Door and window locks - YES
Burglar alarm on doors and windows -NO
Motion sensors (interior or exterior) that set off alarm NO
Dog YES - see below
High security fence - NO, privacy fence around backyard
Exterior flood lights - YES
Handgun (live in NJ, choose not to say...)
Long gun (live in NJ, choose not to say...)
Yes, I lock my doors and windows, no I don't have a burglar alarm or motion sensor alarm. We have a chain link fence around the backyard, deck. We do have floodlights outside, some motion sensing, some not. Firearms are probably available, considering we're on THR, but I'd rather not go into detail.
I do have a set of all-weather video cameras that I'm hooking up to a quad cam unit, so we can turn on any TV in the house and check outside, but I don't have a channel modulator hooked into our new digital cable system yet (seems like it might be a pain, not sure yet). Then the power supplies for the cameras, a PC, and a 24 HR VCR can be hooked into a UPS, and allow me to watch even if the power goes out/is cut. Of course, if the cameras go out, then the alert level rises anyway. It's pretty easy to use some software that looks for motion on the cams, too, and set up an alarm module tied to that, but we've got too many bunnies, neighborhood cats, etc.(edited to add camera info)
Dogs? Yes. They function as motion sensors and burglar alarms, don't need battery back-up or a connection to 911. I'm aware they are susceptible to poisoning, but MOST bad guys would probably move on to my neighbors, or another block.
Also, our dogs are never all outside at the same time. Because of this, I'd probably know something was wrong if one of them was poisoned or killed, before I let another out. In that case, I would in a much more alert mode Orange? between yellow and red). Along with theoretical firearms (NJ, remember...), there's a selection of useful items near the door that the dogs go out; machetes, aluminum baseball bat, fire ext., chainsaw
, etc. I can walk into the back yard with a machete or other tool and disturb the neighbors a lot less than if I was carrying a 12g.
If the bad guy comes in the door or window (breaking the glass, or if someone forgets to lock em
then they have an evil mutant Dalmatian (down to 85 lb.s now) and the guys in the picture to face...