A free home security system you probably already have...

[peeplj]

It occurs to me that it's one thing to irritate a dog into submission with an electronic gizmo when he's on the inside of the fence and you're on the outside.

It's something else entirely to irritate the dog with the gizmo and then walk inside the fence.

Hmmm...irritated, agitated dog = a. Person holding a gadget that makes the awful noise now invading irritated, agitated dog's territory = b.

a + b = G.

"G" stands for "ground," as in "ground meat," or even, "dig his grave and put what's left of him in the ground."

"G" could also stand for "genitals," which is probably the first thing said dog will attack and try to chew off.

Sounds like a good way to qualify for a Darwin Award, to me.

--James

[flanum]

Start keeping your car keys next to your bed on the night stand when you go to bed at night.
If you think someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house, press the panic alarm on your car key chain. Test it! .

Over here, pepole are advised to leave the keys as close to the door as possible, as it is not nice to wake up with a sawn off shotgun sticking into your face while some scumbag demands your keys!!
Besides, car alarms go off in dublin 24-7, nobody bats an eyelid!


Now i wonder would it be illegal to place a small (say 10 inch by 10 inch) piece of wood with lots of highly sharpened nails/craft blades sticking out of it, onto your drivers seat and lightly cover it over with a light car-seat cover??? wouldnt you just love to see a scumbag losing a quart of blood while screaming in agony hobbling down the street away from your car?

[susnfx]

I think this is a great idea. My daughter has just bought a home in a sort of run-down, trying-to-make-a-comeback neighborhood. They can't afford to have any type of security system installed yet. Her boyfriend works very late hours and she'll be home alone frequently. They're putting in good deadbolts and lots of lights outside. She does have a dog who's a pretty good barker but a complete coward if someone actually gets into the house (unfortunately, it's been proven). We're all thinking of anything we can to help them feel more secure in their new home (and her mom feel more secure about the whole thing). I sent her this idea and she thought it was great. Thanks!

Susan

[djm]

My favourite anti-cartheft device is on one of the tv commercials in Robocop, where the car thief jumps in, tries to start the car with a flick-knife in the ignition, two steel bands come out of the seat and wrap around the would-be thief, and he is fried. The cardoor opens, the thief's body falls out onto the floor of the parking garage, and a salesman chats away merrily about this wonderful car protection device like he's selling you a couch, climbs in over the thief's still smoking body and then turns and smiles at the camera, "And it won't even run down your batteries". Dumb movie, but the pseudo-tv ads were killer.

djm

[Tyler]

having been struck by lightning (actually, I was struck, he was laying across my lap at the time), which equally enhanced my agressive tendencies as well.

Well, that explains a few things!

jus' kiddin'!


Maybe it was like that scene in the Wallace and Gromit movie where Wallace and the rabbit switch personalities and whot not....


JES, the were-terrier

[missy]

My daughter has just bought a home in a sort of run-down, trying-to-make-a-comeback neighborhood................. We're all thinking of anything we can to help them feel more secure in their new home (and her mom feel more secure about the whole thing).

Susan

Soapbox time!!!!!!

Susan - tell your daughter to check and see if there is a Blockwatch, Citizens on Patrol, and / or Community Oriented Policing group in her neighborhood. All work directly with the local police to make the neighborhood a "safer" place.
Tom and I are COP and CPOP members. We "walk" the streets once or twice a week (we have to have 3 to walk). We have police radios on, and the beat officers know we are out there. Just the visual of us walking around with our blue shirts with inch high letters on the back saying "Cincinnati Police Department, Citzens on Patrol" kinda makes the druggies move to another area.
CPOP works on issues identified by looking at crime statistics. We were directly involved in having surveillance cameras installed in our "problem section".

I don't have the time, but Tom is also a member of our Court Watch group. He goes to court when our perps are there, especially during sentencing. The judges DO listen to us about the effect the guy has on the neighborhood, and community control (can't call it probation) is set accordingly.

There's lots of other suggestions I can give, if you want to email or pm me.

[Joseph E. Smith]

Joseph, you have my great respect for that.

We also have rescue animals--two of our five ferrets are rescues, Jesse, and our latest, Chupie Macabra.

Chupie was nearly exsanguinated by fleas--her gums were white--and could barely move when we got her. A few weeks later, she's a delightful young ferret who is happy, bouncy, and follows our other ferrets around like a lovesick puppy.

She nearly didn't make it. The vet rehydrated her with lactated Ringers and that was the turning point. At first we actually thought she was a very elderly ferret...now we realize she's barely more than a kit.

Anyway, good on you, sir.

--James

I love ferrets, and have (my wife and I) shared our space with nine of them little weasles. What a joy they are to watch, hours upon end.

Flea Anemia is a seriously big issue here in Florida, let alone the rest of the South. I am very happy to read that your vet figured it out and your Jill is doing well.

[Wanderer]

Here's my home alarm system for break-ins:


If you can hear it go off, that means that I've missed and you'd probably best make due haste to be on your way before it goes off a second time.

[hyldemoer]

Here's my home alarm system for break-ins:


If you can hear it go off, that means that I've missed and you'd probably best make due haste to be on your way before it goes off a second time.

My son has told me he uses the same alarm system you use.
I've been wondering if he's revised it since becoming a daddy.

Its not too uncommon for young children to shoot each other after getting access to a relative's gun.

I personally know of 2 women whose teenage sons "accidently" shot someone while showing them a gun. One killed his best friend and the other his brother.

[missy]

(hope this doesn't get this moved to the political forum...)

Hyldemoer - gun lock or gun safe. All guns, even if you don't have kids in the house should have locks or be in a safe.
There is a safe that looks like a picture on your wall, the locking mechanism is "combination clicks" that you can do without looking at it. One I saw had four wheels, so endless combinations and pretty hard to guess.
I also timed myself once with a gun lock. Getting out of bed, grabbing the "hidden" key, getting the handgun out and unlocking the trigger lock took less then 15 seconds.

Also - ALL kids should be taught the four steps of gun safety:
STOP
DON'T TOUCH
LEAVE THE AREA
TELL AN ADULT

There are never any gun "accidents" in my mind, only carelessly owned or handled guns.

[jsluder]

My favourite anti-cartheft device is on one of the tv commercials in Robocop, where the car thief jumps in, tries to start the car with a flick-knife in the ignition, two steel bands come out of the seat and wrap around the would-be thief, and he is fried. The cardoor opens, the thief's body falls out onto the floor of the parking garage, and a salesman chats away merrily about this wonderful car protection device like he's selling you a couch, climbs in over the thief's still smoking body and then turns and smiles at the camera, "And it won't even run down your batteries". Dumb movie, but the pseudo-tv ads were killer.

djm

I prefer the Trunk Monkey Theft Retrieval System.

[peeplj]

(hope this doesn't get this moved to the political forum...)

Hyldemoer - gun lock or gun safe. All guns, even if you don't have kids in the house should have locks or be in a safe.
There is a safe that looks like a picture on your wall, the locking mechanism is "combination clicks" that you can do without looking at it. One I saw had four wheels, so endless combinations and pretty hard to guess.
I also timed myself once with a gun lock. Getting out of bed, grabbing the "hidden" key, getting the handgun out and unlocking the trigger lock took less then 15 seconds.

Also - ALL kids should be taught the four steps of gun safety:
STOP
DON'T TOUCH
LEAVE THE AREA
TELL AN ADULT

There are never any gun "accidents" in my mind, only carelessly owned or handled guns.

Missy,

Excellent post, and 100% correct on all points.

--James

[hyldemoer]

I think this is a great idea. My daughter has just bought a home in a sort of run-down, trying-to-make-a-comeback neighborhood. They can't afford to have any type of security system installed yet. Her boyfriend works very late hours and she'll be home alone frequently. They're putting in good deadbolts and lots of lights outside. She does have a dog who's a pretty good barker but a complete coward if someone actually gets into the house (unfortunately, it's been proven). We're all thinking of anything we can to help them feel more secure in their new home (and her mom feel more secure about the whole thing).

Then give her a real home security system as a house warming present.

Have it be one with a radio transmitter to the security company and not just hooked up to the easily clipped telephone line.

Motion detector lights on the outside? Ha!
I had them put all around my house after finding a drunk sleeping on my front porch one morning.
I have huge flood lights that go on if anyone opens the gate (with a "BEWARE of DOG" sign posted on it) to enter my back yard.

That doesn't stop people from walking through the yard.
They walk through my back yard at night and hang around long enough for their dogs to poop before they leave by the other gate.

I'm of the mind that the guy who broke into my tenant's car parked out back with greater ease because of the security light.
The tenant's really loud car alarm wasn't a deterent either while his stereo system was stripped from the dashboard.

In order for a car's security system to be effective it has to be heard, acknowledged, and acted upon.
Most of the people in this urban neighborhood go from the heating season to the air conditioner season without ever opening the windows.

Some people have had their apartments broken into by the burgler removing the AC from the window and climbing in.

One couple a few blocks over came home one day to find their whole front door cut out with a reciprocating saw.
The neighbors had seen it done but thought they were just having some work done on the house.

We're in the proccess now of having a spa/hot tub installed in the back yard. I've added dead bolts to the 2 wooden gates but I'm also thinking about having our security system provider hook up something to the spa cover so we don't end up with neighbor kids drowning.

[Loren]

My home alarm system...




If a leaf falls in Alaska, he hears it and goes off like a bomb....

Heh heh, I know that feeling, mine was a hair trigger barker too. Unfortunately I lost my home security system to health problems last fall:




However, he stopped 2 home invasion attempts that I am aware of during my years in Tampa, and who knows what other bad behavior he discouraged. Statistically, dogs are one of the best deterrents you can have.


Cute dog Joseph


Loren

[brianc]

Nothing says "Welcome, intruder." quite like the Remington 870.
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