Alarm goes off at 2:19 am

[Eyesac]

+1 on a Dog

I'm kinda in the same boat, my dog died a couple months ago, and I feel pretty useless in my house w/ out a dog. Gotta get another one! Stumbling around by myself at 2am w/ no contacts and no idea what I'm looking for w/ no help from a dog = no good.

 

[KBintheSLC]

That sounds good in theory but in reality you might need to clear the house anyway. You can't call the police every time there is a false alarm, a noise in the house, etc.

And if you have kids you certainly can't barricade yourself in your room and wait on the cops. You gonna leave the kids alone in another part of the house while you wait in the safe room?

Reality and probability suggests that eventually you may need to venture out to determine if there is a threat.

Might as well learn how to do it properly.

I have to agree with you. Cowering in a corner and calling 911 every time you hear a bump in the night will not work out for everyone... especially if you live with other people.

 

[Grey_Mana]

Depends on your police's response time.
Speaking from second hand experience, the police here might come right away the first 2 or 3 times you call for a false alarm, or might take 3 hours. After that, you've got a 3+ hour wait. If you aren't willing to lie to the cops (saying that you actually heard somebody), then you're gambling that your call is the highest priority.

 

[Kentak]

If I were going to go to the expense to use electronic means to protect my house, I think I would go the extra step and install some small and relatively inexpensive cameras at key locations. These can be hooked up to be monitored in the bedroom. If an alarm goes off in the middle of the night, you lock the door, arm yourself, and then check the cameras. Two cameras, strategically placed, can cover all passageways and rooms in the lower level of my house. I would know immediately if there was an intruder or not lurking around.

K

 

[JImbothefiveth]

You can't call the police every time there is a false alarm

They shouldn't happen that often, and you don't know it's false.

 

[amprecon]

I was awakened out of a dead sleep by my frantic daughter and her friend one night by some noises in the kitchen area. I had kept my Bersa .380 as my ccw and bed side gun and the first thing that came to mind was "geeze, I need a bigger gun with more bullets." I told them to stay in the room and with my heart pounding found the courage to confront the noises, safety off and at the ready. I quietly made my way towards the kitchen area, where I heard the ice maker in the freezer rattling around and clunking, almost sounding like someone trying to get into the garage door. That was a false alarm, but probably the most realistic training one can get and overall I felt pretty good about my reaction afterwards. I didn't cower in the corner defenseless and too scared to confront and just call the police, I reacted with some aggression but also scared, wanting to secure my family and home from danger and rid this town of some unwanted garbage.
BTW I now keep my 870 at bedside loaded with 6 rounds of 00 buckshot and a TLR-1 light attached.

 

[sacp81170a]

Oh boy, I'm gonna catch all kinds of flak for this one...

About 5 years ago, my extremely loyal, territorial Heinz 57 pound puppy woke me up in the middle of the night by pawing at my side of the bed. At first I thought he wanted out to go potty, but when I started toward the back door he looked at me kind of strangely and headed toward the attached garage door in the kitchen. Knowing something wasn't right, I returned to the bedroom for my Mossberg 590. I went to the kitchen door to the garage, stopped and listened, and sure enough someone was fiddling with the outside door knob on the other side of the garage trying to break in. I stepped back and slightly away from the door and racked the slide on the shotgun as loudly and distinctly as I could.

Presto! The noise of the garbage can outside being knocked over as someone beat a hasty retreat was my reward.

A couple of points here: I didn't have to worry about clearing the interior of my house since my dog had already done that for me. Yeah, yeah, I know all the stuff about racking the slide on a 12 gauge not killing anybody. Spare me. That's the idea, that you have an opportunity NOT to shoot somebody if you so choose.

After a minute or so, I turned on the outside lights, let my dog out and together we cleared the yard, me with flashlight and shotgun in hand. I've got my lights positioned so I have convenient pools of shadow from which to observe the yard and move to the next position. The garage door had some scrapes in the paint from what looked like a screwdriver, so it was probably a kid or a rank amateur.

Bottom line: dogs are your best friend when it comes to home security. They'll check out the house for you without ever thinking about the risk to themselves. Firepower does you no good if you never wake up to use it. There are lots of other good suggestions here, but dogs and motion detectors are kind of mutually exclusive unless the dog is gonna stay in the bedroom with you. Stay safe, get training, and if your situation allows it I'd consider getting a canine companion, the more territorial the better.

 

[sm]

I agree with posts made by Lee Lapin , springmom, and TexasRifleman.

May I also suggest some other tips?.

-Baby Monitors.

Anything can and will fail. Anything can be defeated if someone wants to defeat it.

Baby Monitors running on batteries can assist in many ways, including false alarms and having to clear a house, with or without a dawg.

From safety, one can hear what is going on in another place of the house. With a dawg, one is not only going to hear the dawgs reaction, also the reaction of someone to the dawg.

With other persons in the house, such as family, or guests, establish a code word.
All they have to say is a word that means everything is OK and they goofed up and tripped the alarm.

Another word means trouble, and then practiced plans come into play.

Just one idea, of others , this use of a baby monitor, as another tool in the toolbox.

Steve

 

[LongRider]

Forget dogs, get GEESE!!! Or guinea hens. I know it sounds funny but if I lived in a more rural setting I would geese as my 'warning' device.

We have attack turkeys they attack anything that does not belong on the property during the day and outside. At night they roost and unless you disturb them they sleep. They are outside so they are useless inside. Dogs are the best. Our male Akita never barks or warns he goes straight into stealth attack mode. He stays with us and is who I use to clear the house. The female growls and barks loud enough to wake the house hold she stays with the girls