Vikki Goodwin’s Austin Real Estate Weblog

Can man’s best friend also be a seller’s worth enemy?  Unfortunately, yes.  A large part of society enjoys the company of canine friends, but there are those who are terrified of dogs, or dogs they aren’t familiar with.   This can make for some awkward moments when showing homes with unrestrained dogs.  I’ve had several personal experiences where the presence of a dog has squelched a deal.  And in one of those situations, the dogs were next door to the house for sale.  I’ve since come across a solution for scary, barking dogs next door.  

While recently previewing new construction in Circle C, a tiny bird house in the backyard caught my eye.  I asked the sales rep what it was, since it didn’t look like any bird house I’d seen.  The sales rep explained that it was a device that kept the neighbor’s dogs from barking.  Previously when he showed buyers the backyard, they used to hear non-stop barking from the neighbor’s dogs, driving buyers away.  This bird house looking device emits a sound which is unpleasant for the dogs when they bark loudly.  We stepped outside, and heard not a peep from the dogs.  Naturally, the builder asked permission for the device to be used, and the dogs’ owner agreed.  The device is made by Pet Safe.