Guard Dogs!?

[Dogrunner]

A 17 year old young man tried to break into my house yesterday.

I have a small house on a fenced half-acre on a corner. The house sits on the far (and front) side of the lot. The small neighboring house belongs to 2 school teachers who are only here during the summer and Christmas. My daughter's bedroom window is the middle window in that side of the house and the only one that was pretty much screened from view from the street by a tall hedge at the front of the house (which hid the garbage can). I came home from work yesterday and saw that the screen was off and the window was up a little bit (crooked) and I had cops in my front yard.

The young man had climbed over the fence, popped the screen out with a pocket knife and was in the process of trying to wrestle the window up (the old windows tend to slide crooked and stick, so I don't know how successful he might have gotten) when the dogs came flying around the corner of the house and scared him so badly he jumped over the fence and ran into the street--right in front of a police car (not his lucky day :029 ) The officer recognised him as one of "those" kids that are always in trouble, took the time to walk between the houses, saw the window screen on the ground, and was questioning the kid when I got home from work.

The only thing the kid said was that he didn't know I had dogs. I have a "beware of dog sign" on the gates and the front of the house, but he didn't see any dogs outside (of course not, they were lying on the couch watching Animal Planet) and didn't realize they could get out of the house (I have dog doors). Thankfully, the surprise and fierce barking scared him off because I'm not sure if the dogs would have actually done anything. Shaker was raised with a German Shepard and she might have bit him.....maybe.....but Berr is such a teddybear of a dog (a huge teddybear, granted, but still a teddybear) I think he would have just gone up to be petted.

In any case, the Goldens are heros today! cheerleade

But I'm wondering, has anyone had their golden be protective of the house? How far were they willing to go?

(By the way, the 5 lb maltese princess takes full credit for scaring off the bad guy...... rofl3 although I guess if he had tripped over her, he may have hurt himself......)

[johnwa]

when the dogs came flying around the corner of the house and scared him so badly he jumped over the fence and ran into the street--right in front of a police car (not his lucky day :029 )

--What did they end-up charging the 17yo with?

[Tailer'sFolks]

Good Doggies!! Get dem trusspassers! Gurrr... --Dis B Tailer the Wanna-B-Guard Dog-in-Training...Gurrrr...

[Dogrunner]

--What did they end-up charging the 17yo with?

Attempted Burglary so far. He claimed he was doing a good deed--walking along, saw the window partically open and the screen laying on the ground and he was just trying to put the screen back in the window when the dogs scared him.

This is such a sleepy, non-eventful little town that his story would have actually been believable, except that he's been in trouble before......and the window was closed yesterday and the screen was in :rolleyes:

[Daniela (UK)]

Wow, you go Shaker and Berr (and the little one :o).. what an achievement!

you deserve some extra treats for at least a week!

No idea how protective GRs can get.. although when Molly is not happy with someone she can be pretty scary.. so I guess it depends on how serious the situation is?

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

Wow! Awesome heros! I believe mine would react similarly but thankfully we've never been tested.

[Cypress]

This is such a good question. Daisy can growl and bark quite fiercely, and does so when she hears the meter readers (there's a fence separating them so they can not actually be eaten by the beast that is snarling at them). She barks at night if we've been out and come home, the car door slams and she starts barking. When she goes outside and it's dark to do her business, she patrols the whole perimeter of the yard and barks at any rustle or scent. I think she'd be effective if a stranger was messing around. I hope we never have to find out. But I KNOW she'd go nuts and alert everyone if that fat black cat across the street ever tried to burlarize the house -- she goes INSANE when she sees him.
She is a kind, loving dog who is nice to people who come to visit and we're right there with her to show her they are OK people. But I feel safer with her here.

[Soda]

i once heard golden retriever's guard dog abilities described as they would greet the burglar at the door, show them where the silverware was, help them carry it to the car and then go with them because no one was home....ha ha! I would agree with all of the statements but the last one. I'd like to think my rusty would prefer to be with me...but he is a very helpful dog and probably would participate in the rest.

[Skokie]

Thank goodness your dogs barked and that young man didn't break in. I'd like to think in a serious situation Muskoka would react. I'm not sure she would attack anyone, but she does have a very deep bark. I think anyone who didn't really know her might be frightened off by her bark. (after she barked if I were home, she run behind me and if she could talk would say something like "over to you Mom" or "I'm right behind you"......

[Seamus' Mom]

You should let the 17 year old read your post about "Squirrel Parts"...that should "scare him straight"! He's lucky he didn't get de-squeaked. rofl3

[lammer29]

My lab mix would bark and growl from the time he entered the street, and from there I am not sure, unless he had a ladder. For some unknown reason, she HATES ladders and goes nuts when she sees one! My golden might just scare someone when she does that thing with her teeth(although she is sitting like an angel usually at the time). When she greets you she pulls her lips way up and shows her teeth, it's not a growl, but I think it would be scary to see! I hope I never have to find outabout either of them. With my luck, my lab would bite the burglar and I'd get into more trouble than he would!I am glad no none was hurt and that Dogrunner wasn't home at the time, what a scare!

[Dogrunner]

The kid is going to plea guilty to trespassing and is going back to juvie for 12 months--turns out he was on probation. His previous charge was unlawful entry and vandelism.

Of course, if he had been in a squirrel costume, he might not have gotten out of my yard in one piece!!!! :p

[konabear]

Our GR seems very protective of her house and yard. If ANYTHING comes into view from the windows, she barks. It could be the construction workers WAAAAAY down the street, she would bark. We didn't realize her lack of....friendliness to small dogs until yesterday. Met the new neighbors and she was walking her pomeranian. Out came my husband from the backyard with the two kids (GR and terrier mutt), as soon as Kona saw that pomeranian off she went chasing it. I think she thought it was a big fat cat. We're working on her socializing skills, she's very skittish around people, especially when they come to the house. BUT, she loves her doctors! She freely gives her Derma vet kisses.

[Jo Ellen]

Way to go doggies!!! :029 :029 :029 They do have BIG barks don't they?!! That's one of the reasons I got a golden .... didn't want a vicious dog but wanted one that could sound vicious given a good reason :)

I think my golden would be the same way, definitely. Not sure what she would do if the burglar actually got in .... probably become his/her best friend ?? Not sure about that and hope to NEVER find out. But I do know she's my first alert system for anything out of the ordinary. I sleep much easier at night knowing she's with me. :)