[Smarty Bones]

I need a guard dog. I live in the safest part of a dangerous city. I'd rather not give more specs about the area b/c I'm terrified and getting paranoid. In the last year, someone was mugged and shot right on my street in the daylight, my downstairs neighbor had his apt broken into while he was there, another neighbor's car was stolen, and there are petty crimes too. I do my best not to walk any place alone and have some sense of security living on an upper floor. In about 6 months I'll be in a position to move to a different city, but I'm scared to buy a house in any area now b/c it's easy for anyone to break into a first floor window or door. I do have an alarm system, but it doesn't do much good b/c it took the police 40 minutes to get here when 911 was told the first floor intruder was still in my building.

I saw a story on CNN today about a woman whose German Shepard attacked a man who was in the process of raping her in her own home (with her infant son in the same room). I have no doubt she and her baby would have been attacked further and likely killed if not for the dog.

Thus, I want a guard dog. He will have a yard, but will sleep inside. I will go to whatever training necessary to keep and train him. I will never leave him unsupervised with any smaller dog. I'm obviously writing this in a mindset of being terrified in my apt every night for the last 3 years, worsening in the past year. I will certainly do my homework before taking any steps to getting a guard dog.

Please, I just wanted to share and ask if any of you have experience owning larger "guard" dogs. what breeds are the best in terms of guarding? (In terms of just "watching" I think yorkies are great b/c they bark at intruders, but I want a deterrent "guard" dog too). Thanks so much!