Home Invasions

[Eschaton]

So, this is just something I was thinking about the other day.

I read on the forums here a lot that people would automatically [shoot] people entering their house.

That's all well and good, but what about those of us who are really heavy sleepers? I have slept through high magnitude earthquakes, heavy thunderstorms that happen on a nightly basis during the monsoon season, family gallivanting around in the middle of the night, etc...

So, for the heavy sleepers out there, what is your strategy? I mean, do you rely on a dog? Can you distinguish between the "danger" sounds vs. a "scared"/"i gotta take a leak" sounds?

I feel like I haven't made myself clear in this whole post, haha.

Do you guys get what I'm saying though?

 

[2RCO]

Get an alarm and/or a dog that only barks for a reason. I'm a fairly heavy sleeper myself but my alarm and dog aren't. Dogs can be a PITA but for security purposes they can come in pretty handy.

 

[Eschaton]

That is kind of what I was thinking about. Pretty much the only reason I would get an alarm system for my house.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Heavy Sleeper

I sleep like a stump and snore like a buzz saw.

People can be dancing, watching TV, and splashing in the pool, and I just dream on.

But . . .

In the dead of night, when only the cats are prowling around the house, if something makes a wrong noise, I am AWAKE.

My wife can poke and prod trying to get me out of bed, but out-of-context noises bring me to wakefulness in a hurry.

Can't explain it.

'Course, then I hafta go see and verify and all that.

I make real sure, if I find someone, that I make sure I know what's going on before I act.

Couple of years ago my daughter came home late, didn't want to wake anyone, had her friend (who got there early) sneak in through the back door rather than wait for her to unlock the front door. I met her in the dining room. Frightened her near to death. "Hi. Help you?" - "Oh, I'm Autumn's friend, and she . . ." - "Okay. Go ahead and wait in here.

She never knew I was armed.

 

[memphisjim]

get a woman

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Ha.

Funny.

If you're gonna do that, make sure you get one that doesn't alert on false positives.

 

[Rockwell1]

I read on the forums here a lot that people would automatically [shoot] people entering their house.

I'm curious, what gave you the impression that High Roaders would automatically open up on people entering their house?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I read on the forums here a lot that people would automatically [shoot] people entering their house.

I'm curious, what gave you the impression that High Roaders would automatically open up on people entering their house?

1) He didn't say that it was on this forum, just "forums"
2) There are those on this forum who have said that they would shoot intruders as SOP where the intruder = unlawfully entered threat-in-home to life of High Roader and/or family

To answer the OP, yeah, either get a loud dog or good alarm system. If that still doesn't work, as noted, get a spouse who will be awakened by intrusions, or at least by the dog or alarm system.

 

[netav8tor]

You’re lucky. Most people can’t sleep worth a crap.

 

[mbt2001]

Get an Alarm, you can get stand alone motion detectors if you don't have the money right now and put a security bar on your bedroom door when you sleep, between the two, you should get woken up.

A Dog might be something to consider, choose one that fits your life style, anything that will back (virtually any dog can / will do that) is the most important thing.

 

[Stirling XD]

You’re lucky. Most people can’t sleep worth a crap.

I'll second that. I consider myself fortunate when I can sleep 4 hours straight.

I also agree with the getting an alarm. For me, getting an alarm helped me sleep a little better. I no longer worry about the odd bumps in the night. I know my alarm is set and my perimeter is secure.

A watchdog is great, but don't get a dog just for that. Dogs come with responsibilty. And in the long run, most dogs cost much more that a professionally installed security system. Even those adopted from animal shelters. And there's no guarantee that the dog you get will be a good watch dog. The only thing my border collie barks at are squirrels and hot air ballons. If you want to dog as a pet/companion, great. But don't get a dog JUST for security.

 

[clemsonu0219]

FWIW you can buy (@ least here) a little alarm at the dollar store for, what else?, $1.

One side sticks to the door frame, one to the door. You can turn it on when you go to bed. Will bust your ear drums if you're near it.

Not extremely reliable but better than nothing IMO and better than spending hundreds on a good security system.

 

[AirForceShooter]

if your wife can't shoot teach her.
If she can shoot get her a gun.

AFS

 

[Deanimator]

I try to keep my home extremely cluttered with books, dead computers, clean [and dirty] clothes, reloading supplies and shooting gear. That way, I'll hear someone breaking a leg and screaming in pain as they impale themselves on my spotting scope stand.

Actually, I haven't put much effort into this, it mostly just happened...

 

[Eschaton]

I'm curious, what gave you the impression that High Roaders would automatically open up on people entering their house?

Thank you for nitpicking my sentence. I forgot to put a word in my original post where one was needed.

 

[saltydog452]

You can only cut the grass so many times a week and the truck really does not need waxing more than once a month

Nit-picking on firearms forums beats The View, Ellen, Opra, the soaps and slanted news programs.

Perhaps it even qualifies as a job skill.

Gotta ask B.H. Obama about that next time we chat.

salty

 

[Davionmaximus]

I sleep like the dead. Lucky for me my wife and three dogs are on alert. I have four night vision cameras connected to the TV in my room. If the dogs go off (which they never do for no reason) then I turn on the cameras and check out the perimeter from the comfort of my upstairs bedroom.

 

[CoRoMo]

do you rely on a dog?

Yes, but the wife is a light sleeper, I'm not.

The dogs:
My female sounds the same and barks at any and everything.
The male doesn't bark at everything, but has a distinct, very low, growling bark when the SHTF. I've heard him do this a number of times and it truly sounds like he is rabid mad. He also has a disturbing barking-howl when he is at peak alarm and totally confused.

 

[psyopspec]

Layered security, as others have suggested. In addition to dog and alarm, motion sensing lights outside, beefed up locks, trim away any hedges that could serve as concealment for an intruder... Basically work from the inside out and outside in to make your place a poor choice for a home invasion. Be a hard target, don't appear too affluent for your neighborhood, and they'll move on to something easier. Just in case you get chosen anyway, the layers with noise are what will wake you up.

 

[zeebo419]

+1 on the dog if you're a dog person. Mine is dumb as a rock but I love him to death plus he will bark if he hears something he doesn't like outside. I do get some false alarms from him but overall I feel better with him around. Another thing to consider is that its possible that the intruder might be deterred from continuing if he hears a dog barking. I wouldn't depend on it, but still a consideration. +1 on those little door alarms too.

 

[Darkninja]

+1 on the dog and little door alarms. If you're really worried get some PROM-1s in your yard!

 

[sniknah]

The nice thing I like about my dog is his nose...when we come home ( he usaully goes everywhere with me) as soon as I open the door he will go ballistic if he smells the scent of someone who is not a family member..lol he is only 20 lbs and does not have a mean bone in his body, but his owner sure does....hahaahha

 

[DHJenkins]

Get an alarm. It doesn't have to be monitored, it just has to make lots of noise so it wakes you up.

With all the new wireless self-install kits out there, installation is a snap, and it'll differentiate between a creaking board and someone opening your door.

Plus, they're not nearly as expensive as you might think.

 

[BBQLS1]

That's really the value I see in an alarm.

You could get a good dog too.

 

[xstuntman]

Yep, I've got a dog, alarm system, alarm signs in the yard, and low wattage floods under the eaves all around the house.

My neighbors think I'm "eccentric" so that helps too. X