Family Dog vs a Monitored House Alarm
Up front cost
It has been brought to our attention on Facebook that many people believe that owning a dog is a better deterrent for burglars and it’s also more cost effective. Here at HomeSecure we did the maths.
Firstly, let’s look at the up-front cost. The person immediately above believes that having a dog doesn’t cost anything, however one member of our team recently paid €800 for his dog. You can of course get a dog at the rescue centre and it won’t cost as much, but in general a dog will normally set you back at least a couple hundred euro.
The up-front fee to purchase a house alarm system with HomeSecure currently costs just €99. With this you get our advanced alarm panel, seven sensors to protect the perimeter and interior of your home, an intruder deterrent box and a house alarm app for your smartphone. You also get stickers for your window saying that your home is protected by a monitored alarm.
More money in your back pocket, round one to Mr. Alarm.
Winner: House Alarm
On-going costs
The dog will need to of course eat and the Irish Independent revealed last year that the dog will set you back on average €2,500 a year.
At HomeSecure you can get your home fully monitored, 24 hours a day from our partners Chubb Ireland. Our monitoring station will notify the Gardaí of a break-in in progress if someone does try to enter your home and you get a handy mobile app as standard to arm and disarm your alarm on the go. All this only costs €419.40 a year, over €2,000 less than the dog.
Repairs
Over your dog’s lifetime, it’s likely that your dog will need to visit the vet at least a few times. If surgery is ever required, any dog owner will tell you that it costs a pretty penny to have any procedure performed in the vets.
At HomeSecure you’re covered for full services on your alarm panel and sensors throughout your contact period with your monthly monitoring and maintenance fee.
Winner: House Alarm
Deterrent
Burglars rarely just walk down the road and decide to break-into a house at random. They often watch your house, learn your comings and goings before entering. When scoping out your home and they come across a large barking dog, it can certainly act as a deterrent, they want as easy quiet in-and-out job; so, a dog will deter intruders.
We know from our research that our customers’ homes are 8.5 times safer than the national average. The reason for this is burglars are aware that monitored alarm provide a Garda response and they want their job to be as hassle-free as possible. At HomeSecure, our intruder deterrent box says “monitored alarm” which will make any burglar think twice about entering your home.
Although we don’t have stats on how much of a deterrent a large dog will be for a burglar, we think both dogs and house alarms, especially clearly stated monitored alarms will deter thieves.
Winner: Draw
In Case of an Emergency
We concluded above that both dogs and monitored alarm are strong deterrents and they’ll decrease the likelihood of being broken into. However, if someone does gain access to your home, which one is better in the event of an emergency?
With HomeSecure, if your alarm code isn’t deactivated within 30 seconds, our monitoring station will contact you to make sure everything is okay. If they can’t get through to you, they’ll contact your other nominated keyholders. If a break-in has been confirmed, our monitoring station will dispatch the nearest mobile Garda unit.
Our alarm KeyPad comes with emergency buttons, which can be used to contact the Gardaí, fire brigade or and ambulance. These can be used in any emergency, not just break-ins, if you can’t reach your phone and need emergency services the panel will save you!
So, what about the dog? If an intruder does gain access to your home and the dog is in doors, its barking could certainly make the burglar feel un-easy. However, if it is out in the back garden it can’t really help.
Also, if you do need to contact the emergency services, the dog will more than likely struggle to work a phone.
Winner: House Alarm
Going on Holiday?
We all like to get away throughout the year when we can. If you’re going abroad, it’s unlikely your furry companion will be joining you. If you have to put your dog in the kennels for the week, it could cost around €200.
With HomeSecure, you can save that extra few hundred for drinks on the beach and while you’re there you can even use your smartphone app to make sure you set the alarm before you go. Even if you did forget, you can arm if from the comfort of your deckchair!
Winner: House Alarm
Companionship
Dogs are known are ‘man’s best friend’ and they can keep you company outside of the house as well as inside the house.
Our latest alarm system doesn’t play fetch, want to go for walks with you or rollover. It does give a friendly beep when you change the status of the alarm, but win this round Mutly!
Winner: Dog
The Result
The alarm system won in four categories whereas the dog only won one.
Although the dog does offer more companionship and they can deter intruders, the only true way to secure your home is to install a monitored alarm. With Garda notifications and the fact you’re statistically safer in a monitored home, there really is no comparison. At HomeSecure, we have an offer for first time alarm customers our Home Security pack, which protects both the inside and perimeter of your home.
Overall Winner: Monitored House Alarm.
If you have a dog, our alarm also comes with pet friendly sensors, so you can have the best of both worlds, enjoy the companionship and give your home the ultimate protection. Our latest system come with three sensitively levels your sensor can be programmed to ignore pets up to 50cm high and 20kg in weight.
Do you want to know more about HomeSecure’s home alarm system? Please call 1800911740 and our new customer team will be happy to answer any question you may have.