A dog is not a burglar alarm
If you’ve spoken with friends about your own home security, chances are one of them recommended you get a dog. Big and scary, or small and yappy: the dog is seen as a solution to the threat of intruders. But is this really fair on the poor dog? And can you ever really rely on the dog to protect you against burglary anyway?
Getting a pet is a life-long commitment, and while we’re big fans of animal rehoming, adopting a new dog isn’t a decision to make lightly. If your main goal is to increase security, make sure you think the decision through.
Will Your Dog Bark?
It sounds silly – dogs bark. Don’t they? Not always.
Many dogs bark at noises because they see you react to the noise yourself. It’s pack behaviour. Owner gets up to answer the door; dog woofs in excitement at the new visitor on the doorstep.
Some dogs are noisier than others, though. In the middle of the night, a dog may not react at all, particularly if its owner is asleep. Some will run over to the burglar and wag their tails in excitement.
Training your dog to bark more is likely to backfire on you, particularly if you have sensitive neighbours. But let’s assume the dog does bark; will it make any difference anyway?
Are Burglars Scared of Dogs?
A drooling Rottweiler would strike fear into the hearts of many dog-averse people. But is there a certain breed that burglars definitely won’t want to disrupt?
In a survey of convicted burglars, many said that small dogs are more fearsome than large ones, simply because they tend to bark frequently and attract attention. However, small dogs probably won’t bite as hard as a big dog. And, in any case, you probably don’t want a dog that bites in your home anyway.
One downside of the smaller dog is that they’re easy to carry, which leads us onto the next point to be aware of.
Will Your Dog Be Stolen?
In the UK, there has been a 20 per cent rise in dog thefts between 2013 and 2015. In total, more than 2,400 dogs were stolen for fighting, resale and use in security. According to DogLost, this is a conservative estimate.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are the most stolen dogs, followed by Jack Russels, Spaniels and Chihuahuas.
If your dog is making a lot of noise, there’s a reasonable chance that the burglar will pick them up and move them somewhere where they can’t be heard, like the back of a van. And if the burglar sees a valuable pedigree dog in the home, they may pick them up and steal them with the rest of your things because of the potential resale value or breeding potential.
The South East is one of the most targeted areas for dog thefts, because it’s very easy for the thieves to export dogs quickly. Bear this in mind if you intend to rely on your dog as a first line of defence against burglars.
Effective Security
There are thousands of unwanted dogs needing loving homes in this country, and we encourage you to adopt one if you are looking for a pet. But don’t think of a dog as a security solution. Hopefully, we’ve proven why that’s an unfair expectation to have. A dog is not a burglar alarm.
The only way to prevent burglaries is to physically secure your home, and monitor it round the clock. For advice and guidance on security measures that really do work, contact Angel Security for advice today.
