Remind your parents what good security a dog like a Doberman is. My boyfriend used to raise Dobermans from European lines several years back. The vet always recommended his dogs to people who wanted a good, stable Doberman that had the old fashioned Doberman (read fearless) disposition. One of the people who bought one was a man whose daughter was going to the DC area for an internship. He was worried about her being there and wanted to make every reasonable effort to see that she was as safe as possible. Well, she came home to her apartment one evening and the front door was ajar, so she went next door and had a neighbor call the police. When they got there, they heard entered and heard sobbing coming from the bathroom. There was a man cornered, crouched on the toilet tank, crying and blubbering and watching her Doberman, who was sitting there quietly staring at him. There was a lot of blood, and further inspection revealed his gun in the corner. He had blood all over his hands. The dog had disarmed him and taken off two fingers in the process. The intruder was wanted for several violent rape/assault/robberies in the area.
The dog's behavior was a pleasant surprise for everyone, as she had been the smallest of the litter and normally had a very sweet, charming disposition. They know when someone's up to no good!
Good luck. I know I speak for everyone when I say I hope you get the dog of your dreams very, very soon. By the way, if you haven't already found them, there are some Dobie owners here who have some adorable photos of their dogs posted.