It's quite rusty now but its actually a cowbell which my parents got from Holland a really long time ago. It used to sit on our shelf as a decoration until the renovation when it was moved to the gate. It's surprisingly loud and distinctively clangy. Sometimes people don't realise its the doorbell but for those who do, its very effective - especially when its comes with this.
You see, the bell activates the dog regardless of where in the house he is, and the dog's incessant barking (which can raise the dead) will shake anyone out of bed. Here's a sample:
It's actually a very user-friendly, energy-saving system (for us, not the dog). Just bang on the bell once and the dog will keep it up until the door is answered.
The bonus feature is really the personalised service. The dog will dash to where the maid is and bark, calling to her to the door. Unfortunately, yesterday Lisa (our new helper) didn't understand what Danny was trying to do. She was resting in her room and hadn't heard the bell. Danny went into her room, looked at her and started barking. She just stared back. And my 73-year-old mum was left stranded outside the house with bags of groceries.
Still despite the odd set-back, the Danny Bell is working very well. We used to have the conventional doorbell but it would short out during downpours. The Danny Bell, on the other hand, works in all weather, rain or shine - all for the price of a bag of treats and some dog food.
After a hard day's work...
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