Homeowner Pets

Dave45 | Posted in General Discussion on July 14, 2005 06:02am

What do you folks do about homeowner pets when you’re working in their homes? I’ve never been bitten or bothered, but it can get annoying when Fido makes a try for the door when I’m going thru it with my hands full of stuff. On a recent job, I had three of the family mutts dash thru freshly spread floor adhesive onto the living room carpet where they made a hard right and ran down the hall. It wasn’t a pretty picture. – lol

Replies

james | Jul 14, 2005 06:16am | #1
Dave,

I hope the HO's were not looking at you like it was your fault.. and expecting you to clean it up.

I was laying out some finish on a built in for a customer who has a cat... well you guessed it, in the am when we arrived we found little cat prints in the top, guess who got paid to skuff out and re finish the top?

james

Dave45 | Jul 14, 2005 05:02pm | #10
The HO was there when it happened and apologized to me. I had told them before I started that the dogs needed to be tied up or put in the kennel but they had assured me that the dogs wouldn't do something like that. Yeah, right - lol.

While I'm at it, I'll also ask how you get HO's to move their stuff so you can work. Last week, I installed some under cabinet lighting in a his and hers home office. I told them that I would need everything cleared off the desk top. When I got there, the loose stuff was gone but the computer monitors, keyboards, phone chargers, a gonzo printer, and miles of cords were still there. They said they were afraid that they would never get it all hooked up again. I got the lighting in, but I was paranoid about screwing something up.

I suppose I could just tell them that I'll come back when they're ready, but that blows my schedule all to hell and would probably get them upset as well.

gordzco | Jul 14, 2005 06:49am | #2
Get them to lock annoying or agressive dogs somwhere they can't bother you.

I was invited into one home to work and the lady of the house said."Wait here I'll get the dog." As she headed to the kitchen area, the dog, a 180 lb Mastiff, something or other, (if you saw the movie "Turner and Hooch", that was the dog!) came out of the living room, buried his head into my crotch and pinned me to the door. I could hear her calling the dog, "King oh King where are you?"as she went to the basement and then upstairs. I tried to inform her that I had found "King" but any noise or movement on my part only caused the dog to growl, bare it's teeth and press more firmly into the door.

Woodbutcher | Jul 14, 2005 07:32am | #4
Great story Gordzco !!   I hope you and "King" were able to sort everything out without any bloodletting.

I am reminded of an anecdote from several years ago:

We were re-roofing a house for a guy that had two dobermans in the back yard. Everyone kept going on about how he kept warning us to stay out of the back yard as the dogs were very aggressive and would attack anyone who came into thier domain.

Well naturally my buddy dropped his hammer off the roof into the yard...   We debated what to do about it for a minute, when I finally volunteered to go retrieve it.   So I climbed down, jumped the fence and walked over to pick up the hammer.   At that point I heard a deep growl right behind me... I slowly turned around to find "Kujo" standing there, ears laid back, hackles up, lips curled and fangs bared, Growling steadily.

I decided that since he hadn't just outright attacked me, I probably could talk some sense into him so I looked around me and spotted a tennis ball lying at my feet. so I slowly reached down (the growling increasing in volume and freocity as I did so) I picked up the tennis ball and stood up...

It was like someone had flipped a switch! The growling stopped instantly, suddenly he was all wide eyes a-wagging his tail (stub, that is) and watching that ball intently with anticipation. So I threw it. He ran and retrieved it and dropped it at my feet, I threw it again , etc. etc. It's like I was suddenly his best friend.   I eventually had to stop and go back to work, but that certainly did amaze the guys that I was working with.

Dinosaur | Jul 14, 2005 08:06am | #5
Your story reminds me of the Stan Rogers song, "The Woodbridge Dog Disaster"

There was an old woman in Woodbridge there was, so proper and tidy and all o' them things;

She would wander all day with her duster in hand; she was one of those women who clean where they stand.

And while she is at it she sings, boys; and while she is at it she sings.

Now there's no doubt about it, her house was a show; with everything proper and stowed in its place.

And that's why her dustbins had a shed of their own; like a mirror each one of those bins it had grown.

You could read every line in your face, boys; you could read every line in your face.

Now, there's nothing the matter with tidiness, no; no matter with keeping your house up to scratch.

But these bins were located one side of a yard, where a Doberman Pinscher was prowling on guard.

Trained to kill if you lifted the latch, boys; trained to kill if you lifted the latch.

Now it's all very well to protect what is yours; but it's better not leaving temptation around.

But a job on the dust is rewarding enough; and there's nothing like taking the smooth with the rough.

To be savaged by some bloody hound, boys; to be savaged by some bloody hound.

Now this Doberman Pinscher would play in the yard; and a couple of old tennis balls was his game.

In his make-believe game it's himself that he saw, as the world's only dog with a bionic jaw;

And that's when the garbageman came, boys; and that's when the garbageman came.

Now fate took a hand on this coldest of days, for his wife she had made him to wear a warm coat;

And to knot up his muffler to keep out the chill, and for once in his life he had bent to her will.

And the dog couldn't get at his throat, boys; and the dog couldn't get at his throat.

Now when the woman above was drawn to the noise, it's down from a high chamber window she calls,

To the dustman (engaged in a struggle for life), in a middle-class tone you could cut with a knife,

She loudly exclaimed, "Kick his balls!" boys; she loudly exclaimed, "Kick his balls!"

Now the dustman could scarcely believe the command; but he didn't have time to request it again.

So ignoring distinctions of language and class, he unleashed a size 10 at the Doberman's a$$.

And its eyes misted over with pain, boys; and its eyes misted over with pain.

Now imagine the silence that followed that blow; with the command ringing on in the poor dustman's ears.

And as the poor doggie lay writhing around, you could see the two tennis balls there on the ground.

And her meaning was rendered quite clear, boys; and her meaning was rendered quite clear.

Now I'd like to explain that this dog was at stud; and the dustman was sued for the fees that he'd lost.

But it's lucky he was to escape with his life; he went home with a kiss for his poor, startled wife,

Who haranged him for what it might cost, boys; who haranged him for what it might cost.

Now, if there's a moral to be gained from this song; it's that innocent language might sometimes sound crude.

And as in the case of the carpenter's mate, your linguistic enlightenment might arrive late.

And you could end up getting screwed, boys; and you could end up getting screwed.

Dinosaur

A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...

But it is not this day.

Hoohuli | Jul 14, 2005 07:18am | #3
I usually give it one day and if it is not working out then I discuss it with the HO's and might even bring my own temp fencing the next day and block off the area. You know the orange flexible stuff. Works pretty good, but not for large animals, they usually get leashed to something. The glue on the carpet is a good convincer to help sell the point that kids and pets are in the way.

How am I gonna get that in there!

restorationday | Jul 14, 2005 09:02am | #6
Now I am not for hurting animals, but sometimes if a angry dog can't be tamed with the dog biscuits I keep in my truck, I show the dog who is the boss. The other week I was pressure washing the side of a house I am giving a facelift and the pit bull in the yard next door was trying to (and looked like it might) tear down the chain link fence to get to me, I gave the dog some buscuits but it still wanted to knock the fence down. At that point I turned around and hit the dog in the face with the water spray (I had a light tip in so it is not like I hurt the dog), it retreated back under the back porch. The next day another contractor beat me getting to the site and the dog again was going nuts but as soon as I walked into the back yard and it saw me it shut up and ran under the house and didn't bother me for the rest of the week.

Piffin | Jul 14, 2005 01:27pm | #7
there is one house we built where the owners moved in a month before all was finished. Their dogs were such a royal pain in the butt, that subs started refusing to show up. Even after explaining things clearly, the owners still were so dense thay couldn't understand it. There are still a few unfinished items there after five years.

On another job, I discovered that young fido had been chewing on the cord of my drill. He kept coming back to it after chasing him off. eventually, he learned the hard way. I heard a yip as he scuttled away. owner bought me a new drill, even tho just a cord would have sufficed.

worst pet incident I remember lingers in my mind after twenty some years. I was on a re-roof, and the house next door was home to a K-9 cop with two shepherds. He was not fastidious about cleaning his fenced in back yard, and the stench was so bad that I was on the verge of retching for the three days I was there.

Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!

Adrian | Jul 15, 2005 08:36pm | #20
Hear ya....my worst was a house we were doing over back in Ontario....almost a gut job, but the HO's were living out of one bedroom and the kitchen. In the kitchen lived the cat....which must have had some horrible disease for it's crap to smell like that. If I had to go in there (and access to the power was through there), I'd always end up retching. Even in the next room, when we were trimming in there, I barely made it. But the smell was all through the house really. Had to throw away some of my work clothes, including a favorite sweater, after that job....wouldn't wash out.cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

JohnT8 | Jul 15, 2005 08:57pm | #21
The secret is out! How dishwashers REALLY work!

View Image

jt8

The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers.-- Walter Percy Chrysler

Edited 7/15/2005 1:57 pm ET by JohnT8

Woodbutcher | Jul 16, 2005 07:32am | #22
I just remembered an anecdote demonstrating how the homeowners pet can sometimes be quite beneficial.

We had done a huge renovation on a house out in the country. They had a couple of cats, one in particular wasn't ever really bothersome or a nuisance, but he was always there at break time wanting to play 'n stuff. We all started calling him "felix" and he sort of became our mascot during the term of the remodel. One time he even wound up riding back to the shop in the back of the truck when he had climbed into a hidden nook to take a nap. We just brought him back out with us the next morning.

Anyway... I had to go back for a callback, it involved pulling the end panel off of a porch and crawling on my stomach the 40' to the other end in a 8'wide by 16" high area under the porch floor.

So there I am standing at the end of that porch, thinking to myself "Here I am at this house which is smack in the middle of 40+ acres of heavy woods..., I wonder what's living under there? And what it's gonna do to me when I belly crawl into it's lair?

Well just about that time, along comes ol' Felix, so I picked him up and pointed him into the opening. He thought that seemed like a pretty fascinating looking place so in he went.I waited about 5 minutes and unpacked some more tools that I would need. Then out came Felix, I swear he practically gave me the "all clear" "thumbs up", "no wolverines in here". So I scooted my but in and got my work done.

I just wish Felix had done something about that huge black hairy spider that I encountered in there.

JonE | Jul 14, 2005 01:55pm | #8
Part of my business is surveying, so I'm usually out and about in someone's yard. If there's a dog out, I ask the owner to put the dog away. If the owner's not there, we pack up and go somewhere else until I can get the owner on the phone and have them put the dog away. Often I'll get told "Oh, don't worry about him - he doesn't bite." I've never been bitten, but that's not the problem. It's the big dumb dog that jumps on me, or pees on the tripod, or just sits there and barks. Those owners get told that we WILL NOT show up unless the dog is out of our sight.

Pre-job meetings always get the yard scoped out for "land mines". They cost more, because it takes time to dodge them. Same for farm jobs - got to avoid the cow flops, horse nuggets, and the occasional herd of animals. It actually takes a fair bit of planning to topo a cow pasture, especially in early spring.

I have a cat, and he's as much of a menace as someone else's animals - cat prints all over the tools in my shop, and forget a decent finish on anything.

basswood | Jul 14, 2005 03:11pm | #9
Last month I was in the garage of a very upscale house, unboxing cabinets for a bar and wet bar project, and It smelled bad in there. Land mines all over the 3-car garage floor. Eeeuuww! Then down in the walkout basement where we were to work, brand new carpet already soiled by the cats. This is in a house with medallions and borders inlaid in the wood floors, High end staircase work etc. The animals were out of control.

jazzdogg | Jul 14, 2005 06:57pm | #11
Dave,

Does your proposal or contract package include any language related to pets?

Finding a way to address the issue beforehand could go a long way toward preventing problems; not much different than clarifying the change-order process before the HO instigates any changes.

I find that when I establish the rules of the game in advance, I can prevent lots of situations from becoming problems in the first place, but when I wait for a situation to develop, problems are more likely be contentious.

FWIW,

-Jazzdogg-

"Don't ask youself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

Cynthia | Jul 14, 2005 08:02pm | #12
Have you ever seen the TV show called "The Dog Whisperer"? It's on the National Geographic channel.

I don't have a dog, but I've been watching this show because I'm fascinated by the way this guy can come in and totally dominate ####vicious or undisciplined dog in less than an hour. He explains it as having a calm demeanor and establishing yourself as the "pack leader" and the dog will become submissive.

The show also has a disclaimer that says don't try these techniques without consulting a professional. But he does have some interesting tips on dealing with aggressive dogs.

I agree that the best option is to tell the owner to deal with the pet, but if you ever encounter an aggressive dog and the owner is not around, these tips may help.

Now, if only there was a Cat Whisperer... Unfortunately the cat would probably just laugh.

ruffmike | Jul 14, 2005 08:10pm | #13
Once worked on a house and kept hearing muffled conversation from the garage, kind of creepy.

When the homeowner came home, he introduced us to his wife's parrot.

"Damn thing won't shut up!"

His wife was visiting relatives and he exiled the bird to the far corner of the garage.

jazzdogg | Jul 14, 2005 09:20pm | #15
I think I got this from the Breaktime joke thread, but it seemed apt, so I thought I'd add it here:

Wanda's dishwasher stopped working so she called a repairman. Since shehad to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, "I'll leave thekey under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, andI'll mail you a check. Oh, by the way don't worry about my bulldog.He won't bother you.But, whatever you do, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, talk to myparrot! REPEAT, DO NOT TALK TO MY PARROT!!!"When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, hediscovered the biggest, meanest looking bulldog he has ever seen.But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpetwatching the repairman go about his work.The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessantyelling, cursing and name calling.Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled,"Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird!"To which the parrot replied, "Get him, Spike!"-Jazzdogg-

"Don't ask youself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

Piffin | Jul 15, 2005 08:09am | #16
Bet the parrot learned to talk constantly by example from his wife

Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

sharpblade | Jul 14, 2005 08:59pm | #14
>>> Now, if only there was a Cat Whisperer... Unfortunately the cat would probably just laugh

I was once hired to remove carpeting from a large room and refinish the wood floor underneath. Owners had a cat who wouldn't leave me alone the first day when I was removing the old carpet, wanted to play with it and the loose threads/pieces. made a dusty situation even worse. I tought I'd get even soon enough.

Second day I had to prep the floor and do some repairs, many saw cuts, hammer/chisel blows. Cat became less social.

Third day I started the sanding, mongo drum sander, wearing goggles/dust mask& earmuffs.... The few times I saw the cat, he'd hiss a little, hunched back, then dart in a flash like a bat outa hell.

Fourth and fifth day I applied the poly. That did it. I was afraid the cat would walk on the floor when wet, no sirrie, that thing was so stressed out and disgusted with the stink, he was nowhere to be found.

Gumshoe | Jul 15, 2005 06:09pm | #17
I still remember one job (which included a bedroom window change-out) with an incredibly irritating little terrier I had to put up with all day long - running back and forth across a black-lacquered chest of drawers, and barking incessantly. I mentioned it to the homeowner, and he said "Oh, just ignore him." At the end of the job, he wanted to backcharge me for scratches in the black lacquer finish - said he suspected that I did it! I almost decked him right then and there.

Most HO's have a blind spot when it comes to their pets. Best to figure the extra hassles into your bid price, and try to address what you can in the contract. And sometimes it does help to be an animal lover, but not always.

DANL | Jul 15, 2005 06:20pm | #18
I had a job helping a family prepare their home for sale. One of the things I had to do was recoat the window sills where their hyper dog had jumped and clawed them while looking out at whatever. They had shellac, but I redid them with varnish. Still they were scratched again within days of being refinished, though not as deeply. Another thing I had to repair was the bottom of the hollow core basement door; they had put the dog in the basement while the Realtor showed the house and the dog went nuts and clawed right through the veneer in places. I thought I'd never get ahead of the dog. I think prescription for doggy Prozac would have been money well spent!

Dave45 | Jul 15, 2005 08:23pm | #19
Yeah, a clause in the contract would be best - if it were enforceable. Like you say, most HO's have real blindspots when it comes to their pets and kids.

A lot of my work doesn't involve a "contract". I'm growing out of a handyman business but much of my work is for half days, or less. The only "contract" is my bid which just describes what I'm going to do and how much it will cost.

Dinosaur | Jul 16, 2005 07:58am | #23
Doing a major basement remod in a cottage for an absentee client(complete finish from bare concrete, actually), I got pretty used to being in the house by myself. Come the end of the project, the clients come up to see the finished job and bring their yappy little miniature greyhound along for the ride.

The dog apparently lives in a cage most of the time (??), but the HO's kids were playing with it one day while I was installing the last of the drop ceiling tiles and the pot lights. As usual, I'd brought my lunch in a gate-mouth canvas tool bag and while I was upstairs going over some details with the client, this oversized mouse sneaked down to the basement and ate all three of my sandwiches. Plus, it chewed through the plastic container of bread pudding doused in maple syrup, and smeared it all over the newly finished floor. Then it walked through the mess it had made and subsequently went for a grand tour of the entire basement....

When the owners come up for a visit to their cottage now, they still bring the dog, and it still barks at me when I show up. I always respond, 'Hey, Seabiscuit! Want a sandwich?' Which shuts it right up, believe it or not....

Dinosaur

A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...

But it is not this day.