In a fight, if the enemy gets that gun or knife, he can use it against you.
You cannot do this with a dog.
Get a GSD or Dobe, that still has FIRE.
The dog is the ultimate weapon. Most do not realize this. Yes, he can be shot dead in his tracks or stabbed. However, a well trained dog. IMO is the best protection.
Unlike a gun or a knife. The dog can pick up on the intentions of that stranger. As the adraline rises, he can sense the fear in your enemy. Guns & knives lack the ability to read the enemy.
You can teach your wife and kid to use a gun. There is a chance that they, or even you in the time of need, may freeze up, or fail to react properly. The dog does not remain on safety, just because you froze up. You can walk up and take a gun out of a terrified individual's hands. But you cannot do so with a dog.
The dog is truly the most amazing creature and weapon. They can reason, think, and react. They can sense what happens, before what happens, happens.
The fact is, is that until worse comes to worse, it always takes for the worst case scenerio to happen before he is called in.
He saved many lives during WW1 & 2, and Vietnam, and still today. In LE, Military, and the civilian world.
Lets not just pass him over without consideration.