Stay or search?

[HI express]

I know that each person must ultimately make their decisions on what they perceive as a higher risk and also the configuration of your home, but the other night, something dropped and made a large bump in the night sound about 2:00 a.m.. (Turned out that a box that was placed in the hallway closet was not put in securely, so it fell by gravity)

I immediately lay next to the door frame facing down the length of the hallway with my 12 gauge facing down the hallway. .40 cal is strapped to hip. Maglite Flashlight is off pointing down the hallway. Heart is pumping, brain is picking up that the motion detector lights are not on, the home alarm system did not kick in, neighborhood dogs are not yelping...how the heck did this BG get through all this stuff to get into my house? My kid's doorway is open and I can see that she heard the same thing, she is in her safe area with her handgun on the bed facing the doorway, rifle is facing the windows behind her. The windows are set with alarms.

No sound...fifteen minutes have passed, I am waiting for any movement to come down that hall. Fatal tunnel. I feel like peeing in my pants.

Wife has cell phone on, ready to push the last number for 9-1-1. Cops response time has been two to five minutes. She is behind me to me left..down in fall back position with her shotgun ready.

Obviously, we have worked out this response before.

When would you stay? When would you go to check the house out?

I used to go check the house out....lousy odds. Too many ways to get myself shot.

What do you tend to do?

[fjolnirsson]

Release the hounds. Our bedrooms are on the top floor, and I keep the dogs upstairs using a baby gate. 260+lbs of dog rushing at them will make folks distracted, I figure. I wait a few seconds for additional sounds and go from there. So far, no snarling, so it's been a non-issue.

[Standing Wolf]

260+lbs of dog rushing at them will make folks distracted, I figure.

Heh. Heh, heh. Ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, hah! "Distracted," indeed!

[MikeIsaj]

I stay, cowardly lab sits behind me. Large german shepherd searches house. I will back him up if he needs me.

Get a dog.

[Guns_and_Labs]

First, loose little yapper dog as bait (never liked it anyway). Then listen to BG laughing at said little yapper, let loose Big Thing (no one knows his breed, but he is at least 1/2 nasty), call 911 and have them send paramedics to clean up the mess.

The point is, keep the family safe and protected, and let the animals protect the family TV set.

[Zach S]

I search for the problem. I dont want the problem to find one of the kids before it finds me.

[ralphie98]

My "little yapper" is a coward but he is a lot of help in these situations. When I hear the bump in the night, I just look at him. If he isn't alarmed at all, then I know it's no big deal. There was one time he was pretty spooked by a noise and it turned out that the hook holding some pot holders in the kitchen had fallen and landed on the stove.

In your situation, I would probably wait a few minutes and if I didn't hear anything else I would go searching. I'm not patient enough to wait 15 minutes like you did. I am impressed at your family's response though

[geekWithA.45]

My little dog thinks he's a lion, as long as he's hiding behind me. My bigger dog thinks everyone wants to play with him.

What they're really, really good at is discerning the difference between a cat knocking something over, or the kids falling out of bed, and someone who's not part of the household.

Kerthump in the night = back to sleep. Kerthump + dogs barking = .45s, armor, and cell phone.

Because the kids are upstairs, and we're not, hiding in the room's not an option. We must move out. We therefore immediately take command of two strategic corners of the house.

[CAS700850]

Last time this happened at my house was during a heavy rain. Lound thump from downstairs. Did the usual thing, take a strong position, defend the family, wife with phone in hand. Five minutes passed with nothing. Another five and the four year old's snoring is making it hard to hear anything beyond the rain. So, I suit up in my super-tactical jeans and running shoes (no socks), grab the flashlight, the home defense weapon de jour, and begin stalking my home. Waited at the top of the stairs for a moment, listening, Glock with 20 rounds pointed down the staircase. I know that all the doors and windows were closed and locked when I went to bed, as it is my nightly routine to check. Make my way down the stairs, check the front door. Still closed and locked. Check in the living room, and the back door is still closed and locked. All windows intact, closed, and locked. Head to the kitchen, and the door to the garage is still closed and locked. Snatch the door open, and find the mini-van still in place, with the garage door closed.

That left the two windows in the basement. Head down to the basement, and the windows are intact, closed, and locked. The home is now officially empty, except for those who belinged there. The noise? The sump pump had kicked on, due to the rainfall, and it shook the pipe enough to cause a broom to fall over, knocking a box off the storage shelving.

Defending the safe room is great, but eventually, we'll all get up and go look. That's why I not only keep the weapon handy, but also a set of clothing and a good flashlight ready at hand.

[DarkKnight01]

Thump = Lay wait and listen, .45 in hand with maxfire in other... In order to get to the children the intruder would have to pass our room... the trouble is my hearing is usually hindered by my ladys snoring.... If I see movement taller than 4.5 feet... their getting lit up and shot at :D, after listening for a few minutes ill get up and find where the noise came from... its usually my step daughter tossing and thumping the wall with her knee or elbow...

Hear Door get kicked in = full combat mode I kick my lady out of the bed and tell her "Code Red" that means prepare for war... she knows the drill her job is to get the shotgun lay prone on the bedroom floor facing through the door way down the steps... in order for an intruder to get to the children they must get past her and me... they are up the stairs and around the corner down the hall, our room is at the top of the stairs with the door facing down the stairway... as she lays and waits Ill go assess the situation... If she hears shots fired... hears me scream die etc. Her job is to remain and wait for them to advance up the stairs, where they will be met with 20ga 7shot... The goal is to protect the children... however thats not what I want ( the get shot at and scream and die part )... so im very careful about checking things out... Its my home I have the home field advantage.. If all is clear I announce All Clear Im coming Back Up she then knows that the movement is me, not the intruder :cool:

[azrael]

I have a large dog...I have a small dog...Got a 4ft Boa as well, but that doesnt matter right now :neener:

Small dog barks and wakes me up...If that happens I let big dog go and play with what ever is making little dog mouthy.. :evil:

If big dog comes back without blood allover him (along with the requisite screaming) I yell at little dog and go back to sleep...

If I hear someone in the house I whisper a couple of sweet nothings to my big dog and cut him loose to play...Do I go and look?? Nope sure dont, I puit my 3year old in the bathroom and close the door...While I am calling 911 I am aiming my "SinEater"tm at the end of the hallway..

Do I go and take a look if I hear screaming?? Nope I call the Police while "fluffy" tears off pieces of ya...

Get past fluffy?? and then leave?? Do I chase?? nope sure dont...That is for the police...Course if you can outfight a mastiff you can pretty much take any of the police around here :neener:

Get past fluffy and enter a certain part of the house?? Your time on Earth is limited...I have a certain part of the house that I call "No Man's Land"...once you cross that boundary you are dead...Plain and simple...My shotgun is aimed at head and chest level, and when I turn on the love light it is pretty much over from there...

I had an instructor once tell me to divide my house in "zones"...All are white flag areas except for one...No Mans Land means ya get the Black Flag and whatever happens to ya is what happens

[GRB]

When I hear strasnge noises in my house, I usually just rollover and grab my ear plugs. Then I put em in my ears and I go back to sleep quite confiedently and securely. Of course if I had really thought it was a boogler, I would call the police and be ready. If I was unsure, I would assess, wait, reassess, then check to see what it was while being properly equiped.

You say you used to check, that implies you no longer check. So just what do you do? Do you and the wife and daughter remain hyped up all night waiting for daybreak before checking or did you mean you wait the 15 minutes then check?

[dasmi]

and when I turn on the love light it is pretty much over from there...
The love light! That is hilarious.

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

HI Express, are you sleeping with your thigh holster on? Responding to a simple bump-in-the-night with either the shotgun or the pistol would probably be sufficient since you already have a kid (?) armed with a handgun across the hallway and a spouse waiting with another shotgun behind you. Your initial post sure does have some classic Mall Ninjaesque qualities to it...

That said, clearing a house typically doesn't make much sense. If you hear a loud noise (caused by people) you have the advantage of time on your side. They'll eventually want to beat it out of there...and quick. You'll now have the element of surprise coupled with the "home turf" advantage.

~ Blue Jays ~

[itgoesboom]

If the German Shepherd isn't too worried, than neither am I. If she is anxious to go down stairs and play, I will let her, and call 911 for an ambulance or coroner.

I.G.B.

[Arc-Lite]

First...forget the element of time, you were in position, get your family in one room, secure the room, and wait... doing a risky move to clear a house to save a few minutes, or a bit of sleep...is a bad exchange.