Keeping your home safe during the holidays

[Javamama]

I was just saying on Lori's journal that there have been 2 daytime burglaries within a mile of me in the last couple weeks. (2 that I have heard about from sources close to the scene - who knows how many there have actually been :/ )
I just want to cover my bases, so what all should we do when we have to leave the house? Any clever tips you guys use? I already leave the dog loose, turn on lights. Our neighbors are not home during the day usually. I'm the block watch - and if I'm gone, nobody sees anything.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

oh hey baby! i was just about to come over to your place to say hi... but the dog chased me off and the lights blinded me
;-)

i think you have it better b/c you are home during the day. if you really want to do it up - get geese (like i told AL). your neighbors will hate you but the geese see and hear everything.

did you hear about the recent news stories where families are having their presents stolen? yikes!

 

[Javamama]

you quack me up!

Yeah - those stories are freakin me out man! I guess I could finally join the NRA and leave some shell casings by the front door? Geese are not happening, no matter how enabling you are

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

oh yeah?!?! i could drop some by today... we got extra geese you know!

ha!

i think if you are really concerned you could get an alarm system - especially for your town folks.

we are a good 20 mins from a 911 response so if the gate, geese, and dogs dont get 'em.. well.. um.. then we got the fire power inside if you know what i mean.

but i prefer dogs and gates.. i can call the dogs back.
;-


btw... little Kai has figured out she has a woofer and is starting to bark at unknown things. she is adorable.

 

[ksalvagno]

You do seem to have it covered. The only other thing I can think of is to buy those inexpensive alarms that you put on windows/doors.

 

[framing fowl]

Are you talking about for short periods of time like if you leave to go grocery shopping during the day or are you talking about if you leave for a couple of days for Christmas vacation?

If it's for a couple of days, you might want to get a neighbor to shovel your walk, drive the car in and out of the driveway so there's tracks in the snow, dust of the mailbox and grab the newspaper, etc.

If it's just for a couple of hours, I've always thought it would be fun to booby trap our place but then I couldn't figure out anything good to do and even if I did, I'd probably forget and I'd get myself when I got back home...

 

[Javamama]

FF, I had the same thoughts - booby traps like on Home Alone. But I would end up trapping myself.
Those alarm thingies sound like a good idea - I'll pick some up today. Then probably give myself a heart attack when I forget about them
I meant short trips - like for a few minutes to half a day. These recent burglaries have been during the day when people leave for a short time - so the perps are watching places. I'm just hoping a big black dog is enough of a deterrent. I'm a little paranoid right now.

 

[framing fowl]

Man, I'd be tempted to try and set the little buggers up... do you have any friends on the pd that could help you set up a sting? Get them to try and rob you so they could be caught?

 

[Wifezilla]

Locked doors and windows, closed gates, dogs, a radio playing a talk show so all you hear outside is muted voices, a game cam, alarms.....

But yeah...A goose would be totally cool! It worked for my Uncle. NOTHING got by that ill-tempered thing

 

[Rebbetzin]

My husband jokes, "We don't need street lights in our neighborhood... the helicopters provide plenty of light at night."

We have so much robbery in our neighborhood it is not even funny!

Cars parked in front of houses get the windows smashed in and such. One neighbor has been robbed three times in the past year!

We have a big dog, an alarm system, we try to have at least one vehicle in the driveway.

I would love to live somewhere else! Being close to the Mexican border is not a good place to be!!

But that is a whole other story!