Who besides me goes to the borrowers home only to be jumped on and licked to death by their pets? They are not part of the process. Put your dam animals away!!!
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AwwwâŠcritters are sometimes the best part of an appointment, but, agree that people should put them away. Helpful hint: Some tell the B during the confirmation call that they are âallergicâ & please put critters away.
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Love this idea! Thank you for the hint.
Donât get me wrong. I love pets, but not when youâre pressed for time. My brother ALWAYS tells the borrowers that he is allergic. He has asked me a million times, âWhy donât you just say that!â Iâm all about being honest. I just come right out on the call and tell them, âI love animals, but it theyâre the type to jump all over me during the signing, please have them secured.â This usually works, but the borrowers have a hard time when they hear the animals cry and have in some instances, let them back in from where they were, only to have them jumping all over me. Iâm sitting there in TOTAL DISBELIEF!!! Really?? Ok. I digress. 
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Part of my routine when I confirm appointment is request pets to put in another area of home during signing. I love critters but my experiences have not always been good. Such as cat jumping in center of table and toss docs so I had to play 52 card pickup. Dog over 4 feet tall leaning over docs and slobbering. Experience is a good teacher.
Before you even start, make friends with the pets. Love on them, pet them, make a big deal out of them. Next, ignore them and theyâll go back to sleeping, which is what most pets do all day anyway.
If youâre seriously allergic to animalsâdogs and catsâyouâre probably in the wrong business. Youâre going to meet many of them as a notary, like it or not.
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I tell them that Iâm allergic, and Iâm not insured if your pet bite me. I donât care if they get mad. Itâs the truth and at the end of the dayâŠ. I got to protect my health. I usually wait until Iâm giving them the courtesy call that Iâm on my way to their house.
I could talk about this topic forever. Listen, I love pets, but NOT when theyâre jumping all over me and getting hair on me and licking me. I canât believe how many people get upset that you want them to put their poor scruffy in the other room or outside or SOMEWHERE!!! We have a job to do and canât freakin focus when animals are all over us. It be different, if they left you alone and sat in the corner. People know how their animals are and pretend that they donât see them jumping all over you. One lady was holding onto her pit bull for dear life, while she was trying to put him in the basement. He was trying to get away from her and looked like he wanted to chew my leg off. Iâm with you on this one. One time, I had a weasel type looking pet jump on the table and scared the hell out of me. Pets do not belong at the signing table!! My colleague told the borrower that he was allergic to their dog before he got there and they had him reassigned. Be careful, signers pets are like their children. Good luck!!
As a rule, animals donât bother me. However, Friday I did a closing at a house for some elderly people who had 5 little dogs. The dogs were locked up, but the house REEKED of sickly sweet pee. They only had the coffee table to sign on, and when it was all said and done, my clothes absolutely reeked of pee. I guess they had peed all over the sofa and everything else in the house. I walked out of that house into the Louisiana summer heat and I was almost sick right on their doorstep from the smell.
Gheez!! People donât know what we go through sometimes. 
Happens all the time. I love this part of the job. It makes my day so much better. Iâve seen all kinds of dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. One of my signers was a fostering cats in her home during our signing. Some owners will put their pets away some leave their pets roaming about during the signing.
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I also wanted to add an interesting rule. In Oklahoma it is against the law to make an ugly face at a dog. And you canât make any faces at the dog in Ohio.
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Hmmmm. Is it, also against the law to make a face to a person?
Haha I donât think so
Because bad pet owners think other people like their animalâs obnoxious behavior as much as they do. People like that always have the most poorly trained animals because the ownerâs have no self awareness.
I had a closing a couple weeks ago. I arrived, the borrower answered the door along with the pitbull that was trying to get out. Borrower asked if I was ok with the dog. I asked if the dog could be placed in another room. (Signing was 10 minutes, seller side). He did place the dog in another room, but 4 different times it broke through whatever barrier. It then charged at me, jumped on and clawed my leg not letting go. I let out a small scream. Just scratches. Sad part is the sellers thought is was funny. No apology, no nothing.
Thatâs because they wanted you to make âKillerâ feel welcome and not ask that he be put away. How could you?? He is a beloved family member!! Just kidding. I would have been pissed. 
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Oh my goodness!!! THAT IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS JOB!!! I carry a big old bag of âBegginâ Stripsâ so I can be sure dogs will stay close to me!
I have held a lizard, a huge Angora rabbit, 3 day old kittens, a Dachshund with no front legs, an International Champion show dog, service dogsâŠIâve seen a cat that plays dead on command, a 350 gallon salt water aquarium with SEAHORSES!! OH MY I could go on and on.
And I also want to point out, people love when you love their pets. Loving on their pet will bring wonderful feedback to you and lots of future signings-try it and just watch!!!
SO FUN!
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I recognize that there are animal lovers in the world. I recognize there are also people lovers in the world and sometimes there is cross over. Personally, I donât have any feelings about animals. But, I donât understand why people have them in their homes. I often go to homes where I am invited to remove my shoes. I wonder what the animal equivalent of that is when some of those homes keep animals in the house. I think animals donât belong in the workplace, and when a notary is invited into your home to complete your signing package, for that half or full hour, that is our mutual workplace. I recognize that animals are considered members of the family so I am genial about pets and donât object to having them around for that reason. But, there should be some recognition on the other side of the table as well. Iâve had the experience of cats walking on the table and scattering the papers. I shouldnât have to ask that the cat be removed. I shouldnât have to try to fill in my notary journal while your large dog is sniffing me up or trying to lick my face and the owner sees and responds that âheâs just trying to get to know youâ. I shouldnât have to âtalkâ to your dog just to put him at ease with my presence. And so I donât! We will all be uncomfortable for these few minutes together. Iâm, certain you are interested in getting your document signing over as quickly as possible so it would help to have you focus on what we are doing. Spending time talking to your dog (âuggie, uggie, uggie - I know, weâve got company, huhâ; âsuch a good boy, such a good boy, yes you areâ) takes us off tasks and makes the visit longer than necessary. Nor should I be expected to engage in your couples chatter and laughter about all the âcute sounds and behaviorsâ coming from the next room as the animal tries to knock down the door, or the barks become howling whales of longing as the animal draws your attention to their sorrowful situation. But, most of all I wish you would notice that your animalâs unclipped nails are shredding my silk pants or pulling threads on my cotton jersey skirt without me having to draw this to your attention. It would be nice if perhaps you would not sit me in the dogâs favorite chair knowing that their shedding hair is going to cling to my black coat which I will have to wear to my next appointment. (Unfortunately, cleaning is not considered a legitimate signing service expense.). I see every intereaction with house pets as a temporary inconvenience and so I grin and bear it. But, please know that I am uncomfortable, tense, and sometimes scared (depending on the pet) to have them be part of our interaction. Starbucks (or some other public location) is always an acceptable, and sometimes preferable alternative. Consider it if you have house pets.
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I see your pointâŠmany signings Iâve wished I could ask the borrower to please lock their kids up, lol!! I can give Fido a big Begginâ Strip and heâll usually sit quietly waiting for another-hopefully heâll sit on my lap if I get lucky. Kids are far more difficult. They donât always like Begginâ Strips.
LOLOLOLOL!!! 
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