How many times have you heard someone say their faithful dog would never let anyone near them? Maybe you're even relying on your own pooch to raise the alarm if any bad guys try their luck at your house?
Surely if they'll chase a squirrel or bark at a falling leaf then a burglar wouldn't get past them?
Sadly, as comedian Katherine Ryan recently discovered, it's not that simple...
Katherine was at home with her family when a masked man broke in. Her boyfriend fought the intruder and managed to keep hold of a laptop containing important scripts she was working on. She later posted a picture of the blood covered computer online and praised his bravery.
Unfortunately, the robber did get away with some items. While these are mostly covered by insurance, the sentimental value is often priceless. Katherine later posted on social media asking for help finding a particularly special ring that was taken.
Despite the trauma she responded with her standard laid back, Canadian style, saying things like:
"Cool to be robbed tonight by a masked man in our home."
"This is why I love Bobby K [Kootstra]. He got in a fight and wrestled back my Netflix series, all my scripts."
"That's fine, I never liked sleeping anyway,"
Katherine also joked that she now planned to buy a German Shepherd as her own dogs had been "asleep at the wheel" and not warned the family of the approaching danger.
Safety is often one of the reasons we bring a dog into the family. We know they love us and trust that they will protect us. But a family pet is not the same as a guard dog! They're not trained to do that as a job. Mostly they're trained to sit on command, give a paw and not poop on the rug.
Katherine mentioned a German Shepherd but even a big beast that looks scary can't take the place of a quality home security system. Anyone that's seen a dog "chasing rabbits" in a canine dream knows how deeply they can sleep!
Smaller dogs may be quite vocal but, let's be honest... they do tend to yap at anything and everything! There's no way of knowing if they're telling you someone's breaking in or the clock on the microwave is flashing.
Burglars are also dog owners so they know how to approach and make friends with family pets in order to get what they want. Some even carry treats to bribe and distract them!
The fact is that relying on your dog to be near you and act as a burglar alarm gives you a false sense of security. This can be worse than no security at all because it leads to complacency. For example, if you're leaving the dog home while you nip to the corner shop, it's easy not to bother lifting and locking the uPVC door. Burglars love this easy access!
And of course there's walkies and holidays. All times the dog is near you but you're both away from home. Who's protecting it then?
It's not just our dogs we mistakenly rely on to keep us safe, it's all kinds of things. But just how safe is your home from burglars? Click on the image below, take our quick quiz and find out!
