Tag: security system

Posted in dogs, security

Intruder alert

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Person walking by on the street. Do not approach the house. Keep moving.”

The robotic voice jolted me out of my early morning walk meditation. I look up as I pass an ordinary house. Nothing special about it. No reason to think anyone would want to break in. Yet they have a state of the art security system to deter the likes of me, a suspicious man walking a dog down the street.

That door-to-door security system salesman who tried to convince me our neighborhood was rife with break-ins must have gotten through to these folks. They purchased all the camera, sensor, light, and voice alert options.

I wonder, does their phone ping for every dog-walker, delivery, cat, truck, and squirrel who pass the driveway? That would drive me crazy. After a while, I’d turn it off. Which would negate the benefit of having a security system, right?

The next time that voice threatens me, I’m going to stand at the foot of their driveway, next to my Great Dane (my security detail) and just stare. Maybe I’ll talk back. Something like, “You’re scared of me?” Then I’ll look at the dog, then look back and say, “You should be!”

Posted in dogs

Security system signs: genuine or fake?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

While walking the dogs this morning, I took note of how many homes have a security sign in the front yard. They aren’t new. I’ve seen them before. I’m so used to seeing them that I usually don’t notice them. But today I saw ADT, Guardian, Vivint, SimpliSafe, Ring, Alarm Pro or some other sign in three-quarters of the homes we passed.

Do you think all those homes have installed security systems? If not, what percentage simply purchased a sign to put in the front yard to deter burglars? Does that work? Can a bad guy spot the difference between a fake and the real thing? Will they play it safe and move on to another home? Or does a security system sign tip them off that there is something of value inside?

I also see cameras on many houses. Are they all hooked up and monitored? How many are just props?

Some houses don’t need any of the above. We can’t even walk by the house without snarling dogs in the window warning us to stay away. I know it’s not foolproof, but I kind of like the canine option. In fact, I enjoy it when a door-to-door security system salesperson knocks on our door, invoking a cacophony of barks and growls. And I am looking forward to that day when such a person sees a fully grown Great Dane looking at them through the front door.

Posted in dogs

Brown dog security company

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Brown Dogs

The two brown dogs guarding our home raise the alert status to Defcon 5 about every fifteen minutes or so. Growls, woofs and urgent barks echo through the house for any of the following reasons.

  • The mailman is delivering the mail.
  • The garbage man has arrived.
  • The UPS man has arrived.
  • The Fedex guy has arrived.
  • The neighbor across the street has opened his garage door.
  • The neighbor has closed his garage door.
  • Our garage door has opened.
  • The neighbor from down the street is walking by.
  • The neighbor from down the street is walking by with a dog.
  • The neighbor from down the street is riding by on a bicycle.
  • A car door opens.
  • A car door shuts.
  • A squirrel runs across the fence.
  • Something sounds like a knock at the door.

This is the short list. I am sure there are many more in the Florida Brown Dog home security manual.