I have no idea Malka but it would be worrying if faced with those questions.

Luckily here our front garden is fenced off and Dillon only comes out there if attended by me or one of the family.

We have 2 gates one each end up the side of the house one is bolted and the other has a very big heavy pot againt it and a bungee rope from one side to the other securing it we are still trying to figure out a way to secure it with a bolt. If someone tried to force their way in there would be no doubt though they did it with force.

Our back garden has 6 foot fencing all the way round and the gate has a yale lock and you need a key to get in. Again if anyone got in uninvited it would be obvious they had forced their way in or climbed the fence. We decided on the locked gate last year after someone just opened the back gate it had a latch on the inside and walked into our back garden and up to our open french doors asking if they could have the old sofa that was left outside the gate for the heavy squad.
We were in-between dogs having lost Ollie and getting Dillon good job Ollie was not about he would of gone for the person invading his territory. I do not have signs on my gate. All the neighobus know when we have dogs and we have lived here nearly 15 years and that was the first time that has ever happened. It shook me up a bit I can tell you.

Not sure about the id tag question Murf. Dillon does not wear collar in the house or back garden but does if he comes into the front garden with us.

This will be hard for those of us with sensitive necked dogs, Duncan doesn't wear a collar at all now we have his id tags on his harness when we go out. If he wears even a soft collar his neck gets sore so I cannot see us complying with any law that insists we put one on him.

They are making normally very law abiding people into law breakers.

Thanks SB. I argued exactly those points with the officer that advised me (re beware having the same meaning as be aware). He was adamant, hence my confusion. Thanks for the advice. Obviously our lovely boys in blue don't always get it right, it now seems he was offering a personal opinion rather than fact.

To be honest I have been sick with worry for the last couple of days, even though I know everything is OK.

The father [?] did accept that Pereg could not have gotten near any of the children, and that the girl had clambered down into my yard without permission and had scratched her knee when clambering back up. And he did accept my assurance [plus the card] that Pereg does not carry rabies or anything else.

It is totally impossible to fence in the front of my/my neighbour/landlady's property. It would require not just the front of both bungalows, but the sides, the back - virtually enclosing a massive plot of land.

I do my part in keeping Pereg tethered so she cannot reach the pavement. I cannot stop all the loose, stray, dumped dogs from coming into my yard, and I cannot guarantee that my yard is sterile from any mess left by those dogs. But I can, and do, make sure that Pereg is regularly wormed and has all her booster shots, including the rabies shot.

But clambering down the slope into my yard, without even bothering to call out when my door was wide open, then swinging a carrier bag towards Pereg while she, the child, clambered back up to the pavement - who was at fault there?

Was it my fault that the children kicked a ball down into my yard? Was it my fault that my dog was not happy about a strange child climbing down into what she, Pereg, considers as her territory?

She did not touch the girl - I was outside by then and saw the whole thing, and the question, after having produced Pereg's medical card, was not whether Pereg might cause any problems, but whether my yard might be infected - ach, the whole thing is just stupid and nothing came of it, but I am still worried in case I get that knock on the door and someone tries to take Pereg.

A couple of years ago there were a spate of burglaries around where I live and we then had police doing regular trips around the roads here on a daily basis.
I had a sign on our gate that said 'Beware of the dog' and was told NOT to have the sign up as (already mentioned) I was admitting to having a dangerous dog. I was advised to have a sign up saying 'Please close the gate, dogs loose'. Apparently that information is warning people that dogs could be loose and if my dog at the time had bitten someone (she was the sweetest little dog who greeted everyone as their best friend) in court it could be construed that the person entering my property had chosen to knowing that dog/dogs could be loose. It puts the onus on the visitor ..... apparently!

My dogs will never wear collars in our property as they rough and tumble all day and one of mine can open doors - it would be so easy for him to get his collar caught on a door handle

I used to be careful not to have a "beware of the dog" sign up, but I'm not so bothered now, why should a sign warning that you may get bitten if you enter my property matter? I know that my dogs won't bite anyone that is lawfully on my property (as I wouldn't let it happen) but one WILL bite a trespasser whether there is a sign there or not. It would take a very harsh judge to punish my dog or me purely because of the way a sign is worded.

As far as I know the new law is only to cover such people as postmen etc, anyone else on your property that shouldn't be then the law is the same as it is now.

As for dogs wearing ID in the house... I can't say that is enforceable and have to say I will not be keeping collars and tags on my dogs whilst in the house regardless.

We already have the legislation in Scotland and there's no requirement to have your dog wear a collar and tag in your house or property, not that I'm aware of any way.

It seems the Beware of the Dog sign became an urban myth many years ago - as there are so many posts on various dog forums saying the same thing. "You are more likely to be prosecuted for having a dog you know would bite if you display a sign".

I could never see the logic in it myself and am glad it seems that some common sense still prevails within the Law.

That would be worrying. What are the Laws regarding dogs out of control or biting people where you are, Malka? Do you think this man may try and claim money? I hope nothing else comes of this.

ETA: I know Pereg was not out of control and did not bite anyone.

With some of the rubbish my husband puts on the rental list you may well lose the will to live within about 10 minutes of watching...