Alright, I know that most of you that are reading this probably already love dogs, are biased, and will defend their effectiveness to your grave.\u00a0 So, I’m going to throw you a bone.\u00a0 I think that dogs CAN be effective deterrents to criminals.\u00a0 On the other hand, I’m going to tell you why they aren’t fool proof.<\/p>\n
Don’t have false illusions the the effectiveness of your dog as a home security solution (AKA guard dog).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After all, their effectiveness can be a mixed bag.\u00a0 I picked this up in just a few minutes of reading “Ask me anything” (AMA) posts from former burglars.\u00a0 In response to a question about how a person could keep their things secure, he responded,<\/p>\n
Get a dog. Houses with dogs don’t get robbed. Dogs are loud, hard to spot, and bite. Doesn’t have to be an attack dog – just a barking dog. Thieves would rather save the hassle and hit the next house.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On the other hand, the next AMA with a thief said just the opposite,<\/p>\n
I am amazingly good with dogs and have never had a problem with them making noise. Professional guard dogs are a problem, and I’ve never had to deal with them. If I had to, I suppose it would be to have a mild tranquilizer mixed into some steak to throw over the fence. It would depend on the situation I think.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And, then he further clarified later by saying,<\/p>\n
I only encountered a couple barking dogs so far. I’m good with animals and know how to approach them. I’ve only had one dog not calm down after a minute. In that case I just grabbed what I could in a minute and walked out.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n