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Old October 16, 2006, 02:17 PM   #1
skeeter1
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Best first line? A good dog.

Police dog falls from window, catches suspect
Agbar tumbles from second-story window, escapes injury
The Associated Press


Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET Oct 16, 2006
GILFORD, N.H. - A Gilford police dog fell from a second-story window while searching for a robbery suspect during the weekend, but still got its man.

Police were looking for a man who reportedly robbed a car driver at knifepoint Saturday night.

Police say Michael Mount, 30, pulled a knife on the driver of a car in which he was a passenger, forced her off the road and stole her purse.

Police called in their dog, Agbar, to track Mount.

They say Agbar fell from a second-story window while on the hunt, but was not hurt, and led officers to Mount, who was arrested outside his apartment.
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Old October 16, 2006, 09:36 PM   #2
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Smart or experienced home invaders can easily counter dogs though, I think I would rather rely on mechanical devices, at least as a backup.
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Old October 17, 2006, 12:35 AM   #3
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it takes thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of training to teach even the best dogs to only take food from their owner/handler/master.

training a dog is simply drawing out and using the dogs natural drives. things like prey drive is used to teach them to search for drugs and suspects. the drive to protect territory is used for perimeter security dogs.

these same drives are what the burglar or intruder depends on to neutralize them.

nope a dag is an excellent alarm and can be depended upon to defend territory against intruders right up until the intruder becomes the provider.

i have personally taken one of our drug dogs whose handler quit and was notoriously aggressive when not being run by his handler. aka protecting his territory run and crate.

two slices of lunch meat later we were best friends and he followed all commands like i had him from the first day of training.

nope everything can be defeated and as such everything has his place
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Old October 17, 2006, 04:06 PM   #4
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What about a pistol with a makeshift one-use suppressor, or a couple of guys with machetes?

If you're going to spend thousands of dollars couldn't you get a very good alarm system and a shotgun?
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Old October 17, 2006, 04:27 PM   #5
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If you're going to spend thousands of dollars couldn't you get a very good alarm system and a shotgun?
Or you can get a good alarm system, shotgun, and a dog.
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Old October 17, 2006, 04:58 PM   #6
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My dog seems to work as a great first alarm. I'm not gonna trust him to defend me when someone gets inside to cause harm but he sure lets me know when someone is around or property who doesn't need to be. My neighbors have been commenting on how he never barks unless some one is around our yard or around the neighbors house. Then at night if some one pull into the drive way or walk in the yard he goes crazy barking. I think he makes a great warning system but that all I trust him to do. Once you are within arms reach all he wants you to do is pet him.
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Old October 17, 2006, 05:20 PM   #7
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My best friend and shooting buddy has a 98lb Doberman. The dog likes me, but I pity anyone trying to break into their house. They'd be scraping the crap out of their shorts for a week. Great first line of defense.

Having said that, I have three cats, and they're not good for s***, so I have to rely on the "mechanical" defense gizmos. I think a 12-gauge would get a BG's attention.
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Old October 17, 2006, 05:43 PM   #8
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My defense:




My dog Max loves people, unless they show up at night without me knowing about it. It's the only time he barks. He has a mean sounding bark and growl though. It's enough to alert me to someone showing up at my house. He sleeps lighter than I do. He hears a "bump in the night" before my wife or I will.
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Old October 17, 2006, 06:12 PM   #9
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not true!

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Having said that, I have three cats, and they're not good for s***, so I have to rely on the "mechanical" defense gizmos.
HA! Just wait until the BG gets tangled up in three cats winding themselves around his legs in the dark. He trips over cat #1. He then steps on cat #2, who emits an unearthly banshee screech. This startles cat #3, who then climbs his front (yes, right over THAT spot) and perches on his head with its front claws in his face. The BG will be calling the police himself just to be rescued.

Commandos have nothing on cats.

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Old October 17, 2006, 06:22 PM   #10
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My is first line of defense is an 85 lb. akita . She doesn't bark unless there is someone there. Even if she sees the person on a pretty regular basis (pool guy), she will still bark unless we tell her it is okay. If we introduce her to our friends, she usually does not bark at them the next time she sees them. If Chris thinks he can feed my dog and befriend her, he had better have some very good medical insurance. Akita are very tough dogs and were used as impreial guard dogs by the Japanese. They were also used for hunting bears. Her sense of hearing, scent, and night vision is far superior to mine so I would say I trust her as my first line of defense. I know dogs can be shot or poisoned, but unless my dog is shot from a distance, she will most likely alert us first. If she does get taken out, I'm going after the SOB that did it.

To back her up, I have an alarm system that we set every night. It is hard wired instead of wireless so the signal cananot be jammed. We have cellular backup if the phone lines are cut and like most systems, it has a back up battery if the power is cut.

For the final line of defense, I am one of those "forget the dog, beware of owner" kind of guys. I keep my Sig P229 next to my side while the wifie has the Ruger GP-100 on her side. I also have my Surefire 6P with the 120 lumen lamp on the night stand and a shotgun in the closet just in case.
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Old October 17, 2006, 06:33 PM   #11
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My Best first line...

In two levels of watching the door...

I love these guys,
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Old October 17, 2006, 07:06 PM   #12
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Beautiful girl you have there Stephen... I know what you mean about Akitas'. I have two, male & a female. The best dogs I have ever had!!

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Old October 17, 2006, 08:00 PM   #13
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We have cellular backup if the phone lines are cut and like most systems, it has a back up battery if the power is cut.
Come to think of it, I've got my wireless phone plugged into the UPS I use for my wireless router, and my computer, a laptop, has it's own battery, good for a couple of hours.

The cellphone has the "jumbo" battery, good for 20 days of standby and/or 5hrs of talk time.

If all else fails, I have an inverter that I can plug into the cigarette lighter in the car to recharge the cell phone.

Oh, yeah, and I have ten firearms. I think I'm covered.

It must sound like I'm something of a survivalist, but I'm really not. I just like electronic toys.
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Old October 17, 2006, 09:20 PM   #14
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Come to think of it, I've got my wireless phone plugged into the UPS I use for my wireless router, and my computer, a laptop, has it's own battery, good for a couple of hours.

The cellphone has the "jumbo" battery, good for 20 days of standby and/or 5hrs of talk time.

If all else fails, I have an inverter that I can plug into the cigarette lighter in the car to recharge the cell phone.

Oh, yeah, and I have ten firearms. I think I'm covered.

It must sound like I'm something of a survivalist, but I'm really not. I just like electronic toys.
Actually, the cellular backup is directly connected to my alarm system and is dedicated for the alarm system. It costs a little more a month to maintain, but it is well worth it just in case.

TX35,
Those are some great looking dogs you got there. The one on the right seems to really have a lot of personality. My parents have my dogs parents. Akitas are great dogs. The only thing is that they must be socialized or else they will tear other dogs apart. I'm sure you know how dominant they can be. As long as one accepts the other as dominant, things should be peaceful.
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Old October 17, 2006, 09:34 PM   #15
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I guess I'm still not convinced.
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Old October 17, 2006, 09:56 PM   #16
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I need one of these kitties...

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Old October 17, 2006, 10:37 PM   #17
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The dog is not there to defend your life. The dog is there to alert you to things when you might be asleep or not paying particular attention. Their senses are a lot better than yours.... even a dachhound is better than many. Actually a pretty good dog breed.

They also warn off many with their growls. Deeper the growl the better.
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Old October 18, 2006, 01:54 AM   #18
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Yeah, my cousin has a dog that's half Bassett hound and half pit bull. Short legs, but that dog scares the hell out of me. She doesn't need a gun as long as she's got that dog around. That's one mean 50lb dog!
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Old October 18, 2006, 02:25 AM   #19
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Rimfire, I'm sure that Stephen will attest to this. I have no doubt that my Akitas would give their lives for me, as I would mine for them. The bond they have with my family & I is incredible!!
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Old October 18, 2006, 03:10 AM   #20
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Rimfire, I'm sure that Stephen will attest to this. I have no doubt that my Akitas would give their lives for me, as I would mine for them. The bond they have with my family & I is incredible!!
You know TX35, I have never had the need to test this. I thought about having a friend my dog does not know push my wife around, but I am afraid what would happen if she really attacked. You know how powerful they are, even at 85 lbs. She is obedience trained and off leash trained, but we did not do the protection training because we did not want to change her sweet nature. She is nice around people she knows but she will bark at strangers. I'm pretty sure she would get defensive if someone messed with me, but to her, I am the alpha male and pack leader.

Like I said though, heaven help anyone who messes with my dog.
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Old October 18, 2006, 03:48 AM   #21
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Springmom--

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HA! Just wait until the BG gets tangled up in three cats winding themselves around his legs in the dark. He trips over cat #1. He then steps on cat #2, who emits an unearthly banshee screech. This startles cat #3, who then climbs his front (yes, right over THAT spot) and perches on his head with its front claws in his face. The BG will be calling the police himself just to be rescued.

Commandos have nothing on cats.
Come to think of it, I think Ella (aka, "Evil Kitty") could/would bite the crap out of anyone who broke in here. Heck, she bites me all the time. Why I put up with that cat, I don't know... except I love her any way.

And then there's Pepper, my 20lb cat. She hasn't got a mean bone in her body, but she is a BIG cat. Not fat, just plain big.

The third one, Molly, is small and shy. No defense from her, I'm sure.
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Old October 18, 2006, 07:48 AM   #22
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I know that many dogs will defend their masters to the death. You just don't want them to. The idea is that they are alert can alert you to trouble long before you would even notice yourself when it comes to unusual noises and so forth in or around your home.

I had a basset hound. Great dog. You would not want to tangle with that loveable pup in the dark. Amazing jaw strength. Break your arm with one good bite. My X's little dog actually woke her up in the middle of the night when an adjacent apartment had a fire... fire department arrived and the tenant was still sleeping and didn't realize anything was amiss. That little mut may have saved lives that night. I love dogs, but I still consider them dogs and not people. That said, I've known people that I would probably choose to save the dog first if given the choice in an emergency.
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Old October 18, 2006, 10:59 AM   #23
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Talking about dogs saving lives, you guys should check out this article...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15317373/

Talk about a smart dog! He grabbed his disabled owner's artificial leg and brought it to her along with a phone so she could call for help when the cat accidentally started a fire. The bad thing is that the dog went back in for the cat and neither made it out. Bad kitty!
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Old October 18, 2006, 11:45 AM   #24
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Isn't it fantastic that a suspect will go up against someone with a large caliber handgun and will literally say "YEAH Go ahead and shoot me!!!!" But when a little 'ol puppy dog is sent to go after the suspect, right away he's sreaming for his mama and to stop our four legged friend. I guess that's why we have 4 of them in the house at night, plus a few the mechanical burglar supressors of the large caliber type. They make the perfect burglar alarm. DOGS RULE!!!!!!
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Old October 18, 2006, 12:02 PM   #25
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My first line alarm - Katie (brindle) at 187# and Charley at 202# (I, as their "handler-master", weigh 180#) and both at over 110 decibels.



Defensively, however, their strategy is, "Drown'em in drool".

My real defense -



or -



Must work - haven't ever had a problem!
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