On reading "crated pit bulls, I thought it was a type of pit bull. From your reply I infer that they were caged and am wondering why have pit bulls in a cage.
On reflection, they would sound a warning but a burglar alarm would too and you wouldn't have to feed it.
Our Border Collie sleeps in his cage at night. He is one busy guy and I don’t trust him to be quiet or to stay out of mischief. But then ... he’s crated, kind of no earthly good if anything should happen. hmmm.
Maybe the owners fear their pit bulls and don't trust them while they're sleeping. I have a two year old chocolate lab who has her own beds on each side of our bed. That way she can sleep next to whoever is home or whoever she feels closest to each night.
Now, what he needs is a remote for the cage doors. He hears something downstairs, hits the remote to open the cage door for the pit bulls, then the robbers have the option of being shot by him, or torn open by the dogs. Much easier for the cops to locate the perps when there is a blood trail to follow.