# Rolling up the welcome mat



## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

How do you make potential burglers feel unwelcome on your property? What things make your property and home look inviting to someone looking for an easy break-in?
I'm sure there are many things about my house that send messages to somebody checking us out. I don't want, nor can I afford to look like Fort Knox, but what should I be aware of?


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## dilligaf (Oct 17, 2008)

no smart burglar would come here to begin with but beyond that we have a long hilly rough driveway that can be shut off from traffic flow if we chose. We have dogs, large ones with huge barks that let us know if a field mouse farts a 1/4 mile away. When they decide something shouldnt be here they dont mind too well and take care of things . The goats alert us as well. Anything out of the ordinary and they are skreemin demons.

The house lol... if they make it that far ,, they would take one look at the shack and be severely dissapointed they just went through what they did to get here then most likely find the wrong end of a barrel in there nose.


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## TaylorLohng (Nov 24, 2008)

I live in the country, where everyone uses barbwire. I have tall barbwire fences that are almost impossible to get over. 

Dilligaf, what do your goats do in order alert you?


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## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Well, What about someone in a less rural setting. No barbed wire fences, Dogs kept out back in order to avoid annoying the neighborhood. 
What screams "curb appeal" to a criminal?
How can you encourage them to pass you by without being the eye-sore on the street?
(NO insult intended to you Dilligaf, I'm really starting to like the shack in the wilderness idea. I'm through with chasing the "American dream". Now I'm trying to recover from the 'American dream."


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## gumby (Nov 24, 2008)

Can't you usually crawl through / between barbed wire to get through it?


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## saintsfanbrian (Oct 30, 2008)

Between the two German Shepherds, the Brinks Home Security Sign, the nosey neighbors, the lights that are on and the two home owners that can shoot the wings off a gnat at 50 yards. Our home is less than inviting.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

Security signs help. Big dogs can at least protect the rear entry and the interior as well. A well placed NRA sticker or sign that says "Protected by Smith and Wesson" might deter some people. A well lit exterior with motion lights and shrubs too small to hide in would help. Thorny shrubs by windows will help.


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## dilligaf (Oct 17, 2008)

TaylorLohng said:


> Dilligaf, what do your goats do in order alert you?


they make loads and loads of noise in unison when anything is not as it should be. They can be quite loud about it too.

couple years ago there was a manhunt and i was up in the woods wandering (didnt have the dogs) and the goats started making loads of noise down in there pasture. After a minute i knew something was up so wandered down to check and there was a cop walking up the hill and when i saw him he asked how i knew he was there ...


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## dilligaf (Oct 17, 2008)

lol i have lived out of city or town limits for so long in such rural areas that i have no clue what to really suggest to someone in that situation without blatantly telling you to violate town or city ordinances or subdivision covenants. Anything i could conjure up would be ugly insocieties eyes and cost you loads of money to fix...  but you would have a fortress


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

Consider CPTED - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Law Enforcement and commercial security professionals have become increasingly involved in initial design and . Our dept. has several trained Crime Prevention certified to do home inspections and recommendations. Look into it! Google CPTED and Home Crime Prevention, for starters.

CPTED - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

Don't allow your mail or newpapers to pile up. If you're going out of town for a few days, have the post office hold your mail. Same for the newspaper. You can schedule your absense with both on-line. Its easy.

Don't unintentionally give a burgler a place to hide on the exterior of your house while he makes entry. Overgrown shrubbery, underneath decks...anywhere they can break into your house without anyone likely seeing them.

Keep all windows locked. You can further secure them by installing a simple metal pin into the windo casing and above the sash so the sash cannot be lifted.

Is you house located at the end of a cul-de-sac? Is it wooded? Does your driveway stay empty most of the day? Shades or draps drawn during daytime? Have you mentioned openly within hearing of others that you were taking a trip and would be away for awhile? Bank teller? Grocery cashier? landscapr" (You get the idea) Often people are happy to let everyone know about their impending get-away, even down to minute details. Don't do that!


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

To me keeping the house well lite at night, keeping the dogs outside while we are gone, a good fence, security system and like mentioned not giving any insight like papers that you are gone.


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## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

While we were away several days over Thanksgiving, I had a girl take care of my chickens and mail. In addition to opening and closing curtains and switching on and off lamps, we had her move a ladder around to the different outside lights to make it look like someone was at home and working each day on them.


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## risabee (Dec 16, 2008)

If, for example, your name is Wilson, look at your mailbox, house, etc, and see if it says Wilson on any of these (a basketball or volleyball we will take as an exception in this instance  ).

The intruder will note this, call information, give your name and address, then call you. If you don't pick up, they may feel safe having a go at your windows.

Caveats: 1. Lots of people have an answering-machine message that does not give away their absence. 2. Lots of people don't have a land line any more. 

But: If you didn't get your mail and papers stopped, nowadays some of them are savvy enough that they can Google you and if you've been really forthcoming about yourself, they may determine that you have nifty toys ("Here's a pic of my collector's items") and your whereabouts ("here we are in Bermuda, be back on the 18th") ... 

I have a friend who won't even wear brand name T shirts, because he wants no one to get any kind of handle on him.


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## BurtB (Oct 3, 2008)

gumby said:


> Can't you usually crawl through / between barbed wire to get through it?


Yes, the thing about barbed wire in the country is that country boys know their way around it. They grew jumping the stuff. I have always been a country boy and in high school my friends and I hopped many a barbed wire fences at parties trying to escape somebody's parents or the police!


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

yeah, you learn to jump pretty good pretty quick when it's an electrified cow fence...


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

Sprinklers wired to motion sensors near electric fences FTW! 



jk(I haven't done this.)




























yet


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## Nadine (Oct 9, 2008)

Really great information, risabee! Thank you! What do you mean if your house or mailbox says Wilson? What's Wilson? I never thought of intruders calling like that but like you said, I'm one of those people these days who doesn't have a house phone.

I had also never thought about the amount of information people so quickly put out on the internet. People post pictures of those valuable things online just to show others. That's a great way for an intruder to find out who they would like to target.

My daughters live in a college town and the paper keeps reporting about 2 men from the next town over who target college students with flat screens, laptops, video games, stereos, etc. It's really scary. I just bought them both matching key chain mace that is PINK!.....That's the only way I could get them to carry it around all the time!


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

Nadine said:


> Really great information, risabee! Thank you! What do you mean if your house or mailbox says Wilson? What's Wilson?


Wilson was an example of a last name. They can find your name on the mailbox and use the internet or a phone book to find your phone number. With that, they can call your house to see if you are home. If your answering machine says that you are in the Bahamas until Easter, they know they have until Easter to get a big truck and haul off your goodies.

I won't get more specific than what town I live in or near on the internet and I never give out my last name. , Donald


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## GatorDude (Apr 23, 2009)

1. We drive the old Chevy Cavalier in a world full of Acuras, Infinitis, and BMWs.
2. We do not own big screen TVs, have no desire for them, and generally keep our blinds lowered so that no one has a direct view in at our possessions.
3. We dress down with little or no jewelry and modest clothing.
4. If someone looks like they will be tailgating into our gated complex, we abort our entry to the community and come back later. We also drive slow through the gate so that the bar will smash down on any car behind us who does not have proper credentials.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I live in a gated community. The community has external security cameras, a guard hut, security patrols, locked gates, signs everywhere in regards to security, and a single road that goes in a loop back to the main guard house. No vehicles can enter without the permission of a unit owner.

As for individual things we close our blinds at night so nobody can see in and see the items we have in our place. We also enter and leave our home through the side or underground entrances so nobody knows if we are home or not. If you see the whole family leave by the front door you know the place is empty. Nobody ever really knows if our place is empty or not. 

Our community is very crime free apart from an occasional loud late night party. There has only been one break in since the community was built. There was a home invasion robbery last year. The robbers came in on foot and it appeared that the person who was robbed knew the people that robbed him. There was some kind of shady connection between them. 

I'm pretty sure most average home owners in the community are safe. Now I've got the shottie and the 9mm on the way just in case.


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## Obsidian (May 2, 2009)

*going on vacation*

My neighbors were broken into a few years ago. The day before, the thieves had been driving through neighborhoods looking for signs that house x would be empty for the holiday weekend (cannot remember which).

The day before they left, my neighbors had left the garage door open much of the day, a suitcase or two on plain sight, and skis on the ski racks. "HELLO ALL THEIVES, WE WILL BE AWAY FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF DAYS."

Had they been a little more discreet about packing the car...

Most (not all) thieves will pick a home where no one is home, does not have a security system, does not have a
Beware of Dog sign, or a Beware of Owner sign. They look for the easiest prey.

One more tidbit, I have .5" x 1.5" wooden sticks I put in the windows downstairs. Sure, they can break the windows, but they never like to make noise.


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## sgt.doug (Jun 1, 2009)

slow down fences, the right vegitation, the right placement of vegitation,
awareness of strange vehicles,the right mans best friend, and a neighbor like you is where id start. GOOD NEIGHBORS ARE HARD TO FIND (ENGLISH SPEAKING PREFERRED AS THIS IS THE ONLY LANGUAGE I SPEAK) AND A PLAN TO SAFE KEEP EACH OTHERS FAMILIES AND PROPERTY.........


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## Old Sarge (Oct 14, 2008)

I once had a neighbor who would leave his garage doors UP, whenever he was home, and DOWN, when he was gone!!! I finally convinced him, that if a burglar was casing his place, he was just running up a flag, telling the BG when he was gone. God rest his soul, he's in a better place now.


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## GatorDude (Apr 23, 2009)

Building on Old Sarge's tip, if you always keep your cars in the garage, no one can tell if you are home or not.

We also make extensive use of appliance timers to keep up an occupied appearance when we travel. My parents have been known to put an old TV on an appliance timer to provide that TV glow when they aren't home. A radio at a moderate volume on a timer can also provide voices.

You can landscape with thorny plants around windows to inhibit burglars trying to enter through a window.

Plants can also be used to provide thick barriers to keep people out or channel them towards areas where they can be seen.


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## Old Sarge (Oct 14, 2008)

Gaterdude hit upon another easy one. A small radio, with the volume down low, is a good deterent. If they are outside, and listening, it's rather hard to distinguish a radio, from people just talking. Maybe put it on a station that is primarily a talk show type, rather than one that plays music, all day. And an old TV as he said, will keep a glow, indicating there is activity. Or at least the appearance of activity.


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## rainygardener (Sep 1, 2009)

rainbowgardens said:


> How do you make potential burglers feel unwelcome on your property? What things make your property and home look inviting to someone looking for an easy break-in?
> I'm sure there are many things about my house that send messages to somebody checking us out. I don't want, nor can I afford to look like Fort Knox, but what should I be aware of?


My girlfriend lives in the boonies of Washington state, where several people have purchased retirement homes and bug out places. Unfortunatly many of those places have been broken into. My frien have several signs on her property that say PROTECTED BY SMITH AND WESSON. Knowone has bothered her place.


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## rainygardener (Sep 1, 2009)

dilligaf said:


> no smart burglar would come here to begin with but beyond that we have a long hilly rough driveway that can be shut off from traffic flow if we chose. We have dogs, large ones with huge barks that let us know if a field mouse farts a 1/4 mile away. When they decide something shouldnt be here they dont mind too well and take care of things . The goats alert us as well. Anything out of the ordinary and they are skreemin demons.
> 
> The house lol... if they make it that far ,, they would take one look at the shack and be severely dissapointed they just went through what they did to get here then most likely find the wrong end of a barrel in there nose.


Goats make great watch dogs and have no problem running people off.:2thumb:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't know if ours would run anyone off, but they certainly do let us know of something out of the ordinary.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

We have a gate across the driveway, stout cattle panel fencing around the house, 2 large loud dogs that can tag team anything that comes in the fenced in area ( and they do), and we have enough other vehicles around that it looks like theres always someone here even when we're gone. Motion sensor lights at the front of the house and at the big garage.
oh, and I have a shotgun that says that they're not leaving with anything if/when they make it in the house


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

We live an an area where strangers just don't like to wander around. It has a "reputation" so-to-speak. We had people question our sanity when they learned we were moving in here. We love it. The locals are great...as long as you're not a druggie, hippie, liberal, antigun, anti hunting, thief, or busybody. Some people have been strongly encouraged to not show their faces in the area. Some who live here (usually newbies) have been warned about driving habits with threats varying from bodily injury to flat tires due to impact punctures from a bullet. Those who don't like the standards of behavior usually sell out and go away in a few months. Those who stay usually enjoy the security and freedom that watchful, honest, independant neighbors provide.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

There is only one entrance into our neighborhood and we even live on a culdesac. I make a point to know my neighbors and their habits and vehicles. We watch out for each other. I have 2 boxers and I'm always well armed. We are home a lot and I work strange hours, so nobody can figure out my schedule.


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## beericus (Apr 6, 2010)

The enemies of the burglar are time and attention. The longer it takes to enter and the more noise he makes increase his chances of being seen and caught. Homes not easily and quickly broken into are most often bypassed for easier targets..

So use common sense, no house is burglar proof. 

My main concern is more of being broken into when Mrs. Beericus is home alone.


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## marlas1too (Feb 28, 2010)

if you live in the country Gennie hens make a loud ruckus if any strangers come around they are good watchdogs---------------------remember its better to have and not than need and not have


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

We live in a rural neighborhood of about 6 houses seven miles from the nearest town. We all look out for each other. Our house is right on the highway, which I don't care for now. We have a large dog and guinea hens. Our doors are locked whether we are home or not. If a stranger comes to the door we do not open it rather talk thru the door first till we know their intentions, (ran out of gas, flat tire etc.) I am more aware now than I use to be.


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