I was a single father raising my son on my own for 10 years until I met my wife 4 years ago. When it was just my son and I while living in Boulder, yeah Boulder, my dog woke me up barking a storm at the window. We lived in a split-level home (really bad design as far as safety is concerned) my bedroom window is at ground level, it's summer, and it's wide open all but a bug screen. I sit up and hush my dog for a moment and listen. She, R.I.P, was a well trained pit bull-lab mix and immediately obeyed my command. I could hear the chain fence that separates my house from my neighbor jingling like somethings on it or climbing over it. It's very early in the morning and the sun has not come up yet but I can make out a silhouette of a man just coming over my side of the fence into my back yard. I unlock my glock and use the cement side of my house as cover and yell to him to stop. I'm in no immediate danger so I'm pointed in a safe direction. My son is sound asleep in bedroom behind me so I'm between danger and my son. I let him know he is not welcome and that he should turn and leave. He replies in a very drunken voice that this is his house and that he's coming in. At that moment I dial 911. I tell the operator what's happening, give a general description of him, she asks me if he has a weapon. I must have been repeating her questions out loud because Mr. Badguy says "Well maybe I have a gun!" Well that's when I put more distance between us and took a defensive position at the doorway of my bedroom where I could cover the window. The 911 operator heard him and I could hear her typing frantically all the while telling me officers were on the way. I then went to the hall closet and unlocked my Winchester Defender 12ga. It was loaded with 00 Federal buck shot. No round in the chamber 7 in the tube. It seemed like minutes went by as Mr. Badguy worked himself up into a lather of anger. I kept yelling at him to leave that the police were on the way. By now I can see that he's is within kicking distance of my window. My dog, man she was smart, has now positioned herself behind me in my son's doorway. I can hear him yell that he's coming in, I drop the cell phone, I can see his leg go back like he's about to kick in my window. I've already come to terms with the fact that I may have to shoot this guy but I still can't be sure if he has a weapon or not but I am prepared to defend my son. I say to myself that if he comes into my home I will shoot. I'm about to chamber a round and at that very moment I heard POLICE LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS.....LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS NOW!!! I listen as he gets combative with the officers but since there were 3 of them they had him on the ground in cuffs in a matter of seconds. I lock everything up, my son is still sound asleep, if you can believe it, sound asleep I tell you. I wait for one of the officers to come knock. We speak for a few minutes, I never bring up the fact that I was more than prepared to defend my home, and they leave. I'll be happy if I never go through anything similar ever again.