Beware of the dog
Beware of the dog (also rendered as beware of dog) is a warning sign posted at the entrance to a building or other private area indicating that a dangerous dog is within. Such signs may be placed to deter burglary even if there is no dog, or if the dog is not actually a competent guard dog.[1][2]
History
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Warning signs of this sort have been found in ancient Roman buildings such as the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii, which contains a mosaic with the caption cave canem (pronounced [ˈkäu̯eː ˈkänɛ̃ˑ]).[3] The Roman work Satyricon, written by Petronius, includes a passage mentioning the phrase cave canem painted on a wall with large letters, in the chapter Dinner with Trimalchio.[4]
Philippians 3:2 is translated as "beware of the dogs" or "beware of dogs" in the King James Bible and many other editions.[5] For example:
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
This is often interpreted as a euphemism, bad people having been described as dogs in a number of previous biblical passages.[6] Nonetheless, the yard signs are sometimes alluded to in reference to the passage.[7][8] The use of such signs in the Roman world may have influenced the author of the passage,[9] and conversely the passage may have influenced the wording of the more modern yard signs.[10]
Law
[edit | edit source]The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (November 2023) |
Under English law, placing such a sign does not relieve the owner of responsibility for any harm which may come to people attacked by the dog.[11][12] Where a company employs the services of a guard dog, Section 1(3) of the Guard Dogs Act 1975 requires "a notice containing a warning that a guard dog is present is clearly exhibited at each entrance to the premises."[13]
References
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- ^ ◄ Philippians 3:2 ► Bible Hub
- ^ Why to Beware of Dogs?
- ^ Warning: Beware of Dogs
- ^ Onward & Upward: Philippians 3:12-16
- ^ The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
- ^ Beware of dogs
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Guard Dogs Act 1975
- Beware of Dog Sign Printable
