Adams Wofford (courtesy Facebook)

“If you still feel a need for in-home protection, consider a dog. There are breeds that are territorial, loyal and able to distinguish between an intruder and a family member. Unlike a gun, it will be on guard during the day when you are away and will be happy to see you come home at night.” – Durham, NC clinical social worker Adams Wofford in When too many guns are available at the whim of an impulse [via newsobserver.com]

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105 COMMENTS

  2. Use a deadly weapon that has a mind of it’s own for my protection vs. an inanimate object that only does what I make it do? Yea, no thanks. Call me a control freak but I’ll stick with my security system and my firearm.

    • This. I have a big dog. I have firearms. They fill different niches in my home defense plan.

      • +1
        Layered security…. This guy is an idiot. If you depend on ONLY one layer of security (as in only dogs, only locked doors/window, only firearms, only alarm system, only safe neighborhood, etc) then you dont do security well.

        • +2. Totally agree with the layers of home security. I’ve got two Labradors that both bark at anything moving in or around the house. God help you if you knock at the front door! If you make it inside, one of them will bite you if he doesn’t know you. Plus, there are firearms strategically placed throughout the residence. On top of this, I am a licensed social worker and reformed liberal. I get where this poor idiot is coming from and am generally ashamed of a majority in the profession. That said, I am not your “run of the mill.” My wife says that someone has to run in the opposite direction… that would be me.

  5. How about background checks for dogs? How many children are injured or killed every year by unsecured dogs?

    From dogbitelaw.com
    Dog Bite Statistics
    Dog bite losses exceed $1 billion per year. In 2015, 35 Americans were killed by dogs, down from 42 the prior year. Each year, more than 350,000 dog bite victims are seen in emergency rooms, and approximately 850,000 victims receive medical attention. Data that the CDC collected in the USA between 2001 and 2003 indicated there were 4.5 million dog bite victims per year, but that figure appears to be rising.

    Despite the number of victims, only 15,000 to 16,000 of them per year receive money from homeowners insurance companies and renters insurance companies. This means that out of the 850,000 who get medical attention, only two victims per 100 receive compensation. Although insurers pay over $350 million to victims, the nationwide, average insurance payment for a dog bite case is only $29,752. The payouts have increased by 55.3 percent in the past decade.

  6. There are plenty of dog anti’s out there. They irrationally fear “assault” breeds. Police see dogs as weapons and shoot at the first sight of one. Municipalities regulate them. Some have gone so far as to round them up door-to-door and kill them tossing their bodies in heaps and mounds as their owners/families weep.

    All antis are genocidal lunatics with emotional disorders. Including Mr. Woffard who no doubt would love to send storm troopers door-to-door to assault families and steal their property at gun point just as the dog anti’s get hard at watching a little kid cry as his dog is gassed and tossed into a pile.

    If you aren’t happy to just leave people the hell alone rather than wish all the terror of the state rain down on them there is something wrong with you.

  7. First… Ha! Mr Woofard suggesting a dog! Get it? Wooford…. dog….. OK, maybe work has me a bit loopy.

    Then…. I have a question for Mr Wooford: Why can’t I choose a firearm AND a dog? Why does it have to be one or the other?

    • Good Question .
      An attack dog is almost always put down after an attack. Just doing its job. Animal rights???!
      Get a dog that barks and have your firearm close by. If the barking dog does not deter them then there is a good bet they are not there for tea and crumpets.

    • I have a firearm and a dog and she is a beauty – A German Shepard – Doberman Pincer mix. She is fiercely loyal to me and is a great early warning system (even before my alarm). She gets alerted when people are in my yard. This gives me more than enough time to assess the situation (i.e. Do i need my AR or will my Pistol do?)

    • Exactly! We can have both guns and dogs. The two actually work together quite well. The dog alerts you to the danger, and the firearm deals with the danger (maybe with dog backup too).

      It is like saying that you should lift weights if you are worried about your security, rather than having a knife, or pepper spray. Nope! Lift weights, have a knife, carry pepper spray, pack a pistol if you wish, and have a dog.

      And…And…And not Or…Or…Or

  9. Just dont get one of those nasty pit bull assault dogs! No one NEEDS a dog that weighs more than ten pounds.

    But in all seriousness, training a dog to do anything passed barking at an intruder is a quick way to get sued and have your dog put down.

    • “Pitbulls” get a bad rap. The breed (American Staffordshire Terrier) is actually one of the more loving and loyal breeds. However, people have been breeding aggressiveness into them for dog fighting and overworking them to look meaner and tough. It is truly sad how evil people can be.

      • Unfortunately, your point illustrates that more accurately today – breed (American Staffordshire Terrier) WAS actually one of the more loving and loyal breeds. ……..

      • What’s funny is that a true killer, vicious dog, the Ovcharka, is legal everywhere and requires no special license to own, meanwhile the “pitbull” for so long has basically been the “assault weapon” of the dog world, i.e. a dog type that doesn’t even really exist. The legislation outlawing “pitbulls” even doesn’t outlaw one breed, but multiple breeds that share a specific type of appearance (so banning dogs based on appearance, just like “assault weapons”).

        The Ovcharka, meanwhile, is an old Eastern European/Russian dog breed that was bred to be a sheepdog. It is capable of killing wolves, has a very high tolerance to pain (shock collars won’t work on it), and is by nature an attack dog. You have to train it, from a very young age, to be nice to other people and continue to train it as such. Otherwise, it will only love its immediate family, and attack and kill most anyone else on site.

        The Soviets used to put them on the East German border and also use them to guard the Gulags. I believe the Russians still use them in the prisons and as police dogs. I’ve heard (but have no real knowledge of whether true or not) that for prisoners who act up, that they just put them in a room with one of these dogs and that quickly gets the prisoners in line.

        Google their picture if you’ve never seen one, they are a mean-looking dog! And you can own one with zero training or permit in the U.S. 😀

      • but…. muh bulls! so loving! so sweet!

        Give me a break. Pit bulls as a breed were created to fight. That is what they’re best at. It’s in their blood.

        Pit bulls as a breed constitute the majority of dog attacks in the US, especially fatal attacks – and unlike guns, dogs actually DO decide to attack on their own.

        I don’t get pitbull defenders. I’ve known a few that were great dogs, but by and large the breed is prone to unpredictable violent acts, especially against children.

        I will never understand dog fanatics who obsess over purebred status when it comes to their dogs, while at the same time denying that certain breeds exist and were bred for a specific purpose.

        • My understanding is that there isn’t really a pitbull “breed” per se. There are multiple dog breeds that get labeled as “pitbulls” due to their appearance. And no they are not all bred to fight or mean. They in fact are ideal dogs for children. The reason so many dog attacks are by “pitbulls” is because they force them to fight, which makes the dogs more aggressive.

        • Yep, first pit bull apologist spotted. What breed is your not-pitbull pitbull if it’s not a pitbull?

          From ye olde Wikipedia:

          “The Pit Bull Terrier was created by breeding Old English Terriers and Old English Bulldogs together to produce a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.[4] These dogs were bred in England, and arrived in the United States where they became the direct ancestors of the American Pitbull Terrier. In the United Kingdom, pit bulls were used in bloodsports such as bull baiting, bear baiting. These bloodsports were officially eliminated in 1835 as Britain began to introduce animal welfare laws. Since dogfights were cheaper to organise and far easier to conceal from the law than bull or bear baits, bloodsport proponents turned to pitting their dogs against each other instead. Dog fighting was used as both a bloodsport (often involving gambling) and a way to continue to test the quality of their stock. For decades afterwards, dog fighting clandestinely took place in small areas of Britain and America. In the early 20th century, pitbulls were used as catch dogs in America for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, and drive livestock, and as family companions.[4] Some have been selectively bred for their fighting prowess.”

          They are bred to fight and kill. It’s in their blood. It’s what the breed is meant to do.

          What would you get if you exclusively bred humans for several generations from nothing but bipolar murderers?

        • They are bred to fight and kill. It’s in their blood. It’s what the breed is meant to do.

          A lot of breeds were bred to kill. Terriers were bred to kill rats. Dachshunds to hunt badgers (part of me kind of wants to see that….).

          I’ve never had a Pit Bull, but the few that I know are some of the nicest, albeit most hyper active, dogs I’ve ever been around.

          I’m a Lab guy. Never personally had anything but. And I have NEVER seen a dog get so ornery as a Lab in old age….

          It really boils down to knowing the dog, knowing the breed, and knowing its requirements. Some breeds are a better fit for a given family type than others.

          Edit: I just read the last line…..

          What would you get if you exclusively bred humans for several generations from nothing but bipolar murderers?

          Liberal Democrats.

        • Yep, first pit bull apologist spotted. What breed is your not-pitbull pitbull if it’s not a pitbull?

          Also from Wikipedia:

          Pit bull is the common name for a type of dog. Formal breeds often considered in North America to be of the pit bull type include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The American Bulldog and the Bull Terrier (standard and miniature) are also sometimes included.

          From dogtime.com:

          The American Pit Bull Terrier is a companion and family dog breed. Originally bred to “bait” bulls, the breed evolved into all-around farm dogs, and later moved into the house to become “nanny dogs” because they were so gentle around children. Their tenacity, gameness, and courage make them popular competitors in the sports of weight pulling, agility, and obedience competition.

          The American Pit Bull Terrier is one of the so-called bully breeds often labeled a pit bull. In fact, “pit bull” isn’t a breed, but a term used to describe the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

          Some people say the American Pit Bull Terrier is the same as the American Staffordshire Terrier. Others, just as forcefully, say they’re entirely different breeds.

          But all experts can agree that the confusion started with a decision by the AKC in the early 1930s to give it a new name, American Staffordshire Terrier, to separate it from its pit-fighting past. The American Pit Bull Terrier has not been recognized by the AKC, while the American Staffordshire Terrier, which is slightly smaller, has been.

          The bull breeds are often grossly misunderstood. The qualities that make these dogs tenacious players in obedience and agility games also attract highly unscrupulous people looking for strong competitors for their dog fighting rings. The sorry result is that bull breeds, in particular the APBT, have gained a reputation over recent years for being dangerous.

          Nothing could be further from the truth. But rampant misinformation and fear caused by the actions of a minority of dogs kept by criminally negligent people have provoked legislation against the breed in a number of cities and countries around the world.

    • I have a pit however she knows I have firearms always in arms reach in the house and relies on ME to protect HER. She knows she is a family member, not a tool, and as such the few times there has been scares she has looked to me to clear the house.

      Again it is hard to get an animal as a tool and not care for it so when the time comes and there is a danger, you really wouldn’t want to put it in harm’s way. Shotgun beats any breed of dog and real bad guys know that.

      • I do, I have made it a habit of mine to pick up a few of my emptied cartridges after I go shooting. I dunno why I do it, but I do.

        • I got that habit after having to police up Army ranges enough times. It’s bad (read: compulsive) enough that I usually end up schlepping back far more brass than I created (even though I don’t reload…. yet), with half my time on the range spent doing so. And I still lose my mind when I see someone drop a cigarette butt on the ground, but at least I don’t have to pick them up anymore (yet I still do).

      • Yes I do, and then I reload it. But it doesn’t make my hand stinky. And unless I’m hunting I don’t shoot outside when there is snow on the ground.

  13. My dog will pee on a person. About it besides the barking. Maybe she’ll furiously hit them with her tail in excitement. Dogs can be placated as well. Imagine how well the security system works when they get “friended” via a steak or something. Besides that as said, I don’t want a dog with split personalities around my kid. I certainly have more of an understanding and control of my emotions than a canine. She does bark furiously at the Jehova’s Witnesses though, maybe she is actually smarter than I am.

  14. I, for one, don’t want my dog to do my fighting for me. Gomer’s job is to get my ass out of bed and let me know that something wacky is going on. It’s my job to clear the house.

    Gomer may be a 90lb Old English Bulldog, but he’s no match for a 250lb hood-rat.

  15. Our dogs serve as an early warning system. They are also big enough to give anyone second thoughts about unlawful entry.

    However, they are only the first line of defense.

    I would ask what Mr. Wofford’s plans are if his first and only line of defense is breached.

  16. I have 2 pitbulls, every once in a while i reward them with a ( Cynical ) clinical social worker when they are good.

  19. I have two dogs and many guns. Since when does a degree in Social Work qualify one as a security expert?

    • A degree in social work only qualifies you to never be able to pay back your student loans, or live on your own.

    • “Since when does a degree in Social Work qualify one as a security expert?”

      We should ask the young female Social Worker who was confident that all her clients were harmless … until one of them proved her wrong and killed her.

    • As a licensed social worker and gun owner I can tell you most social workers have a utopian point of view and don’t use reason in establishing how security actually works. It took me years to “get it.” I am now a staunch conservative, 2A supporter and responsible gun owner- and not looking back. Not many like me.

  20. Ah, Durham. The County with gun registration.

    I bet this guy fought tooth and nail when the registration requirement in Durham was repealed in ’14.

    I also bet he cried when the State grew its pre-emption balls.

  21. Mr. Puppy Lover is correct. Too many guns *are* available on a whim. To thugs, predators and terrorists. There is no “gun on a whim” for lawful gun owners.

    Lawful guns cost hundreds of dollars, and require process from checking in to ask; “Overlords, may I?” To months of run-around in a Kafka novel. Some even get killed while waiting for the non-whim process. (By, say a stalker, when a restraining order hasn’t worked. Why is he ok with these mostly women, and their dogs, getting killed while they wait?)

    People thinking about getting their first gun legally say exactly that: “I’m. Thinking about getting a gun.” No whim there.

    Mr. Puppy Lover might focus his attention on getting thugs, predators & terrorists to get a dog vs. a gun. That might be hard. Dogs are way more work … for them.

    For honest people gettong a gun is hard. He wants to make it harder, while they get killed in the meanwhile. Why does he hate them, and their dogs, so much?

  22. Ya know, to anyone who only has one or the other, BOTH a protective dog AND a gun for protection are the best way to go. I’m not sure how this became an “either/or” argument.

  23. Some breeds of dog work great as a warning and deterrent. With training some can chase away or subdue unwanted guests.

    However it’s the Alphas job to protect the pack. The owner is the Alpha. Don’t expect your dog to fight properly on your behalf.

    My dog barks and looks intimidating and that’s about all I expect or ask out of him.

    Unless you want to invest 3k in one of those Caucasian Ovacharkas. Holy shit.

  24. If anyone remembers the discovery show “It Takes a Thief”, where people allow for a former thief to show how vulnerable peoples houses were and how fast a break-in can happen, dogs were routinely worthless. Either friendly to the Thief “Jon” or distracted by a slice of cheese from the fridge.

    • +1 Goodness, yes. Most dogs, even “mean” dogs, will wag their tail at an intruder or cower under the bed. If it is genuinely mean dog, how can you trust it around yourself or your family?!?!?

  25. Liberal: “I know what’s best for you, so you don’t have to worry about anything, because I always know what’s right for you.

    Conservative: “Buy a dog or don’t buy a dog. Get security system or don’t. Get a gun or don’t get a gun. It’s your life – figure it out.”

    It must be a tiring and thankless job to always know what’s best for everyone else.

  26. 21 years of employment at a hospital and two times children use a unsecured gun. Oh the horror…two times too many. Yes the fault lay with the owners, should of, would of, could of…can not fix or legislate stupid…anti drum beat thumps removal of citizens rights. During twenty-one years, in the same area how many, murders, rapes and assaults occurred? How many DGU’s?

  27. Unless you have a schutz trained dog, which will cost you enough to buy a small arsenal, a dog’s behavior can be erratic. If the mood strikes them they can go at the intruder’s throat or “wake me up when it’s over.” A gun always does its job.

  28. Have had both guns and dogs all my adult life. Neither has ever failed me. They are similar – choose the right one and train with it. One goes bark, the other goes boom. Either way, two is better than one!

  31. I choose dogs and guns both. If the dog barks, I can have a gun ready if needed. Plus my dogs are still happy when I come home.

  32. I have heard this story over and over again. Unless a dog is highly trained, feral, or neurotic, that dog will become the best friend to whomever brings a pound of raw bacon to the house. At the very least, the dog is going to forget about the intruder, and scarf down the bacon. Yes, I know! Your Fido is different. But before you rely on Fido to save your life, give it a try. Find a friend that has never met your dog, and see what he can do with a juicy piece of bacon. Don’t get me wrong, though. Dogs are a great deterrence. Many criminals do not want to take a chance of getting bit or barked at, but something to think about: If a criminal is going to kill you, unless Fido starts packing heat, why would Fido concern him?

  33. I suggest having 3 things to secure your humble homes. First, would be a small yappy dog, Say a Shitz Zoo or a poodle. These dogs are good in starting the Second option. Second Option, have a much larger dog to help in protecting you humble home and Family, Big dog will help in 3 ways 1) warn bad guy to go away, 2) help in justify deadly force if bad guy gets by said dog, 3) maybe most important help is removing said bad guy (may require cleaning of extra large poopy pile in back yard, Third, whoop out you favorite home defense device and continue using said device until you hear a click or said bad guy quits threatening you (read as trying to get to you or family).

    That is security lesson 101

  36. Omer, that’s a good point about insurance. Insurance companies require you purchase an endorsement if you own a dog, at least for the several breeds designated as “dangerous.” They require likewise for owners of trampolines and swimming pools, because these items all carry greater risk of liability for injury claims. What about firearms? Well.

    Insurance companies will ask about firearms and will offer to sell you a rider. However, that’s voluntary and the coverage is for property loss, not injury liability. They just want to sell you as much coverage as you need for high value firearm collections, which can be lost to theft, destroyed in a fire or lost in a tragic boating incident. It’s the same as they offer for jewelry, art, furs or other high value items. There are no industry-wide mandates for gun liability coverage or so-called “safe storage” provisions.

    In fact, many homeowners insurance policies include a self-defense exception to the intentional acts exclusion! (Policies typically exclude coverage for intentional acts, and it’s illegal to sell overage for illegal acts.) In other places, courts have ruled that lawful self-defense is covered even if the policy had been silent on that point.

    The take-away is that for all the antis’ hyperventilating histrionics regarding the dangers of guns in the home, the fact is that world class, highly sophisticated risk management professionals in the insurance industry do not at all hold that same stance.

  37. Open response to Mr. Wofford:
    Having a dog as part of a comprehensive layered in-home protection is certainly a good idea.

    But have a dog is not incompatible with also having a firearm as part of a comprehensive layered in-home protection strategy. Unlike what you’re suggesting, having a gun and having a dog are not mutually exclusive options. Even you, as a bleeding heart anti-gun social worker should be able to realize that, I know from reading your full editorial that you just want to protect the poor simple folk, you know “women, children and older adults” from themselves. They just can’t seem to handle that gun rights freedom thing the Second Amendment insures and protects.

    Get and keep only a dog if you want. It’s your right. But please, to protect the keep “women, children and older adults” keep up the payments on your homeowners insurance policy. You’ll need the cash to pay off the lawsuit judgment when your little fifi bites the wrong someone. You do realize, don’t you, that having a dog in the house increases the risk of dog bite law suits.

    Your full editorial contains an implied suggestion of confiscation because, as you’ve written, there’s “no reason for civilians to own military-style, semi-automatic assault weapons”.

    My response to you Mr, gun grabbing bleeding heart clinical social worker Wofford is Molon Labe.
    SeniorGun Owner1950.
    FYI I also own a dog

  38. A dog is an obstacle (with an alert function). Same as concertina or mines (though they don’t quit if presented with a steak). You have to cover an obstacle with fires or it is not an obstacle.

  39. Dogs are a great addition to an overall security strategy. They should not be the only security strategy.

    First aspect: secure doors. Have a storm door that locks and a substantial security door. And ALWAYS lock them both. Getting past two security doors takes extra time and makes even more noise.

    Second aspect: have a dog for an early warning system. Depending on the particulars of any given situation, a dog can hear and/or smell a home invader before the invader even touches your home and alert you to their presence.

    Third aspect: have an electronic security system.

    Fourth aspect: have firearms in case a home invader bypasses (or goes through) all three previous aspects of your security strategy.

    • In the daytime my dogs do pretty decent at warning of any threat/terrorist. Like when the five year kid who lives across the street gets off the school bus in the afternoon.
      At night the dogs are lazy. But at least they’ve learned what door to run to depending upon which zone alert of the external alarm system sounds off. Darn those rabbits, skunks, cats and possums.

  41. Typical, rather than take responsibility for their safety, the anti-gunner feels more comfortable purchasing a living, feeling being, and when their safety is threatened using it as an expendable weapon, while dispossessing themselves of the means to ensure their “best friend” isn’t ventilated by the intruder.

  42. I know for a fact that lazy slob of a dog I own wouldn’t even get up off the couch if someone busted in and ransacked the joint.

  44. Dogs and guns. The 100lb German Shepard would wake me up and then buy me time to wake up the AR.
    Remember…Suppressors….for the puppies.

  45. The problem with owning a large dog for protection is that it has a mind of its own. According to Massad Ayoob, it’s on the same level as giving a firearm to a person with severely limited intelligence, someone who, in less politically correct times, would have been called a moron. For anyone who insisted on having a big dog, Ayoob recommended a Great Dane rather than a pit bull, Rottweiler, etc. When people see a Great Dane, they think of the cartoon dog, Marmaduke.

  47. Does he not realize that guns are held by people who do the distinguishing between bad guys and good guys?

    They aren’t even trying anymore.

  48. No one has ever shot at me. I HAVE been attacked and bitten by a dog. I don’t own a dog but would if I lived in a rural area. No I don’t put a dog on the same level as a gun. Or slow Joe Biden’s advice…

  49. A dog alerts you to a possible threat. It’s your job, as the HPIC(head primate in charge) to assess the threat, and react accordingly.

  51. Or…maybe…you could have a dog AND a gun.

    And speaking of the ability to tell friend from foe, that’s your job, not the gun’s job, or even the dog’s (they fail at that sometimes, too).

  52. I have a dog (three actually). One is a big scary looking pit bull. The reality is that she is the biggest lap dog who will do anything for anyone who comes in the door.

    Dogs are excellent alarms, but if someone is *so determined* that they get past the dogs, well that is why I own guns.

  53. My wife trains German Shepherds for protection work. What I’ve learned from her is that rather few dogs will actually stand and fight in the face of a determined aggressor.Those that will are not the kind of dog that someone who wets his pants over weapons is going to enjoy sharing living space with. They are large, high-energy, fearless, and above all they are very strong-willed. They’re not slavishly eager to please like a border collie or golden retriever. Mr.Wofford, I suspect, would quickly find out who the master was and it would not be him.

  55. In the case of an enraged spouse what will the dog do? I’ve had a few digs that would ” save me if I was sparring with friends” but if we believe the antis numbers that it’s most likely a spouse that’s going to kill you id take an m9 over the k9 ( had to)0

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