Originally posted by kevykev56
And as for the dog, lol, Its 0139 and Im still awake. I have to go to work in 3 1/2 hours. I dont sleep. Until either I die or start taking drugs I will be the watchdog. accept tonight Im traveling for work in a hotel 1000 miles away from home. So the dog is all they have besides the guns. Hopefully the training my wife and kids have had with what to do in this situation would save them. Im sure not going to lose sleep over it, my daughter can knock a man down 10 outof 10 times at 10 yards. shes a good shot
Well, everything worked out ok and that's the most important factor.
As to useless watchdogs... I had a Siberian Husky. Those pale blue eyes would scare the bejesus out of people. Yet, she was a sucker for attention and loved everyone. Her only vice was an utter lack of respect for other dogs. If a strange dog failed to show proper courtesy, she morphed into a 60 pound buzzsaw.
When my oldest daughter was 13 (now 21), she was walking the Husky on its leash. A neighbor had a rough and tumble pit bull-lab mix named Jack. This dog had already bitten two people and was one more bite from being put down. His owner was still careless, allowing the dog to run in the yard instead of chaining him to a post. Apparently, their kids left the gate open, because as my daughter walked past their house Jack flew out of the yard, heading straight for her. I was raking leaves in the backyard and saw the whole thing unfold. As the dog neared my kid, I saw a flash of color and Jack went flying through the air like he had been hit by a truck. In a blink, the Husky had him by the neck and tossed the 50 pound dog around like a limp noodle. She finally let loose and Jack lay spawled in the road for a minute or so (meanwhile, I had jumped the fence and was sprinting to them). He then staggered to his feet and wobbled back to his yard, bleeding profusely from the neck and head. One of his ears was badly ripped. Aside from being stained with the other dog's blood, the Husky was untouched, as was my daughter.
I went over and rang their doorbell. I explained to the husband what had happened and he immediately loaded Jack into the car and drove him to the vet.
For all the fierceness of that Husky, she was totally useless as a watchdog. She never barked and would gladly allow a burgler to enter, as long as he stopped to rub her ears.
Jack remained in the animal hospital for several days and ran up a substantial bill. After he picked up the dog, he stopped by to show me the $1,400+ bill. He had the audacity to ask that I pay for the dog's care. If I wasn't so damned angry I might have laughed in his face. I reminded him that his dog was running loose and had a history of being aggressive. My dog, on the other hand, was on a leash. "Sorry pal, but the liability is all yours."
I found the Husky in the Southampton Animal Shelter, where she was serving time for killing a small doe. She was "apprehended" dragging the dead deer down the road by its broken neck. Huskies are hell on wheels for deer. While the deer is faster in a sprint, the Husky is genetically programmed to run all day. They will eventually run the deer into the ground.
Anyway, the shelter manager told me she had also killed about a dozen chickens. Hmm, I thought; "my kind of dog". They told me that despite her wild side, she simply loved people and she licked my face like I was a long-lost uncle. I took her to a groomer directly from the shelter as she was far too dirty for the house. Not only was she gentle with the lady, she carried on like a complete whimp, whining and yelping when the girl tried to clip her nails/claws. My girls loved the dog and she loved them back, being extremely protective.
We lived in the middle of several thousand acres of pine barrens (eastern-central Long Island). I would take her out to hunt rabbit. She did the hunting, I merely watched. Never did one get away once flushed from its hide.
So, we had no fear of home invasions by rabbits, deer or dogs. However, a mass murderer was perfectly welcome, especially if he brought a chewstick.
(Edit) I forgot to mention that about a year later Jack bit a young boy who lived down the road. A judge ordered him put down.
My regards,
Widewing