##(2) In one of Ayoob's articles, "Be Roll-out Ready for Home Defense", he
## suggests a few things handy for home defense.
## ......
## My questions is how
## far can/do you go?
#
# Personally I would call the police; they already have that gear, and
#better yet, the numbers and training to use it effectively.
#
# That said, a gun and a flashlight are basic. After that, a trained dog
#would be the most desireable addition.
Even an untrained dog is quite useful. They make excellent alarms and
you never have to worry about turning them on or setting off false alarms.
When I was a kid, our house was broken into several times (in several
different towns). All I can ever remember is my dad standing in the door
with a gun, with a barking dog (well, two actually - we always had two and
I think it is a good idea) chasing the invader off into the distance. The
dogs always came back in a few minutes. None of these dogs was attack trained,
but they were German Shepherds (sp?) and hence quite territorial and clannish.
I have had a dog left in a van when it was broken into (dog must have been
asleep - big surprise for the criminal ;).
Once I saw one of our dogs in action up close. I was about 14, our lights
were on, TV on and I heard a noise on our front porch. I am the oldest of
6 kids, so we had quite a collection of bikes and motorcycles chained up on
the porch. When I opened the door, there was somebody riding my bike away,
and the noise I heard was him cutting the chains. One of our dogs happened
to be inside and ran out the door and dragged him off the bike before anybody
really realized what was happening. At about the same time we heard a ruckus
being raised by our other dog who was in the back yard. Our dogs are obedience
trained (just the basics: come, sit, stay, lay down) so I was able to call off
the one in the front yard quickly. The thief was petrified and remained where
he was until the police arrived, even though the wounds were very minor. His
friend may not have been so lucky even though he was never apprehended. He had to cross a fairly large yard with a German Shepherd in it to jump the fence and
escape via a ditch. The police found a blood trail and some scraps of cloth.
Another time some of the local hoodlums were trying to run my brothers and
their friends off of a basketball court at the neighborhood ballpark. I just
went home, put a dog on a leash (the largest one of course) and went back to
the park. There, I explained to these guys that my brothers were there first
and would remain on the court. Futhermore, I explained that if they hit me,
I would just fall down and let go of the leash. Nothing more had to be said.
As a child, I felt very secure knowing our dogs were there, If you have a
fenced yard and are willing to invest the time in basic obedience training
(a must for all dogs, in my opinion), then by all means get a dog. I prefer
I prefer German Shepherds as they are large and intelligent, territorial and
protective of family (the herd, so to speak). They are also low key. However,
any big dog is likely to work. My mom still takes a dog with her when she
goes for a walk, and feels quite secure from muggers.
--
John Cronin Internet: gt4458c@prism.gatech.edu Phone: (404) 876-1419
