Self Protection and Property Rights

Over the years I have attended at least half a dozen different crime prevention lectures which informed me that one of the best ways to prevent being burglarized or robbed is to have a dog, preferably a 'barky' one. Not being the kind of person inclined to do things halfway, I have three dogs. One is a 6# Maltese and basically just a pure pet, but the other two are pit bull crosses. Neither one has ever actually bitten anyone, but they do put on a very impressive show when someone enters "their territory."

About a year ago, my husband's (ex-)boss got into a really messy divorce and some legal troubles. For reasons we never quite understood, a county sheriff came out to our house to interrogate my husband regarding the whereabouts of said boss and his business practices. The younger of my 2 pits was outside in the front yard, surrounded by a chain link fence. During the course of the conversation, the dog was barking at the sheriff and lunging at the fence. The sheriff actually drew his weapon and threatened to shoot our dog if he didn't "get under control." My husband excused himself long enough to put the dog inside the house and eventually the sheriff left, but ... what the holy heck? My dog is securely inside my yard on my property, doing what he's supposed to do (bark at strangers) and a cop threatens to shoot him?

I view this as a representative incident of a much larger problem. When did the laws get so twisted that we as citizens have apparently lost all right to protect ourselves? Some cities and counties have already passed legislation to ban certain types of 'aggressive' dogs, and many insurance companies won't insure your house if you have a pit, shepherd, wolf hybrid, doberman, or rottie.

Having a weapon handy to the front door seems to be "reasonable cause" for homeowners to be viewed with extreme suspicion and, in some cases I have heard of, even handcuffed and treated like a criminal just because they have a crime deterrent located close to where one would logically expect to need to need it, much like keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen because that's where you're most likely to have a fire.

I personally prefer to have a police force and a judicial system in place for dealing with criminals and crimes which have already occurred. Vigilante justice isn't my preferred cup of tea. However, I would much prefer to be responsible for crime prevention, at least for crimes that might be perpetrated against my person or my property, myself. The cops can't be everywhere at once, and where I live they don't get to me very fast.

So, when and how did the system get so turned around that someone who sneaks onto my property in the middle of the night, ignoring No Trespassing and Beware of Dog signs, can sue me for being bitten by my dog and win? Where and why did I lose the right to protect myself as I see fit?

Very few people have any legitimate reason to come onto my property. The electric meter is read remotely by a computer at the co-op, I have a propane tank instead of gas service, and my water is provided by a well. My mailbox is on the road, a good 500 ft or more from my house. No one, except law enforcement who has been called or has some kind of report to respond to, has any valid reason to be on my property, day or night.

And yet, any person who is injured on my property, whether it's because they fell in a hole, ran afoul of my dogs or geese, or got shot by me, can sue me and has a reasonable chance of winning. How is this possible? How can they have a right to be on my personal property for no good reason that overrides my right to defend my property and my person?

If someone breaks into my house in the middle of the night and I kill them, I may face criminal charges, or a lawsuit by their family. Say what? How is there any possible motive for someone to break into my house at night, while I'm sleeping, that isn't criminal? Am I supposed to get up and politely ask the intruder to wait while I call the police? Am I supposed to try to hide from the intruder or pretend that I didn't wake up and hope they only want to rob me and not harm, kill, or rape me?

This whole situation is so obviously wrong to me that I just can't make sense of how or why it can be this way, and why we all put up with it. What reason can law enforcement and the legal system have to render us all incapable of protecting ourselves in any meaningful way?

Sure, I can have some alarm system monitored 24/7 by people who punch a button and ask "Do you need help?" when the alarm goes off, but I have to pay for the privilege and it's useless if the electricity goes off or if law enforcement chooses not to respond to the alarm. But I am not supposed to have anything that could really protect me, such as a decent guard dog or a weapon handy.

I have to wonder if this could possibly be part of a conspiracy to render us all defenseless in preparation for something that "they" plan to do in the future. What other good explanation is there for the disappearance of the common sense and simply logical belief that my right to protect myself and my property overrides the right of people to be "safe" while trespassing on my property or breaking into my house?

Forget common sense or the Constitution. What the police say is the law. Obey, is all you have to know. And yes, that is by design.