the cheerfulness is almost too much!

Internet, I come asking you for advice. Aside from the usual precautions, locks on doors etc, what kind of security do you have on your home? An alarm? A dog? An NRA sticker in your front window? A well-placed baseball bat? Do you have a gun? If so, where do you keep it? Do you feel safe?

My brush with crime and the scares I've had since (another last night: a noise by my back door woke me out of a sound sleep, I called the cops, again, and it turned out to be nothing, again. I am beginning to feel silly for wasting time and taxpayers money this way) have me thinking of the sort of safety precautions that would make me feel secure that my home is well defended.

Last night, when I was convinced that there was someone lurking downstairs, I realized that my only weapon of defense was my phone. I am putting all my faith in Killadelphia's city services. I need to be more self-sufficient than this, or I will never get another full nights' sleep again.

I am leaning toward getting a dog. Except that it would be 1. expensive, 2. labor intensive, 3. limiting, and 4. I'm not all that fond of most dogs (although there are a few I would clone if I could.) Oh yeah, 5. the cat would hate it. But the right dog, big, friendly, well trained, tolerant with kids but protective of the pack, would be worth all that. There's nothing like the love of a good dog. And the girls would love having a dog too.

Although it makes me ill to think about it, my other option would be to get a real weapon, you know, a gun. I would do it right, of course. I'd learn all about it and get liscenced and keep it under lock and key separate from the ammo and all that. I'd really rather not have one. But until people don't get stabbed and assaulted during home invasions in my neighborhood, I don't know what else to do.

Comments

[ksmaybe]

As a fellow urbanite, I have dogs (2, but they are tiny) and I would still recommend security system. A dog will a-cost a lot more, b-complicate your life more, and c-the ones who are fun to live with would most likely lick a burglar as he walked by with your stuff. Most would make noise and 'defend' you and the girls, but really, they're more fun when they are friendly and less useful as guards. One of mine is currently running up vet bills like they are going out of style. I arm my ADT when I'm alone at night, but not when we're gone during the day. I use it to protect me, not my home :)

[cherylc]

My lab/rotweiller has always helped me feel safe in our used-to-be crummy Seattle neighborhood. He's very nice, but territorial, with a huge bark. He is more fun than a gun, but more work too.

[Meg]

We have an alarm system with cellular backup (in case the wires get cut) and a panic code - so that if anyone follows us in, this code to disarm the alarm will notify the police to come instantly and silently.

I hope you feel safe soon.

[Jenna]

We're looking into alarm systems here. Josh has been pricing things and, while they're not always cheap, there are some that are more affordable than others. Being alone for 24 hours at a time every third day has me on edge as of late. If I wasn't in the process of bringing another small life into the world, we'd lean more towards larger dog but we're trying to hold off on COMPLETE chaos at this point. Ya know?

[Mary]

How about something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Beam-Invisible-Infrared-Alert/dp/B0006BJ3TC

I feel for you. When stuff like this was happening a few years ago, I was terrified to leave my windows open when I was alone. I've heard about a few muggings besides yours, too. What's happening to our wonderful city?

I'm been meaning to write to you about your last two posts, but, well, you know how times gets away from you.

Coffee?

[curiousgyrl]

Guns and dogs are more likely to hurt you or your girls than an intruder. How bout an alarm and pepper spray--evenif you shoot yourself in the face wiht the spray, you wont die.

[curiousgyrl]

I realize that the first sentence is unclear, but actually it works both ways. A gun and a dog are both more likely to injure you than they are to injure an intruder. They are also more likely to injure you than an intruder is likely to injure you, in most cases.

[Poor_Statue]

I like the alarm and pepper spray idea. Having my beau live with me has made me feel a lot safer and I can't say I took any safety precautions prior to his moving in. On top of being big enough to fight without weapons, he keeps an ax in just about every room. When I feel scared I carry around my cell phone.

[kate]

When I lived alone, I just put a "Beware of Dog" sign on my front window, along w/ a dog dish on my front steps.

[Elle]

I have a Great Dane and no one has ever robbed us (that we haven't invited in, anyway). She is a big love bug, great with children, but protective of her pack. All she has to do is stand her ground and bark, and people turn tail and run.

But I have her because I love having a dog. It's super expensive, vet bills, quality food that's not going to get recalled every two weeks, beds, treats, collars, flea treatments. It adds up to at least a $1,000 a year. A security system would definitely be cheaper.

But I feel 100% safe walking down almost any block with her at night. Never had any problems at all.