My dog is a black lab, so he will give the burglar a friendly greeting and show him where all the valuables are.
I keep fairly bright night lights on all over the house, since I have two little kids. No real "pitch dark" to deal with, so target i.d. conditions are greatly enhanced for me.
If the noise is on the second floor, where the family sleeps, I'm going hunting armed.
If the noise is on the first floor, I will silently wait, armed, at the top of the stairs to see if I hear it again. If I believe it to be an intruder, I'll call 911.
Once, some years back when I was single, I ended up going mano y mano with a thief. It didn't help matters that he broke in while I was showering and the whole altercation took place with me wet and naked. One of the many things I learned from the experience is that a gun is only useful if you have it in your hand.
I keep fairly bright night lights on all over the house, since I have two little kids. No real "pitch dark" to deal with, so target i.d. conditions are greatly enhanced for me.
If the noise is on the second floor, where the family sleeps, I'm going hunting armed.
If the noise is on the first floor, I will silently wait, armed, at the top of the stairs to see if I hear it again. If I believe it to be an intruder, I'll call 911.
Once, some years back when I was single, I ended up going mano y mano with a thief. It didn't help matters that he broke in while I was showering and the whole altercation took place with me wet and naked. One of the many things I learned from the experience is that a gun is only useful if you have it in your hand.