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Looking for a dog bark imitation alarm - any recommendation?

N. Neta

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posted 4 years ago

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I’d like to make our off grid, isolated home, a little more secured.

I was thinking about a guard dog, but after asking for some advice in this guard dog to protect your home thread, I realized that a real, live guard dog is not the solution for us.

We do have a normal alarm system - but if we’re not at home - there’s no one to hear it.

So, I’m thinking - why not getting the benefits of a guard dog, without actually having a dog… 🤔

I found this dog bark imitation alarm, which seems sophisticated and effective… but… at $169 it seems quite pricey (and no customer reviews).

So, my question… do you know of any reliable and affordable dog bark imitation alarm?
And if you own one and are willing to share your experience with it - that would be fantastic.

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Trace Oswald

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I can probably save you some money. Get a used piece of chain, stake in in the yard somewhere visible, put a dog bowl with something that looks like dog food remnants and a water bowl near it. That would convince me that a dog lived there. Extra points for using very large bowls, and a very heavy chain.

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Tereza Okava

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^^ that is an excellent idea.
Another idea is motion-activated light bulbs. I think the fake dog would have to be REALLY good to fool anyone.

I think it depends on what kind of crime you realistically have to face. What do your neighbors have? What kind of attention will you call to yourself if you go full-on Big Security (high fence, razor wire, etc)? What happens when your alarm goes off? (does it call the police, or are you on your own?) If your neighbors use a security service, just having the sign in your yard is a classic deterrent. Where I live, we put bars on our windows and a very antisocial dog in the yard.
Another really important question: if you're isolated, what is your plan if someone did break in? It's bad stuff to think about, but worth thinking about before something bad happens, as opposed to after.
Edited to add: about this last part: someone here (maybe in South Africa) also living in a relatively remote place talked about having a Whatsapp group with their neighbors, where if someone sent a message calling for help they could be counted on to show up. I know you've mentioned integrating into community, this may be an even better motive to get to know your neighbors.

Heather Sharpe

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posted 4 years ago

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Trace Oswald wrote:I can probably save you some money. Get a used piece of chain, stake in in the yard somewhere visible, put a dog bowl with something that looks like dog food remnants and a water bowl near it. That would convince me that a dog lived there. Extra points for using very large bowls, and a very heavy chain.

This is a great idea. You could also throw in a "Beware of Dog" sign. And/or get one along the lines of one we used to have up that says, "Never mind dog, beware of owner". I figured people would realize it was a joke, but the neighborhood kids started telling each other stories that we had lots of guns (we don't) and I watched many a delivery person run out of the yard visibly scared. Point being, seems signs warning people of dogs, security systems, etc. can work, even if you don't actually have them. I've also seen fake security cameras available, which might be another possibility to explore.

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Tereza Okava

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Real cameras are also excellent, and they've become more accessible price-wise. They're great not just for security but also to figure out who's eating your fruit, where you put that tool after working in the yard, etc.

My neighbors all know i have cameras because it's obvious, but there have also been times when I've pulled the footage to show the woman next door a van that was lingering suspiciously at her gate, or one night when the dog was going nuts and there was a guy trying to enter the other neighbor's house. So they all know I'm filming, and nobody is going to do anything dumb if they were so inclined.

Anne Miller

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The way I read that alarm it only goes off when someone rings the doorbell.

How many burglars, etc. ring doorbells?

To me it would be better to go to a dog kennel or somewhere there are barking dogs then make a recording that could be played over and over while you are not at home.

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N. Neta

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Anne Miller wrote:The way I read that alarm it only goes off when someone rings the doorbell.

Actually this specific alarm and most of other models on the market work by detecting movement 10-50 feet away from the house…
From the alarm brochure: “Detects intruders through walls and doors - device is capable of detecting movements through any obstacles with the exception of metal obstructions, thus you can use it in houses with concrete and wooden walls.”

Anne Miller wrote:To me it would be better to go to a dog kennel or somewhere there are barking dogs then make a recording that could be played over and over while you are not at home.

This is a good suggestion, and there are actually many commercial CDs as well as tons of dog barking tracks on Spotify…

Kenneth Elwell

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Anne Miller wrote:The way I read that alarm it only goes off when someone rings the doorbell.

How many burglars, etc. ring doorbells?

To me it would be better to go to a dog kennel or somewhere there are barking dogs then make a recording that could be played over and over while you are not at home.

The doorbell ringing is actually a method burglars use for discovering if someone is home or not... no answer? no sounds? the odds just got better, then I'll go try the back door... Oh, you're home? "Hi, I'd like to talk with you about Jesus... no? oh okay, well, you have a nice day!"

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Dc Stewart

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posted 4 years ago

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This might be an effective deterrent when linked to your motion sensors:

Barking Dogs

An intruder would suspect that the house is occupied by a crazy person and not want to know what might be waiting on the inside.

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N. Neta

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Dc Stewart wrote:This might be an effective deterrent when linked to your motion sensors:

Barking Dogs

An intruder would suspect that the house is occupied by a crazy person and not want to know what might be waiting on the inside.

N. Neta

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Dc Stewart wrote:An intruder would suspect that the house is occupied by a crazy person and not want to know what might be waiting on the inside.

😜😅

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