Can a small dog offer home protection?

i am going to give you a big fat no on that one ... i was broken into and i have a 14 pound jack russell and my roommate had a 60 pound mutt ... the robbers hacked off our front doorknob with an axe (this is in an apartment building) and both our dogs barked so much that four tenants called management to complain including the fools directly across the hall from us (even though we have lived there for years with no barking at all) ... my friends dog is a giant wimp and probably hid, he was not hurt ... my dogs front teeth were kicked out but she got a bite in because there was denim between a few teeth ... our front door also had a sign that said "beware of dogs, enter at own risk" ... i would count on an actual alarm and not a dog ...