Where is balance Academic priorities 266

My father had geese. They're remarkably territorial, and quite aggressive about it. (Which is the point, in this context) The problem with geese is, they're not much more cooperative with their owners either.

I've had people try to sell me alarms from time to time, but I always respond that I have dual-function smoke alarms and a loud anti-social dog* so I can't see the need. If it's just a marketroid, they usually try to go on with their script. And I hang up on them. If it's an actual security person, they usually give up right then. The only thing they've got to offer that I've ever been interested in is a panic button (press it, the police are called), and they won't sell me just that without the entire system.

- Bill * Story time: Background: Long ago the former police chief here told me that a burglar alarm will let you know you're being robbed and, if it calls the cops, they'll probably show up right after the bad guys have left, which will save you making the call. But, he said, a loud and (at least apparently) aggressive dog will usually prevent the break in, buttuming it's a typical opportunity break in. From the typical crooks point of view, it's just not worth the risk they'll be attacked and will move on to somewhere dogs don't bark at them.

I had such a dog (well, I still do... two, in fact) back fifteen years or so, and it happened that my car was in the shop and I was home sick, and my wife was out with her car. We're buttuming that the burglar had noticed both cars missing and decided it was a good day for a break in. How, if the cased the place, they didn't notice the dog, I don't know. But I got woken up by the dog (80+ pound pure German Shepherd dog, who liked me, tolerated my family, and hated every one else) going nuts in the kitchen Took me a few minutes to get out of bed and go see what she was on about. During that time I heard car doors shut and a car drive away. When I got to the kitchen she was digging at the door. Open the door and on the outside there's some gouges in the wood near the door knob.

The police chief said "An alarm system won't do that" (meaning chase them away).

None of this (geese, dogs or even alarms), of course, applies if the crooks are determined, since there's ways around all of them.