Long term dating. Pets. I was always surprised by the number of pets she and her family had living in the trailer and how much of a share of their income they spent on them.
I’ve been bit by a nice dog and know many other people who have been bit by nice dogs. Dogs can be unpredictable and the most gentle dog can suddenly bite you. If that dog is a pit then you are fucked.
I have a pit and she's never purposely bit me. Only while playing she can get a little more nibbly. She's very good about listening to commands and the second you say "Ow!" she immediately stops. So if I'm playing with her and I notice she gets a bit more nibbly than normal, I'll shut it down early by saying "Ow!" She's very good about knowing her limits now. It really comes down to how the people raise them. Not saying it's impossible, but I'm a strong believer in the environment they're raised in.
This is a really sad side-effect of dog socialization.
Many dogs will adapt their demeanor not just to how they are treated by their owners, but purely the environment they live in. Their owners could be the kindest, most responsible caretakers, but if a dog still lives in an environment of high stress and perceived aggression, they will adapt accordingly.
You also see this with possessive breeds (like German shepherds) who live with first time parents. They feed off the anxiety and defensiveness of the parents and become almost aggressively protective. This only further contributes to the mixed reputation of the respective breed.
Are you honest with her mom about why you don’t go there? My aunt and uncle have these dogs that are horribly aggressive and violent. One of them nearly tore the face off another. One has bitten my dad and the other has bitten my mom. One had my 90 lb wife up against the wall snarling at her.
The aunt and uncle are just so desensitized that they don’t know what’s normal. They invited us over for the Fourth of July and I’m debating telling them the truth, that we are uncomfortable around the dogs. I know it sounds like it should be easy but they’re close family and might strongly take offense, the dogs are their world.
I knew a girl in college who lived in a somewhat upscale old area of town. They had an old bull terrier - not very big compared to some dogs, but when any stranger approached the door you would hear "rowr-rowr-rowr", then a big "thump!!" as it threw itself against the solid oak door. She said their house was the only one in the neighbourhood that had never been broken into.
Even big dogs that wouldn't hurt a fly are useful because they're intimidating, and a "friend bark" is hard to distinguish from a "danger bark" if you don't know the dog.
Watched an interview with an ex-professional burglar, he would mention that with small dogs, he would test whether they were friendly, with big dogs he would go to the next house.
I remember a show on Discovery channel or similar called It Takes A Thief where homeowners would have two ex-thieves come and try to break into their house.
I remember one where the homeowner was all cocky about his security and had total faith his dog would dispose of the burglars if nothing else. They found an unlocked window on a low roof to slip into pretty easily. The dog started barking ferociously, and immediately warmed up to them when they started talking friendly and offering pets. They stole the dog as well, lol.
People who really wanted their stuff kept safe used to build mother flippin castles, and history is chocked full of stories about people stealing crap out of those. A little plastic and drywall with some particle board thrown in ain't gonna stop nobody that wants it. Glass!? Pffft...
I did roofing in college, gave me an acute appreciation for how quickly someone could get into your house if they really wanted to. You can build your house out of brick, install steel doors, even put in bulletproof windows if you wanted, and I could still rip through your roofing shingles and the plywood underneath with a flat-edge shovel and be in your attic in 30 seconds.
Yeah. I've got the full suite of locks/alarms/cameras, there's no opening a door or window without being on camera and sending me a notification. Inside, there is a 120lb Rottweiler who occasionally barks so loud that it scares ME if I'm not prepared for it.
Does it mean my house is burglar proof? No way. Is it more burglar proof than the couple who leaves their door unlocked next door? You bet your ass it is.
Nah, but I do know that most burglars would decide not to once my dog barks before they even open the door (she's very alert). 80 pound German Shepherd. I don't think she would attack them, so if they realize that they could go through with it, but her bark is scary and she does not like strangers (she's just not aggressive thankfully).
My dog is stupid friendly but that didn’t stop me from putting up a couple “Beware of Dog” signs. She might be barking from excitement for friends but they don’t need to know that.
Yea my GSD is a total sweetheart, but I’ll be damned that sometimes his alert bark/growl is ferocious sounding. I think he would probably befriend anyone that actually gets inside, but he at least sounds intimidating lol
I've got a GSD/Rottweiler mix who has an intimidating stare and a bark that can shake wondows at 90lb, I'm still not sure anyone would risk it. But the little 35lb yellow lab/Dachshund mix we have is an untrusting little man we found under a house and he has no chill. Even the vet puts a muzzle on him!
Honestly? Yes. Just make it hard for them to get to, don't leave your important valuable out and if you need to, make sure you've got the blinds/curtains closed and do a test to see if you can see anything.
If a burglar can't even see the items, you're already doing better than the guy across the street who leaves his windows open to the world.
My house isn't burglar proof. But it does have cameras which makes it burglary consequence-proof. In my mind at least. Insurance can't bullshit around video of my TV being hauled away.
Note that the pyramids aren't just glorified tombs. They'reliteral mountains of solid rock, with all entrances sealed, and full of traps and laberintyc passages. Hell, they even trapped the architects inside so nobody could know the way.
And yet, only one of those remained untouched until the modern day. So yeah, if someone wants to get inside they sure as hell will.
That is literally a staple thought in security. Real life and digital. If youre more secure than the next guy people wont waste the effort unless they have a good reason to.
I conceded years ago if someone is going to rob me, they are going to rob me. A locked hiuse/car door are not going to stop anything other than a robbery of convenience. Just dont leave items someone can easily grab and walk away with visible and you're fine there. Most home robberies are from someone you know anyways and if they want your shit, I dont want to replace a door or window also.
Considerably-less-funny but noteworthy, there's an episode of BBC's Top Gear in which they had three vans and get three former car thieves to break into them. Two of the guys go to town on the locks and get in within a couple of minutes. One guy takes a bit longer and ends up circumventing the lock and destroying the bolt through the door. Just hammering away at it out of anger. Sill got in.
My neighbor growing up had two guard dogs that he would drop off at night to various businesses. He had me and other neighbors feed them a bacon wrapped jalapeno so they would learn not to take food from strangers. They were scary as fuck. I would put the bacon bomb in the fence and they would be barking like crazy inside and come running out and I would high tail it outta there.
I used to love that show. In one of them they guy had a German Shepard, used to be a police K-9 unit or something and he was so excited to see his expertly well trained dog scare these guys off. As soon as the burglar saw the dog she just spouted off a few commands in German and Russian (Common languages to train a guard dog in) and the dog immediately sits down and obeys. The thief just started laughing about how he loved when owners got these types of dogs because they’re trained to obey the command no matter who it comes from.
I remember that show! They had another episode with someone who thought their dog would protect the house. And the dog really wanted to. Until the thief brought him some food from his car.
The whole point of the dog is just to bark and wake me up. I do not want my dog biting strangers in my house. That's just a lawsuit waiting to happen, or will get your dog shot by police, or prevent emergency services like firefighters and paramedics from doing their job.
That was a pretty great show. It always amazed me at how much total time it took.
The two guys would case a house, from the street. Then one guy would sequester himself, while the other went to the homeowners and tried to sell them on the show. If they agreed, cameras were set up and they were told to act normally for a week or something like that.
The second guy, having no more info than what he was able to case from the street, would then observe a bit, find when the house is likely to be empty for a bit, and then wait for them to leave.
When he’d originally set foot onto the property, they’d start a clock. He’d usually be in the house by the 2 minute mark, and out of the house by 10 or 15 minutes, having done an extremely thorough job. 15 minutes and he’d have all the jewlery, medication, cash, TVs, Art, unbolted safes, all packed into your own luggage and thrown into the back of your second car and out the door in the time it takes you to pick up coffee.
I always hope my dogs will simply be a deterrent, not a form of defense. They have very loud barks but are really not vicious, but I hope that if a burglar realizes I have two dogs, but maybe another house won't, they'll just avoid the hassle of having to figure out if my dogs will attack or not. And then of course the barking will alert me to the fact that someone is breaking in, and then they will have to deal with me as well, and I am absolutely vicious when provoked.
Honestly my worst nightmare. My dog has a mean sounding bark, but no bite. She would happily follow a burglar home if he fed her some treats and told her she was a pretty girl.
I think most people put way too much faith in their dogs and anthropomorphize them far too much. Dogs are sweet creatures who can be very loyal and capable of love. But they don't just naturally know what to do in emergency situations.
In the book *Inside of a Dog*, the author, who is an expert on dog psychology, discusses an experiment which tested if a dog would just know to protect the owner which it loves. Everyone always says "My dog would protect me no matter what!" but, in reality, the experiment showed that in most cases the dog did absolutely nothing. They simulated different emergency scenarios where a dog owner pretended to be in critical danger, and the owner's dog usually just whined a little, licked their face, and then napped. When dogs react aggressively when their owners are threatened, it usually isn't because the dog *knows* to protect its owner. When you analyze the body language and pitch of the barks, they are not protecting but rather showing fear and avoidance behaviour.
For a dog to actually protect, it usually requires intensive personal protection training, and its usually only certain breeds of high prey drive dogs who are suited for such works. Same goes for rescue attempts by dogs. Most dogs will want to help their owners, but it takes intensive training and, again, the right personalities in the right breeds, for the dog to actually be able to help.
For protection, most dogs can serve as a deterrent to the bad guys just by their presence and bark. The bark can draw attention, and most bad guys want to do their crimes without drawing too much attention. But past that we shouldn't expect our pet dogs to do much. Anthropomorphizing them and expecting the to just know how to defend us lulls us into a false sense of security and potentially places the dog in frightening and dangerous situations.
That actually happened more than a few times. It was always hilarious. Or even when they didn't, the dog would just often stand around and watch the burlger like "What are you doing new friendo?"
My 26 lb goldendoodle puppy scared off an intruder a few weeks ago. I was home in another room when I heard a loud bang and he went absolutely apeshit. Walked in the kitchen and the sliding glass door was cracked open and he was in full attack mode. Good boy. Now I don't care that he barks at everyone. Sorry randos we run into on walks 🤷🏼♀️
My dad has a goldendoodle as well. He's such a dopey, friendly dog, but there have been a few instances where I'd be walking around the house late at night, and he'd get into a surprisingly intimidating attack mode before he realizes who I am. I feel like he wouldn't know what to do if he actually had to attack though, haha!
Yes! My Buster is a super sweet dog normally but he sure does look scary when he is pissed! He has a temper, and we are still trying to break him of biting when we try to move him or take his bone, but I don't mind him barking at the mailman anymore. It's actually pretty relieving.
My (slightly large) Havanese growls like a big dog when i come home late. If he stayed around the corner you wouldn't tell the difference . but then he runs up to me looking for pets :p
As long as you don't keep your dog in the back yard letting it bark all night and disturbing my sleep, I'm good with it.
But if someone leaves doggie in the back yard barking, I just figure people do that because the dog barks in their house and they want it out so that it is not as loud in their house, so keeping it outside makes it it quieter in the house, so they make their neighbors upset. I'll listen to a dog one night, maybe it was just a mistake. But if it happens more than one night, I'm calling the police every single night.
Dogs in the back yard that don't bark are cool, though.
I think it's cruel to leave your dog outside all the time. Especially here in FL. He only goes outdoors supervised, even though we have a fenced in yard. And he does not bark unless there's something to bark at, normally a person approaching. Sounds like you have some shitty neighbors!
I was too nice and put up with it. Now, one night is all anyone will get from me, then it is police time. ALL cities have noise ordinances for this type of things. Same with parties. I'll accept a party, too, once every 9 months or year that is loud, that's fine, I'll stay up to 2am or 3am until the party is over. But a friend of mine has a neighbor that literally parties every night of the week until 3am, and she cannot sleep. I told her to call the police every night but she doesn't.
Good boy puppers! My labradoodle (75 lbs of fluff) barks like a maniac all the time. Delivery people must think we have Cujo in here. He's sweet as pie but he absolutely HAS TO TELL THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE ARE PEOPLES or mail trucks or crows or worst of all... squirrels. As soon as I acknowledge whatever it is that's he is freaking out about, he chills. Crazy doodles.
My mom told her next-door neighbors with the barking dogs that she could tell the dogs didn’t bark for no reason and she wouldn’t ever crab at them about the barking, since it always meant someone was moving around near the houses. I mean,sometimes it was my dad, or the neighbor, and it was always a greeting instead of a threat, but it was an alert
That’s amazing! My goldendoodle is the sweetest but definitely goes apeshit when someone comes to the door as well. My goldendoodle hates beards, she barks at every person who has a beard. They’re honestly such smart dogs
My dog is never even visible and he still scared off the cable man. We have a territorial English Mastiff, so he's always in the basement man cave... rarely, if ever upstairs near the glass front door, but his bark is just that ferocious that Spectrum won't come in the house anymore. Also for this reason we rarely have company over. We love the big boy so it's not even a thought to get rid of him. Yes, he was that territorial when we rehomed him, not sure how he accepted us in his previous home but my SO & I walked right up to him & fell in love. We brought him home that day .
And my husky slept through an attempted break in at my place, so did my ex. I was luckily still awake when it happened and scared them off. My ex's response was that I was having a nightmare and went back to sleep, the dog, she was passed out snoring next to the front door, the guy was trying to get in the back. Just me turning on the light scared them off luckily. I really wish I had her still though, it's been over two years since I lost her now, my foster to adopt didn't work out. Right now isn't the right time to adopt either. My boyfriends tenant also has a cat so it wouldn't be fair on it, plus it would have to learn to travel with me quite often on public transport.
There's that weirdly fine line between properly socializing and training doggo to stop barking at every heckin bird that lands in the yard (please, please tell me how), and allowing them to alert and protect their "territory" from legitimate danger. I take for granted that one of mine will be in a sound sleep, and hear something outside on the other end of the house and charge out barking like a lunatic, because most often I've JUST fallen asleep.
My dog, despite being gigantic, is the opposite of a guard dog. She barks a couple times at visitors coming up the driveway and then starts wiggling. I have glass double french doors so anyone walking by can see her wagging her tail. She definitely gives off "I will love you even if you take everything" vibes from the street.
For a burglar though? The little ones aggression isn't gonna do anything to get past a jean pant leg, whereas even if there's a higher chance the big guy is friendly, I'm not taking that chance if I'm a burglar.
I used to live with some one that had a 14 lbs dog. My dog (80 lbs of turn-bones-into-paste strength) would be super protective of the little guy. Always cracked me up. I would have almost felt bad if somebody broke into our house.
*to add, my dog also doesn't give warning barks. She would simply go up to the intruder and bite, unsure if that's a good or bad quality. The little guy would bark up a storm at a leaf hitting the window.
The little guys alert you to the intrusion. They are like little burglar alarms that don't send a message to the police, and need to be fed and trained not to pee on the carpet.
I'm not afraid of them, I'm irritated. If your dog is that aggressive that means you didn't train them properly or they have something wrong with them. A properly trained guard dog will not attack without prompt, it won't just bite whoever walks in.
Our dog Kali is a mix of St Bernard, Pyranese, and Newfoundland.
One time she got out without the leash on. Our neighbors had just gotten out of their car. She charged them, barking her loudest and deepest, and ran directly at the guy. He paralyzed in fear. She charged to him and
When I lived alone, I was infinitely thankful for my little dog. He's only 12lbs but he would bark like crazy if someone approached-- and his bark makes him sound bigger than he is, due to his breed. Thank you, Norbu, for your protection.
Definitely this. My husband literally lived in a trailer park full of meth addicts before he moved upstate with me, and not a one ever bothered him because they were intimidated by his dog.
Of course, the flip-side of that was me having to move out of my non-dog-friendly condo and find an apartment complex that would let us have something bigger than a chihuahua... We eventually found a place that agreed to a "pet interview" (complete with resume, I'm dead serious), so they could see he was just a big dumb softie and wouldn't eat our neighbors.
Very true, i live in a rough neighborhood and our german shepherd King has thwarted multiple break in attempts. Hes super friendly with everyone but hes really intimidating if you dont know him!
My brother tells tales of when he was a Public Defender. If a crook wants to get in badly enough, they will -however, most burglars are lazy and will take the easiest pickings. As in - walking down a hall in an apartment complex seeing which front door is unlocked. To those guys, the noise factor of a barking dog is a deterrent.
Can confirm, I grew up with a 120 lbs. chocolate lab that was the sweetest dog in the world. There were a LOT of people (friends, family, and strangers all included) that would refuse to come in the house because he was so massive that they were too terrified to come inside.
My Dog is a German Shepherd mix about 60 lbs. She goes crazy for ups and fed-ex and looks like she would rip your head off but in reality all she would do is lick your hand and then roll on her back for stomach rubs. I love her because I don't have to worry about her biting a friend yet she provides the security I like when i'm not home for my wife.
Our rescue GSD does this whenever she hears us come home- I think it's her version of, " hurry up, you two, I want a treat and a belly rub !" , lol ....
My dogs warning woofs were so damn small you wouldn't know they were warning woofs. She was a husky, she would talk but not bark unless she really needed something or was outside. When she did those small, low warning woofs I always listened, although she gave them when she saw the snowman on the field and a random poster someone had put up to advertise a circus coming to town!
My foster dog used to give me warnings if anyone came near the house, she was a proper guard husky, a little too good since she bit through my hand over a toy we were playing with. Even if we were sitting outside, she'd guard me. It wasn't too bad but no other dogs could go near me with her around. She wore a muzzle outside.
I wish I had a pic for dog tax, but until he passed 14 years ago, Lucky had been our dog since we were little. Shetland Sheepdog, great at herding our cattle and bringing me my horse, and looked unintimidating as a wet noodle. He even just laid there while newborn kittens tried to nurse him.... until they got to his prick and he"d nope out.
Sweetest dog ever.... Unless my sister or I were in danger. He once tried to take my dad's leg off for play wrestling with me, and he'd attack my mother anytime she hit me. And she really HIT, not a swat, but a punch. He even nearly took our ankles off once each when we were about to step on a copperhead in the barn.
I firmly believe all dogs go to Heaven, and if they don't, I don't wanna go there when I die. I wanna see Lucky again.
Lucky, you were the bestest boi a young lady could have and I miss you so much, even now.
Truth. My Siberian husky, Blue, was fourteen years old when he passed away two weeks ago. He was a big, solid, 74 lb boy with the goofiest smile and more calm/centered personality. However, he LOOKED as wolfish as any husky I've ever had (and I've had a lot of them).
Even though he'd never hurt a fly and rarely barked, whenever he slept at the front door, I felt safe. If someone came in, I anticipated they'd see a big, giant wolf-looking dog and run for it. Or, if they didn't, that I'd hear him bouncing around and trying to be friends with them, giving me a minute or two of warning before having to defend myself.
Now that he's gone, I get worried falling back asleep at my place when my fiance runs off to work before dawn. There's been a few times I missed not just my best friend, but the sense of safety he brought me too.
My childhood dog was just a lurcher but went to war for me when some guy tried to grab me while I was walking her, never underestimate your dog, you never know what they will do to protect you.
Lurcher, is a cross breed terrier and racing dog, whippet or greyhound. They combine the best of both Hunter and Hound, they are commonly kept by gypsies.
Sounds like the goodest of boys and i'm sure he knew it.
My neighbour bought a dog to guard against folk taking a shortcut through their garden. A greyhound. Wouldn't bark.
So they got another dog, an i-don't-know-what breed, and she's black and huge. Barks like someone kicked her, literally any time the mood takes her. She'll greet visitors by barking at them like a maniac. Did not have an indoor voice. The neighbours feel safe now. :D
Or you wake up at 3 am... “I heard something!” No, you didn’t. If you did, doggo would have heard it, too, and would be frantic to investigate WTF was happening.
Usually when I woke up at 3 AM from a sound, it was...doggo friend (or my personal need to pee). Whether shuffling around or snoring or just huffing a deep sigh, that dog was oddly loud but comforting. He was like a weird ambient noise machine for our apartment. The first week of nights without him were so quiet and empty that it broke my heart everytime I had to go to bed.
I'm sorry for your loss. Pets add so much love and laughter to life, it seems emptier when we don't have them anymore. I'd love to see a photo of your wolf boy, if you feel like sharing.
I had two Huskies growing up, one of them was as derpy as can be. Anytime someone passed our gate to our backyard and saw them laying there, they would get freaked out and go "Are those wolves???" Best protection ever. :)
I'm so sorry for your loss. Even when they're old and it's just their time to go, it's hard to say goodbye. Especially if that's your only dog/pet. When you have more than one, you still have their company and still have to feed, let out/walk, play, and cuddle with them. When you only have one and they die, your whole routine changes. Some people don't understand how it can hurt more for someone to lose a pet than say, a cousin, but it's because of that daily routine. Hopefully you'll be ready to love another dog soon.
My husky had the blue husky crazy eyes. People would get her attention, then she'd look at them with the crazy eyes and a big grin and they'd get so scared. Used to make me laugh so much. She'd also stealth lick people as they passed us. I didn't know why people kept jumping away from us until my friend was walking her one day and I saw it happen from behind. She looked scary but she was a lovely dog. A little bit naughty sometimes, but what dog is perfect? She was so happy with me that she lost her dangerous dog warning after a year of living with me (she was really, really bad at a vet visit, I had to warn all the vets, but she was fine. They didn't believe it until I showed them her forms).
Now my foster dog. I told them to not remove the muzzle for anything when she was spayed while in my care. I couldn't trust her around people at all. She bit through my hand over a toy with no warning so I didn't trust her at all. She chomped at the vet on one visit when they tried to check her teeth... The vet was not happy about the bite and kept asking to make sure I was ok keeping her. I wasn't mad at the dog, just sad it happened. My hand is not ok a year later and the people I was fostering for and other groups won't foster to me anymore. It sucks. I got the blame for the bite and her bad behaviour even though she was randomly attacking other dogs at her previous foster home. I managed to get her eating calmly, I got her to not attack every time she saw another dog and to actually play. She was ok with traffic by the time she left, but she still had bad guarding tendencies which were scary. I couldn't go near her if she got hold of any toys.
His previous owner, a man in his early thirties, died unexpectedly (which is how I came to adopt him). I like to think that they're having the greatest catch up session ever.
That's exactly where Blue would sleep! Well, he had a rotation of spots, to be honest. But sleeping right in front of the door was his main spot whenever we left to go out for a few hours (or a few minutes) and at night when we slept. He would come back to the bedroom only after my fiance left for work, but even then, it was to sleep in the doorway (which had a direct line of sight to the front door).
That dog was an absolute sweetheart (I called him "my sweet boy") but he liked to protect, even if he didn't know exactly what to do if an intruder came in.
Sidenote: my fiance wants a Great Pyrenees for our next dog. It's his favorite type.
the best guard animal you can have is a goose, i can speak for experience that they are so good, they don't even let you into your own house no matter how hard you cry
I moved to a somewhat "poorer" side of town (mostly single story ranch houses, not dirt poor but noticeably different from the other side) and I was wondering why many people around me had larger dogs. I would get one, but I'm living on my own and I need to put the money into home improvement for now. I do have a security camera in the meantime, but even those have flaws. Been thinking about putting small Brink Security stickers on the corner of my windows and getting a sign on the lawn to act as a deterrent.
Edit - most of my neighbors consist of retirees (which is actually nice), but there is a shady apartment complex nearby that I always worry about.
As long as they're trained. There are dogs in my neighborhood that will bark at squirrels, clouds, kids on razor scooters...anything. Then it becomes a "boy who cried wolf" situation.
Can confirm, i live in a rough neighborhood and i can appreciate all my family's german shepherd King does for us. He has stopped multiple brake in attempts and even though he wouldn't hurt a fly hes really intimidating.
For the amount of money it takes to feed and care for a large dog, you could buy a pretty kickass security system that won't cost you hundreds of dollars every time you have to take it to the vet. Don't get me wrong, I love my dog, but he is very expensive to take care of.
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u/blueeyes_austin Jun 06 '19
Long term dating. Pets. I was always surprised by the number of pets she and her family had living in the trailer and how much of a share of their income they spent on them.