Guard dogs to guard dogs

With theft on the rise, let’s make life as difficult as possible for the culprits — and what they hate most is a noisy dog, says Ellena Swift

- Ellena Swift

Dog theft is a hot topic at the moment; in particular of gundogs. They are stolen from cars, kennels, houses and gardens. One of the issues is the money these dogs are worth to potential thieves. Another big issue is that the breeds most commonly used as gundogs are inherently gentle and kind-tempered. This makes them easy to grab. Spaniels, due to their size, are very easy to grab and chuck into the back of a car.

There are many things that can be done to keep your dogs more secure, such as using padlocks that cannot be cut offwith a bolt cutter. If the dogs are kept indoors, lockable windows are a must, as is keeping the dogs out of sight. The same goes for kennels. Ideally you should not be able to see anything by simply looking through a window.

Security cameras are a great idea and it is worth investing in a system that shows clear pictures in all weathers and light conditions. Motion detectors on cameras are really useful, though they can be a little frustrating if a songbird keeps setting them off. Security lights provide an added layer of protection because they alert anyone near to someone’s presence. Finally, alarmed doors and/ or windows are excellent. Anything that is noisy and bright will ensure an intrusion is announced.

Deterrent

However, many thieves do not worry if you have a camera as a balaclava soon sorts that. A lot of people will ignore an alarm going off locally so, again, it’s not always a great deterrent.