Yes Kelsey. I found this after I posted here. I was wondering if I need to worry about my dogs and chagas disease. Also I was looking for more information about their bite, or sting. Purpose around the yard. Kill or not to kill if there are more around?

The good news is that only a limited number of species in the family can carry Chagas, specifically some members of the subfamily Triatominae. Triatomines have a straight and slender "beak" (the mouthparts) while your bug's are curved and thick. So these bugs in particular should not be carrying Chagas and are generally harmless.

Assassin bugs can bite if handled and the bite can be a bit painful (like a bee sting, but no toxin) but otherwise harmless. Triatominae actually don't pass Chagas through the bite but rather by pooping around it; if you scratch the bite, you get the poop in the wound and thus the infection.

Overall assassin bugs are helpful in many ways - they eat many plant pests (and are quite effective hunters) so I would just leave them alone. If they land on you or the dog, the advice is to flick them off sideways, as if you try to swat them they may bite you in return!

You are awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer!