Security has taken a more and more prominent position in my mind lately. Our town publishes the sheriff’s report of crimes and arrests each Saturday and I always scan it to keep tabs on what is going on.
When we first moved out here, I remember one of the most noteworthy crimes involved the theft of pocket change and a stick of Old Spice deodorant (who steals used deodorant?!). Now the paper regularly includes 15 or more petty thefts, aggravated burglaries, and even violent crimes. Beyond that, the incidences of domestic violence, check fraud, and drug crimes are climbing.
Close Calls
Since we homeschool our children and I only work outside the home one day a week, I am usually on the property. In the past couple of years, I have been outside feeding animals 3 times when” ne’er-do-wells” have come up our long driveway, seen me, and very hastily hightailed back down the driveway before I could get license numbers. No doubt, we had been about to be burglarized.
As the economy continues to fall apart, more and more people lose their jobs, and money gets tighter and tighter, we anticipate the problem only getting worse. We are sympathetic to the plight of those doing all they can to pay their bills. We are actively charitable and encourage you to do what you can also.
But we won’t be willing victims of crime.
A New Home Security System
Our Mastiff Pup
Electronic home alarms are good for some things. They may summon the police. They can be set up to monitor windows and interior areas. But they require power and a very quickly responsive police department to be effective.
A good “off the grid” kind of alternative is man’s best friend. This is what we have chosen as our first line of defense.
Here he is. He is 6 weeks old and about the size of a full-grown cat right now.
When he grows up, he will notify us of threats and hopefully give pause to anyone or anything looking to take from us or that poses a threat to our livestock and poultry.
We are still working on a name for him. If you have a suggestion, please share it.
In the next part, I will explain what criteria we used to decide on him.
PreppingToSurvive.com 
August 9, 2011 at 7:19 am
Great looking pup!
We currently have a yellow lab who is actually a pretty good watch dog. Next year the Missus and I have decided to pick up a German Shepard puppy from a local dealer. I’ve owned shepards in the past and they’re my favorite dog.
Congrats on the new member to your family. I’m sure he’ll be a great guardian for you and the kids.
August 10, 2011 at 10:23 am
My mom had a German Shepherd named Caesar (a fitting name from what I’ve heard) when I was born. She still tells stories about his fierce loyalty to her.
August 9, 2011 at 10:41 am
A dog does not have to be large to serve as an early warning system for intruders. Even a little guy can make enough racket to shoo away the bad guys.
Congrats on the new pup – they are so much fun and I am sure before long he will be sporting some great tricks in addition to his watch dog duties. If you haven’t already, I suggest you watch a bunch of episodes of the Dog Whisperer. Removing the drama from the training process makes teaching (for you) and learning (for the pup) a wonderful bonding experience.
Gaye
August 10, 2011 at 10:21 am
Thanks Gaye. I’ve heard good things about that show, but I watch so little television that I’ve never seen it. Will have to make some time to check out an episode or two.
August 9, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I like Zeke–nice and biblical 🙂
Great idea to add just one more layer of deterrent to the home security system.
My wife and I recently rescued a Boxer mix from an animal shelter (we’re pretty sure he’s got some pit bull in him).
Although he’s only 5 months old right now and his favorite thing is to snuggle, he’s got the lean mean looks to put the fear in a would be intruder….
August 10, 2011 at 12:52 pm
I like Biblical names also. I considered Samson and Barnabas. Methuselah is a bit long, though. :-).
The Mitford series of books had an trouble-prone dog named Barnabas that would only stop his naughty escapades when the pastor shouted scripture verses at him. That always tickled me.
August 9, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Thanks for the compliments. We are enjoying him- all but the cats and dogs we already owned. They are disgusted with the Whippersnapper.
Jarhead,
I know that German Shepherds are known to be good watchdogs and have many fans. I’ve never owned one. If they make good police dogs, they must be brave and very trainable.
SurvivalWoman,
I agree that any size dog can be a help in deterring strangers. We have a friend who drives for UPS. He said it’s always the small ones who bite, so he takes them seriously.
When I was doing my research, I came across a page listing “Watch Dogs” vs “Guard Dogs” and realized I’d only considered them to be the same. The distinction was that small dogs are often very observant and quick to bark an alarm and, though they may not be able to rescue you, they will give you a quick alert to danger.
Urbivalist Dan,
Though I’ve never owned a Boxer, I’ve always liked them. No messy fur to groom, not much shedding (that I know of). They are a good size to be a reasonable house dog, but large enough to be seen as a real threat. I agree that their expressions are difficult to read sometimes and so they would make me wary as a stranger.
We rescued 2 Dane mixes and as such, they are quite large. That alone makes some people call us from their cars in the driveway to come get them. One has a very unreadable expression that makes some people nervous too. When people ask us if they bite, we just reply vaguely that they’ve never bitten us…
In reality, they are big babies. One got her clock cleaned and nearly died from a neighbor dog attack. We laugh that they need guarding too. 😉 Maybe with a little leadership, they’ll become more assertive.
I think a “pack” of 3 big dogs should be quite imposing to would be bad guys, though.
August 9, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Congratulations on your cute new addition to the family. Dogs are a great early warning system! And you can have protection when you go on walks.
August 9, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Thanks Apartment Prepper!
We’ve been taking him on the rounds to do chores with us. The geese have been hissing at him, but I’ve got to hand it to him- he stood his ground and walked on as if they didn’t scare him even though they are quite a bit bigger than he is right now.
Moving the cows from one pasture to another this evening completely tuckered him out and he has collapsed on the porch. (I imagine he’ll be full of energy about midnight again. 😉 .
August 9, 2011 at 9:51 pm
GUNTHER!
We have a black Lab now (Dixie) and, after reading your post and talking about it, we are considering a Mastiff as the new pup we’ve been wanting.
Dixie is THE MOST loyal, protective, fun companion we have ever had(next to the Glock), but she needs a buddy to run with with when we’re not running with her.
Thanks for the commentary on the breed. Good luck and God Bless in the coming months and years!
August 9, 2011 at 10:29 pm
CerebralPosse,
Thanks for your name suggestion. I like it- it has a serious, big dog sound to it.
I can just picture it- a suspicious-looking guy pulls in up a truck, gets out menacingly, and comes towards me. I yell out “Gunther!” and he comes barreling around the corner of the house and the guy soils himself. Just hearing that there is a Gunther on the premises might even do it. 😉
August 9, 2011 at 9:53 pm
GUNTHER! was meant as a suggestion for naming him. : )
August 10, 2011 at 5:48 am
Mudge! That is the first name that came to me. My children loved the book series “‘Henry & Mudge” and had dreams of owning a Mastiff! We had a German Shepherd and she was the absolute best. She kept people at bay and was a constant companion to the children – miss her.
He sure is a handsome fella and I think he will handle his new position with ease!
August 10, 2011 at 10:27 am
If he grows into his paws and that tongue, we’ll have a big dog on our hands.
August 10, 2011 at 11:37 am
Marcy,
I forgot about those books. I’ll have to check them out of the library! The little ones especially will love them. Thanks for mentioning them.
August 10, 2011 at 7:19 am
I had a Shepard named Doc Holliday – Doc for short. He was a about 110 lbs of fierce looking German Shepard and totally loyal to the family. He also had no problem protecting us either. We had a guy walk into the house once without knocking and Doc grabbed him by the thigh (with the most awful snarling you ever head) and put him up against the wall and held him there until I could come out and see what was going on. He had no formal protection training and I was impressed that he knew enough to hold the guy in place without actually harming him. He was big enough that he could have torn two pounds of meat out of the guy’s leg if he wanted to.
Doc is a good name with a proud namesake. 🙂
August 10, 2011 at 10:26 am
Wow! You couldn’t ask for anything better from a dog.
September 14, 2011 at 6:16 am
Super ifnrmoaitve writing; keep it up.
September 14, 2011 at 8:52 am
Gracye,
Thanks so much for the encouragement! We appreciate it.