by Daniel Relph

Created on: February 03, 2010

A well trained dog definitely beats out an alarm system. Of course, the term well trained is important. If you have medium to large dog you and your family are definitely better protected, but your valuables may still be at risk. Here is how both work to protect your home.

A good alarm system goes off once you set it; if you don’t set the alarm it will not go off. So if an intruder breaks into your home the alarm goes off. At that point your service company calls to see if the alarm was a mistake. Mistakes often happen with alarm systems so the dispatcher needs to call to make sure something is wrong. If you answer the phone and tell them all is okay then nothing else will happen; if no one answers or if you tell them someone is in the house the police will be dispatched.

A well trained dog on the other hand will start barking and wake everyone in the house. The dog will then react to the burglar by protecting you and your children; the dog doesn’t have to be set to go off. In the mayhem that follows you will dial 911 and tell the dispatcher to send the police.

Both systems have their weaknesses and strengths. With an alarm system you should pay the extra cash to have a service provider dispatch the police. Just making noise will not deter the burglar. If you are not at home the police will respond to the alarm and stop the intruder. A dog will probably just bark making noise, but the dog is not likely to attack the burglar. If the dog does attack, then you might find yourself liable for the burglar’s medical expenses. Good homeowners insurance is a must.

With an alarm system you have to realize you’re better protected when you are not home. At the same time if the intruder is intent on hurting you or your children and you are at home then the alarm system isn’t that good. You see, the intruder can grab either you or one of the children and threaten you with a weapon and then when the phone rings you’ll have no choice but to tell the dispatcher everything is okay. The alarm system is no help at that point. The TV commercial showing a woman running for a ringing phone when a burglar breaks in would not happen. The woman would run for her life.

It should be pointed out that most burglars try to break into your house when you are not home. This is when the alarm system works the best. If the burglar isn’t concerned about you being at home then the dog works best. Of all the possessions in my house my life and the lives

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