacting about the dog walking where your children play.
Why on earth were they leaning over a cot??
It should not be necessary to say to estate agents and potential buyers no dogs at house viewings but maybe nowadays you have to state the obvious!
Dogs should be OK to be left at home.
If it comes to it and they are a couple one can wait outside with dog then swap over.
I would have no problem with well behaved children at a house viewing as sometimes it's not possible to get a sitter and you can't leave a child at home alone.
Dogs are not children but I think some people believe they are on par and that's why they thought it was OK to bring the dog with them.

Am a dog owner but would never ever do this. People may have allergies etc. Totally disrespectful.

Totally unacceptable

A dog can be left in a car or at home for ten mins whilst they look around

Dog owners are bonkers

An estate agent lied to you? Surely not!!!! Seriously though, I’d find another estate agent and tell this one exactly why - not just the dog being allowed in but also blatantly lying about it. A lot of them seem to think that lying is a perfectly normal and acceptable part of their jobs and they need to be told it’s not ok.

Agree. I don’t want animals in my house full stop. If a potential buyer is so entitled that they won’t view the house without bringing their dog then they won’t get through my front door. No ifs no buts.

Theres enough non entitled non bonkers buyers out there who understand animals aren’t humans and that others don’t have to accommodate their ‘fur babies’ 🤢

That’s awful. My sympathies - I would be fuming. I don’t like dogs, and I really don’t understand why dogs seem to be in any pub/café/restaurant I have visited in recent years. There’s just no need.

Well I said yabu but on reflection I think yanbu. Although I would be more upset about shoes on my carpets than dogs.

Maybe dog is checking for exes under the patio