valleyquiltermo

I'm so sorry about your beloved. At least he didn't suffer very long. ((((hugs)))), It is very hard to lose your furbabies, they are sometimes more family then humans.
I have loved and lost several. I still think about them and everone remembers them. Because I believe dogs need to be socialized. They will protect you because you are thier pack leader. If they are not socialized they will bite out of fear, not good. There will be another furbaby coming your way when it finds you, you will be happy to have it.
Don't worry my babies don't even know they are dogs, LOL

JulieR

True! I remember when we first moved to this house I was out in the back yard with the dogs, my husband wasn't home and it was already dark. Some guy showed up drunk (expecting the previous homeowners I found out later) and before he could even get close to me the next door neighbor was out with his baseball bat! Between the neighbor and my dog biting the guy on the boot, the drunk left pretty quickly.

We learned a) our business would always be everywhere, and b) I had a friend already. :)

JulieR

DO NOT do this. A dangerous dog is dangerous for everyone, family or not. A big cuddly dog will do the same job as an aggressive one of making a robber think twice about hitting your house. If robbers decide to come in anyway they're prepared to kill it, and WILL kill it if it goes after them.

GlitzyMe

We have ADT for a security system. Everything is wired, even the two sheds (his and hers). Our cars and van are behind a locked gate in the driveway. We're in a rural area but that doesn't mean all thieves live in the city. We've been burglarized twice....after the first time we put in the ADT system (in '95). After my husband's tools were stolen from his van 2 years ago we extended the fence and added the gate to enclose most of the driveway. No one gets thru the gate without the magic code. The vehicles also have security systems and mine operates the house alarm so I can arm/disarm it from inside the car. Bryn (see avatar) makes friends with everyone. She's no deterrent to a stranger.
BTW - I really resent having to lock down my home this way.

marknfran

We now have a large black gate on our driveway preventing anyone from driving down unless we want them. It has given us a little more protection. It bothers me that the City of Spokane would eliminate their vehicles theft unit and property crime unit because of lack of funds. They should realize that it would just increase crime, increase the jails (which are already at maximum capacity). They should be doing something different.....but in these times of recession, I guess it is up to the individual person to just protect themselves more.

katcox

big mean dog, they usually hear a dog and run. security motion lights work for us too.
I think I heard you are to keep your car keys on your night stand and set off the alarm if you hear someone around out side.

katcox

I once had a very nice loving black lab, everyone loved her. She past a a few yrs back. My point being when danger was near like one time someone came to the door pretending to be police officer, she wouldn't quit growling. Thanks to her something bad could of happened and didn't.

Maride

Usually burglars are watching the house for a while before they attempt anything. If you have a barking sound but there is no dog in sight either being walked or let out into the backyard, they are not fooled by it. I am very observant to everything that goes on around my property. I once got home and noticed that the plants on one side of the house were walked on, something my kids would never dare do and a chair that was on one side of the house was moved to the other house where there was an open window. It seemed to me that someone was taking their first steps towards robing us. We had a fixed schedule with the kids in school and a very predictable school bus schedule and us at work, so the timing was not a problem. But I noticed them before they were able to assess the place. The next day I installed ADT. I kept my windows closed and installed it on all 4 doors leading to the outside and the garage. They gave me stickers for the windows. They also gave me a big sign to put in the yard but I didn't display it because that tells them that there is something i here I don't want you to have. It comes with a 24 hour battery, so it works even if the power is out and connected to a land phone line, again, in case of a power outage it still works. I owned the house for 4 years after that and never again was anybody in my property. We did tested how long it took them to respond and within seconds they were on the phone with us at the house and all our cell phones. It was $42 a month and $99 for equipment and installation, an excellent price for peace of mind.

Maride

Agree. Plus not everyone that comes to your house is there to rob you. I had a very aggressive dog (not my intentions, but she was naturally aggressive) and almost took down the person delivering propane. I had to put her down or risk being sued if she hurt someone.

Surfergirl

Home security system and a dog.