Home invasion

[Deep Thinker]

Don't leave your keys in the door at night / when you are home! A friend of ours was a victim of a violent home invasion last year. The intruders put a concrete block through the glass of the UPVC back door and then leant in and opened the door with the key, which was in the lock. Despite the alarm being set off, they stayed for 10 minutes to ransack the place. The police said, if the key had not been left in the door, they wouldn't have been able to get in...

Worth a thought as I do keep the key in the front door only in case of fire ,but will just find somewhere to put at night for access.

[sniper 55]

Years ago the trick was to "fish" through the letter box for house or car keys left near the door (on hall tables etc) it seems to have gone out of fashion these days, but I don't leave my keys in the hall, old habits....

[Deep Thinker]

Agreed ,need to be far enough away from door not to fish ,good thing is the dog goes nuts when letterbox opens.

[Deeps]

Agreed ,need to be far enough away from door not to fish ,good thing is the dog goes nuts when letterbox opens.

My dogs are the toughest dogs you've ever heard, in reality they're a pair of pansies I wouldn't have it any other way, for fierceness I've got Her Maj.

We're lucky that we live in a 'nice' area, no guarantee that we're immune from burglaries or 'home invasions' of course but since the houses were built about 12 years ago we've not had anything of note happen, maybe just lucky.

[Deep Thinker]

Where I lived before all the houses backed onto a football park out of 20 houses half were burgled or attempted the other half they did not even go near.The latter all had dogs. So makes a diference sometimes until the thugs get realy determined.

[Catweazle]

I like dogs, especially big ones.

This is our dobie meeting his playmate for the first time. Lovely breed.



Same dog at 17 months old- any burglar who values his skin will choose another house.

[sniper 55]

The two best guard dogs I've had were a Japenese akita with an ASBO (we got her after the RSPC failed to get her out of their van) and a doberman. Totally different dogs. The doberman would poke me with her nose and just growl softly and "point" at what was happening outside to call my attention to something. Then walk to heel with me to check it out. While the akita would sit and wait quietly for someone to try and get in, then she would go mental. Luckly nobody ever did get in.... they wouldn't have been around for a second attempt with the akita, she really would have ripped them apart.
Sadly now both have passed away, and I have something a bit milder, a small fluffy daft thing and a bulldog who is big enough to be, Hmm handy.....

[yorkshirewolf]

All with dogs; be aware of the change in the dog laws which came in 2014...

Section 3 of the Act applies to every single dog owner in England and Wales. Under this section, it is a criminal offence for the person in charge of the dog to allow it to be ‘dangerously out of control’ in a public place.

A dog doesn't have to bite to be deemed dangerous in the eyes of the law

Generally if a dog bites a person, it will be presumed to have been ‘dangerously out of control’, however even if the dog does not bite, but gives the person grounds to feel that the dog may injure them, the law still applies.

This also applies on your own property. Not really in the house, but in the garden, so if for example, your dog jumped up at the fence and barked at the neighbour, technically they could complain and you'd be in for a warning.

It is also relevant if your dog bites someone in your own garden.


It's a bit of a legal grey area at the moment as there's been no precedent set, and each case will be looked at individually, but be aware of the law.

Personally, if a burglar came over my 6 foot fence and the dogs took a chunk or three out of him (and he survived) i'd be quite sure he was bitten inside the house, and i'd be very sure he was found in the garden as he was trying to run off...

[BadgerSE]

I am a dog fan, looking to get a lurcher within the next couple of years (not for home security, mind!)

To be honest we don't need a guard dog, I've got my partner and I pray for anybody who gets in to our property to have to face my missus' in a foul mood. Good luck is all I would say!

[sniper 55]

The new law was needed, it was a shambles before really, so many people had dangerous dogs and people were getting chewed and nothing would happen, the old "rule" that a dog had to bite twice (not true really) but even the police would quote it.
Where I lived before was a lane, people walking down it were getting bitten all the time by dogs from one place, police never did anything untill a child was badly mauled, too late then.