We have indoor cats and outdoor dogs. The cats sometimes catch bugs, but primarily have always been pets. The dogs are pets, but they're working dogs also, in that they are here for protection. Now some would say that you should have the dogs inside to bark if someone comes to the door, but that doesn't work here because the dogs don't get along nicely with the cats, who are much older and set in their ways. And a dog barking inside the house will only alert the burglar, not the rest of the neighborhood. The barking dog outside lets EVERYONE know, in no uncertain terms, if someone is approaching the house. They can't see the entire house, but the house fronts on a busy enough street that hopefully traffic will deter a front entry, along with the wrought-iron security door and the wrought iron window grates. Oh, and by the way, we have a smallish but well-placed sign in the from yard that says "Dog contained by Invisible Fence." Meaning the dogs might just appear out of no where in the front yard or the back.