Protecting Your Home

Home protection is big business for companies from gun manufacturers to home security systems. We have all seen the commercials on television advertising a home security system by showing an intruder kicking in the door of someone’s home before being runoff by the sound of the alarm.

Having worked a few years in law enforcement I would say that in my experience the majority of home invasions occur when nobody is home. Perpetrators that just want personal items like televisions, game systems, and computers would rather not have to deal with victims inside the home. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking you are more likely to return from work to your home having been broken into during the day than waking up to one in progress at night.

There has been a big push, particularly by the gun industry, for people to arm themselves for home protection. I have always thought this was a bad idea for a couple of reasons. To begin with, unlike when you want to operate a vehicle, you can purchase a gun without ever having to take a safety class. More goes into being a responsible gun owner than just knowing what direction to point the barrel and shoot. There is a proper way to handle, load, fire, clean, and most importantly store the gun.

Bullets can go through the walls of your home and into those of your neighbor. Not to mention it does take a certain mind-set to knowingly pull the trigger with the intent to kill another human being. There are also countless stories of family members sneaking back into the house late at night only to be mistaken for a perpetrator and being shot. Even the best trained, such as law enforcement officers, are not immune to tragedy.

I remember the story one police officer told regarding an incident in his own home. He was very aware of the dangers of guns in the hands of children, and having children himself he had built a special safe with a lock to prevent his children from having unsupervised access to his guns. One day his teenage son had gotten a hold of the key to the safe and retrieved one of the handguns. He ended up shooting himself with the gun.

Every year there are news stories of children getting a hold of a gun in their home and shooting themselves or a friend while playing. The only way to prevent that from happening in your home is to not have any guns in your home.

So how do you protect your family in your own home? The best method I am aware of is the one I use to protect my family. We have dogs. Dogs are a good way to prevent someone from entering your home. Unlike with a gun, a perpetrator will usually know that there is a dog inside. Dogs can hear four times better than humans and will usually sound off long before someone knocks on your door, so they are more of a preventative measure in keeping someone from even trying to break into your home.

I remember doing some research back in the mid-90’s that showed a subject was less likely to break into a home with a dog than one that had a gun because most people will tend to hesitate when pointing a gun at a person while a dog is unlikely to hesitate at all. They are also great companions and treating them right will also make them very loyal. You can go to your local animal shelter and adopt a dog for a relatively inexpensive fee. As with any new household member, take the time to get the dog and your family familiar with one another (you can always contact the SPCA or local humane society for some tips).

Alarms work well, but as with a gun a person will not know you really have one until they have already attempted to break into your home.

As with any major investment (such as in protecting your property and loved ones) do some research and make the best decision for you and your family.

Do Not Get Between Fighting Dogs

I had adopted two dogs five years ago. One was a pit bull and the other a sheppard/lab mix. When I first introduced them to each other (the pit bull was adopted a month earlier) there was a little of that tension as they sized each other up, but it was not too long before they were both running around the back yard.

A couple of weeks went and they both seemed to get along well with each other. One day I was sitting in the living room watching television with both dogs resting on the floor. All of a sudden they began barking, jumping, and biting at each other. I stood up and yelled both of their name to no affect. Then I did a dumb thing. I threw my arms and hands in the middle of that heap of teeth in an attempt to push them away from each other when the inevitable happened. I got bit.

I was afraid to look at my hand certain that the damage was bad. Fortunately for me there was just a little piercing of the skin. No blood. My afterthought was telling myself how dumb that was, and being grateful it was not worse.

There are a number of reasons dogs will fight each other, and for the most part when they do no matter how well trained they are they are unlikely to cede to your command. The best thing is to keep you distance, and if you have to break them up use something long like a stick to push them away from each other. Never get between fighting dogs.