Dealing with Solicitation

[Barracuda]

See, here is an idea. Get a pentagram shirt--better yet, a long black robe with a cowl and a pentagram on it. When you see Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormon missionaries coming, throw it on and smear in some ketchup (put some on your hands as well). Then, snatch the door open and before they can get a word out say, "HAVE YOU COME TO WITNESS THE NEXT SACRIFICE?" and start laughing maniacally. You could also have a ketchup smeared hatchet lying against the wall in plain view. I doubt they would ever come back....

[Zaiida]

Have a big dog who absolutely hates strangers at the door.

That doesn't always work. I have a big very friendly, very noisy staffy who goes bonkers when anyone knocks on the door and I get a lot of deliveries. It's gotten to the point where she tries to lick the parcel guy to death through the screen door and he's going 'whose a silly girl' . She's harmless just really big and goofy and her bark is a lot worse than her bite but apparently not her front paws which are known as 'nut knockers' so she does need to be watched.

Nearly had an incident a few weeks ago when the Council was fruit fly spraying everyone's properties. They have to have access to your whole yard, front and back to spray fruit trees. I have to wonder about the balls on the guy that ignored the huge 1ft by 1ft 'Beware of dog, she'll WILL get you in the nuts' sign to my backyard on the gate. He entered, started spraying then yelled 'HELLO', waking the dog up who charged barking through the house and out the backyard to get to him so she could lick him to death. If he'd kept quiet she would have slept through the whole thing.

I ran out the front door just in time to catch my dog from charging out the carport and all I could see of the guy was his butt as he vanished down the driveway . They knock on the door now to tell me they are going to spray and they love my dog who is on a lead so I can introduce them. Haven't had a problem since.

I just say to most door to door people 'Thanks but I'm not interested goodbye' and walk off. Same with phone solicitations. That usually works. If your not at the door they can't talk to you. Just disengage. Leave, hang up the phone, just go.