OK, heres a scenario that happened to my wife at our home while I was at work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
She's inside the house in the home office. Our Rhodesian Ridgeback is with her. She hears some rattling outside the front door and the dog alerts and starts growling. She goes to the front door to look out and see what's going on. She see's a Mexican male with a flat of strawberries in his hand facing the side door of the garage. She thinks he's trying to break into the garage and his using his flat of strawberries as a cover for an excuse to be in our yard. She opens the door and tells him to get lost and closes the door. He gets lost. She gives it some time and goes to check the garage door. She rattles the handle and it makes the same sound that alerted her and the dog.
So, a very nice cop came by today with some very good advice on how to harden the home and what to do to react to the situation should it occur again. He advises her to confront someone to let them know that we know they are there. Not sure I like that. I'd rather she call 911 and report it and not confront the guy, and take a safe position in the house until the guy is either gone or the cops arrive.
So, what do you think her best defense would be in this situation. Obviously what occured is a no shoot situation. She has Inferno spray, the shotgun in the bedroom, and her .357 mag if it escalates. Not to mention a protective 100lb male ridgeback.