We've been in our bungalow for a little over 5 years and during this time we have despaired over the number of battery doorbells we've had pack up on us.
So, we decided to bite the bullet and put a wired doorbell in so there's no "interruption" between the bell push and the ringer thing you have indoors. (I don't know the proper name for that bit - sorry!).
Internet research duly started. We were amazed when reading reviews at the amount of bells that "although it dinged, it didn't dong" and "the bell didn't go dong".
Personally I prefer a more melodic doorbell but we now have one that - hopefully will "ding" as well as "dong"!

Any of you got one of those bells where it sounds like you have a ferocious dog indoors?
GraceB
Comments
My parents had a very old doorbell (I guess it was wired in) but the button would stick so you only got the first bit - a little later on it would free itself and you would hear the other, would dutifully trot to the door thinking someone was there and they weren't! Go to the shops and try some - it's fun! DD
Barbara
Our beautiful Golden Retriever rarely barked when the doorbell rang - he would have been a hopeless guard dog.
The meter reader was rather surprised when my OH opened the door to him and expressed his pleasure the doorbell worked! It was then explained to said meter reader the difficulties we'd had with doorbells and the fact at least we'd now know when someone actually comes to the door.
The dog barking option on our old one was reasonably realistic but as our cat wouldn't have liked it, we were never able to use that choice.
GraceB