Why We Chose a Personal Protection Dog

The best defense against crime is to create an effective deterrent.

We decided to bring a personal protection dog into our home and family when we caught a thief attempting to break into our home during the middle of the day. It was a truly terrifying experience for us, and one that we’ll never forget. What led to our decision was the fact that the police were not able to catch the perpetrator, and he once again attempted to break in when he thought we weren’t home. Luckily, we were home, but not before he was able to make it past the front door. We chased him out and contacted the police, and once again, he was not caught. Opting in to a personal protection dog was the best choice we ever made, because we realized that police can only be there so fast, and it only takes a few seconds for a criminal to produce a weapon and injure us or worse.

Thieves and other criminals are less likely to break into a home or commit some other crime if they believe they will get caught or receive another severe consequence for it. This is why some home alarms aren’t effective at preventing break-ins because the thief knows that they have a period of time before the police will show up. Another issue with alarms is that they can be easily disabled depending upon their location in the home. While there are many tips on how to help keep the home safe, some work better than others. While some security systems work, one way of protection your home is to get a protection dog. Dogs trained for protection can give an immediate warning to anyone in the house through their barking, they are fiercely loyal, meaning they can’t easily be turned off, and once they form a connection with you, they would protect you with their life.

Protect Your Home While on Vacation

Many home are broken into while people are on vacation because they leave tell-tale signs that they are away. It’s important to ask a friend, relative or neighbor to do certain things to protect your home. For instance, instruct them to take in the mail and the newspaper. These items, when piled up, indicate that no one is home. Also, instruct them to mow the lawn to make it appear that you are home. Installing lights, radio and TV that come on at random times also gives the illusion that you are home. Some alarm systems can be hooked up to smart phones and other devices so that remote access can be accomplished. This type of technology also allows homeowners to lock doors, turn off the water and adjust the thermostat. Turn off your landline phone’s ringer so that burglars won’t know that you’re not home.

Don’t give the Intruder Easy Access

Always lock the doors when you’re at home. While it has been known for burglars to break into the home in the middle of the night, they may also be so bold to break in during the middle of the day. They often disguise themselves as repair men. Keeping a peep hole will allow you to see them before they see you. Park your car in the garage so that it’s difficult to determine when you’re home and when you’re not. If your car is always gone between 8am and 4pm, burglars will know when you’re most likely away from the home.

Don’t make breaking in easy for burglars to do either. For instance, trim tree branches so that they’re away from the home. Tree branches make for easy access into windows. Keep bushes and other plants trimmed as well to make it difficult to hide behind. Use one-inch ANSI deadbolts, which are harder to pry open. Keep windows closed and locked. Use automatic lighting that will illuminate an area when motion is detected.

Personal Protection Dogs as Security

Getting a protection dog is one of the best ways to protect the home and family from criminals, but you can’t leave getting an effective guard dog to chance. Some people opt for pit bulls to protect their home. Many people get pit bulls as puppies so that they’re well acquainted with the family while others get full grown pit bulls. Other breeds of dogs are effective at guarding the home also, but getting a dog from someone else presents some problems. Some dogs are not good around children, some are known to bite people, and others don’t get along with other dogs. Also, when people are getting rid of a dog, there is usually a reason behind it. For instance, some dogs aren’t really house-trained. It’s detrimental to a dog and family members to get a dog and immediately give it away.

Getting a proficient protection dog is important. They need to be professionally trained to obey and protect their owners. Protection dogs like these are social and non-aggressive; however, they are ready to protect their owners on command. If leaving for vacation, having a protection dog around will deter criminals from breaking in, and can alert close neighbors of a problem.

It is estimated that a burglary occurs every 15 seconds in the US. Crime continues to increase, and this can mean a greater amount of expected break-ins in the future. You don’t only stand to lose your possessions during a break-in. Break-ins affect your family’s safety and can be detrimental to your overall sense of well-being. Protecting the home is of the utmost importance.

If you ever fear for your family, or your town is starting to experience a rise in crime, you will not regret it if you bring home a well trained dog.