I put the sign there. You're not supposed to be the guy who leaves a fancy house unprotected. I fully endorse the smashing of unprotected fancy houses to get to the looty center (or in this case, the center full of disappointment).
Nope, I'm 100% certain that nothing scampered off. There was some sort of winged dog with hooves that let out a blood curdling scream as it flew away but it's probably nothing to worry about.