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Sorry to hear about your dog, cjlandry. Since my wife and I have no children, our "puppies" are our kids and know very well how attached they can become. Our oldest at the moment, Peaches (the yapper) does the same thing (barks while backing up... usually to between our legs if she can manage it... real terror, that one!). I, too, am quite partial to Australian Shepards. I haven't really seen one yet that didn't (or wouldn't) make a great cattle dog.

Rifle, CO looks like beautiful country (at least on the Google satellite map). It's been eons since I've been in Colorado. I used to do a lot of backpacking and rock climbing around Steamboat and the Estes Park areas when I was a kid, and did a year of college in Denver, but have never made it back since (unfortunately). Have a safe trip!

Thanks for the info on the security web cams KBCraig. I hadn't really looked into them before, and had just "heard" about them somewhere. I've got a few fake plastic security cameras that I could Velcro to a wall, but Kathy thought it might not be a good idea at the moment since we suspect the neighbors next to us might be drug dealers, and the faux-cams are made to be noticed (and since they're not real, would hate to be "retaliated against" with no proof or evidence of any retaliation!). I purchased them for one of my district's stores in the past that was having loss issues... turned out to be an employee. :-/

Our "kid" also thanks you for the complements! We were thinking Chloe was part Corgi, too, but when the vet said "No, definitely a BC/Beagle mix" we thought he would know better than us (being a vet and all). My sister-in-law also said Chloe looked to be a Corgi mix (Pembroke I think she even said... she breeds/trains Golden Retrievers for show), but we had never considered a JRT. Thanks! As you mentioned, with the head and ears, we certainly didn't put BC/Beagle together either (not being that educated in various dog breeds), but with the tri-color and the fact that she's out-run every other dog she's met (extremely fast, quick, and can literally turn on a dime) we thought it plausible so left it at that. We'll be looking into the JRT particulars with more attention now!

Tilly is the Labradoodle, and we were wondering where she got such a deep, and almost flat (width-wise), chest. Now that I've seen a picture of Oliver, I know exactly which "side" of the tree that trait came from!

BTW, I'm glad you liked the "story" about Chloe... I almost didn't link it, as I've neglected to keep it updated this past year, right along with my main site. There were just so many things going on with the company I'm with (alliances and now a merger), moving out of an apartment into a rental house, or family issues that there just wasn't enough room even on the back burner. At least now it's back on the back burner so hopefully (if I can break away from TexasCHLforum long enough ) I'll get to those needed updates eventually.

KBCraig wrote:Back to the original poster's question, which I hijacked: the best cheap alarm and intrusion deterrent can be had from your local humane society. Our triple-redundant "system" was no doubt raising all sorts of ruckus when my fridge got raided, but we weren't there to respond to the alarm.

No you didn't (hijack) KBCraig! Any good ideas are great to hear about, and your family (even the dressed ones ) look like winners! Our best (though far from cheapest) alarm system is this trio of girls:



From left to right we have a 13 yr. old yapper (a Shi-Tzu/Cocker/Poodle mix), a 1.5 yr. old "I haven't decided what I want to be yet" Labradoodle we inherited in January when dad passed away, and the most lovable-once-you-know-me Border Collie/Beagle mix that was abandoned, hungry and wormy, but found us outside Ranger one cold and rainy February afternoon on our way back from Abilene a year and a few months ago (we suspect she's a little over 2 yrs. old now). She's actually the one that people are the most fearful of, but in reality has the sweetest disposition of them all (if you're not a stranger).

BTW, if you have a wireless home network I have seen tiny wireless security cameras that are activated by motion to record the video captured to your PC's hard drive. They're not too expensive, and we've thought seriously of doing that when we found someone tried to break into our old Honda parked outside the garage a month or so back. They didn't get in... just jammed up the lock real good with a screwdriver.

A co-worker forwarded me a tip for home safety that I (and the one sending it to me) hadn't ever considered before, and thought I would mention it here in case anyone else thought it a good idea, too.

Here's a good tip from a "neighborhood watch coordinator." I think it's an excellent idea. Never thought of it before now, but will make it a nightly habit.

Keep your car keys next to your bed on the night stand. When someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house, just press the panic alarm on your key to set off the car alarm. It will go off from most anywhere inside your house and keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key chain.

A lot of burglars will cut your telephone line before breaking in, so this is a real good idea for those without a cell phone.

I leave my car keys on a table in the living room. After reading this I think they've found a new spot for them to stay now.