One side is that the "get a dog for protection" trope is deeply embroiled in rape culture and no one should ever get a dog only for that.
BUT dogs are good security in the sense that they alert to things and they can provide additional information about your surroundings. For instance, I know my shepherd mix can hear substance to sounds that I might let my imagination run wild on, so when I'm hearing a sound and I'm worried but she's not, it's a good cue to me that I might be overreacting. However, that's not good security so much as me being aware of how my dog perceives things and being aware of my surroundings, which everyone should do whether they have a dog or not. They do sometimes provide incidental information and yes, I do feel safer with her around (esp, again, when you consider that she's a German Shepherd mix and they've been used as working dogs, service animals, and guard dogs for a long ass time). - But I also first and foremost see it as my responsibility to protect my dogs and keep them safe, not the other way around. There are certain levels on which it's a partnership and being aware of their reactions to things is part of that.
Or like my friend who has a sheep farm - yes, she got a livestock guard dog for security purposes, and that dog is fantastic security for her flock. He's this big old white dog who scares away cougars and coyotes, and she hasn't lost a sheep to a predator since she got him. This also applies to the fact that the police and military have used dogs for various security-related purposes for hundreds of years. There are legitimate, official traditions of using dogs for security purposes.
So some dogs do have their benefits re: security, but unless you have a farm it shouldn't be someone's only reason.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
One side is that the "get a dog for protection" trope is deeply embroiled in rape culture and no one should ever get a dog only for that.
BUT dogs are good security in the sense that they alert to things and they can provide additional information about your surroundings. For instance, I know my shepherd mix can hear substance to sounds that I might let my imagination run wild on, so when I'm hearing a sound and I'm worried but she's not, it's a good cue to me that I might be overreacting. However, that's not good security so much as me being aware of how my dog perceives things and being aware of my surroundings, which everyone should do whether they have a dog or not. They do sometimes provide incidental information and yes, I do feel safer with her around (esp, again, when you consider that she's a German Shepherd mix and they've been used as working dogs, service animals, and guard dogs for a long ass time). - But I also first and foremost see it as my responsibility to protect my dogs and keep them safe, not the other way around. There are certain levels on which it's a partnership and being aware of their reactions to things is part of that.
Or like my friend who has a sheep farm - yes, she got a livestock guard dog for security purposes, and that dog is fantastic security for her flock. He's this big old white dog who scares away cougars and coyotes, and she hasn't lost a sheep to a predator since she got him. This also applies to the fact that the police and military have used dogs for various security-related purposes for hundreds of years. There are legitimate, official traditions of using dogs for security purposes.
So some dogs do have their benefits re: security, but unless you have a farm it shouldn't be someone's only reason.