Does anyone have a safety tip they want to pass on to others? I learned a valuable one firsthand. Have a room in the house that has a door you can lock from the inside in case of an intruder. It will take longer to reach you, giving more time for help to arrive.

That must have been terrifying!!! (((HUGS)))

Mine would be install and Use a peephole...don't answer if you don't recognize them!!! If you see or they say that they are hurt, call 911 and let them handle it... Too many are using tricks to get you to open the door!

The intruder fled thankfully, however 2 weeks later actually did force entry to someone else. Fled again but was apprehended and spent some prison time. Calling 911 gave this advise and to never be forgotten. We installed several rooms with chain locks, high so young children cannot reach them. The trick he tried was to simply "knock" on the door. We live in the rural country.

So glad to hear you are OK and he was caught. How frightening!

So thankful that you're okay. I received a very thought provoking email just the other day about self protection in the home. They recommended keeping cans of wasp/hornet spray where every person in the home knew and could get to and use should they ever be faced with an intruder. That spray has quite a range and will definitely extend the amount of time you'll have for your next move. Perhaps those of us who get lost in our own world while watchin' that needle go up and down should move further back into the room and be facing the door when we raise our heads...put a can within reach of your chair and remember to have a phone handy at all times. Of course, a 38 or a shotgun will work just as well for some of us...but, you have to be able to get to it to use it! We all need to take time to plan for a what if...it might save our life.
Thanks so much for bringin' this up...unpleasant as it is, it is truly a community service message.

In addition to keeping ourselves safe, the most valuable thing you can have is VISIBLE house numbers. I learned this when riding with paramedics-people call 911 but their house isn't clearly marked so valuable time is wasted hunting for the correct house.

Thanks for this reminder. Our house is clearly marked, but we're moving and I don't think the new house has numbers on it and I know the roadside mailbox doesn't.

Ineal, so glad that guy was caught and successfully prosecuted. That must have been very scary. I know I often lock the bathroom door when I'm taking a shower and alone in the house. Maybe it's just lingering fears from the movie "Psycho" :shock: , but I feel more comfortable knowing someone would have to knock the door open to get in when I can't hear because of the running water.

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-chores036.gif

Mmmmmm, my Hubby sits all day with the front door unlocked. drives me nuts. but he's 20 yrs older than me and he waits for the mailman to bring in his mail. I work so am not home. it makes me cringe but he insists.

to: Sandy1951


I am lol at the little bathtub guy. Love it!

Quilter68

i have one i recently heard about----------take car keys to bedroom with u at night that have the panic button on them. If u hear something outside or in your house hit and it will scare intruders away----------easy but profound I thought.

When I am alone in the house and I am quilting, I always lock up because I am upstairs with the machines going and can't hear anything. Last summer my husband and I were watching tv with most of the lights out. At 10:30 at night our doorbell rang. Our dog went nuts. We heard heavy boots run down our steps and into the woods. We told the police and a few days later a ring of young thieves were found a few streets over in a very nice home.

i have my doors locked at all times, there is a registered sex offender who lives behind me---he creeps me out. but i say don't give anyone an opportunity-----my hubby is a truck driver and he had a man pull gun out and point it at him in traffic, he got his vanity plate number and reported it. never be too cautious but be aware of whats going on around u no matter where u are nowadays. be street smart they say.

Great post. Thanks! So glad you are okay.

Great tip I learned from my daughter (who does this). If your bedroom is within range of your car and you have a panic button on your keychain, keep it on your night table and if you have a problem in the night hit it and get the car going. It will alert neighbors that something is going on and probably scare off anyone trying to break in.

My husband and I were the victims of a home invasion about 18 months ago. After turning this wacked-out young woman away from the front door, my husband got on the phone to 911 (who were more than useless, btw).

I was (surprise!) in my sewing room along the side of the house. I saw her come walking by, not knowing what had happened at the front of the house.

To make a long story short, she pulled out a 15" knife and proceeded to slash out the window screen. I jumped up, closed the (double-paned) window, which she then broke through with the knife and climbed in.

We were never hurt, thankfully. By the time we got her out to the front yard -- she kept saying that she wanted my car -- the police showed up and took her away.

We learned several things: Yes, Martha, you CAN break a window with just a knife. Said window glass will get into EVERYTHING in the room. Alarm systems work really well when you remember that you have them (ours was only a week old and we completely forgot about it!). A can of mace, an axe handle, or even a fire extinguisher are all very good defensive tools. We keep one of each by every door. (I won't have a gun in the house, no matter what; sorry)

At some point, we would have been better served to just have thrown the phone on the floor (with the 911 operator still talking and asking stupid questions) and dealt with her on our own. We just kept backing up and trying to keep her at a distance.

The suggestion of the car alarm button is a good one, but only if your bedroom is close enough to the car.

Oh, the kicker is that she has *yet* to go to trial... :-[

Ladies never place your purse on the passenger seat next to you. Always place in on the floor under your legs next to the car seat, or nest to door beside your legs. I always lock my car as soon as I get in the car, then put whatever I have in hand in the backseat. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR WHAT IS AROUND YOU BEFORE EXITING OR ENTERING YOUR CAR.

These are all good! I lived alone until I was 34 and had my house broken into several times. I always lock my door when I am home and also when I am mowing the yard. If you are going to be gone for a few days, have your mail held. If you come home and your door is ajar - call 911. Tell them someone may still be in the house.

Thanks for all the info.

I bought a tire beater at a pawn shop just to keep in my car so if someone attacked me, it would be within reach, but then I found out that it was illegial to carry it in the car, so now I was thinking, what else could I keep in the car besides a pistol (which I don't keep in the car because of my grandkids)?

I then thought about my meat tenderiser. Have you ever noticed how heavy that thing is and seems to be just perfect for poppin an attacker on the head. I wonder if that would be illegal to carry in the car for protection?

Oh! by the way, I keep the tire beater hanging on my bedpost!! :thumbup:

I was once in a fabric store and noticed that as I went to exit, a creepy looking guy who'd been lurking in the store by the door started to follow me to my car. I immediately turned around like I forgot something at the store and returned. In doing this I faced him and got a good look at him. From the store, I kept my eye on him and he just wandered around the parking lot a bit before leaving it. I am sure he meant me harm. The best safety tip of all: follow your gut feeling. Better to be safe than sorry.

hpylady,
What's a tire beater? Never heard of it. Is it the same as a tire iron. Is it 4 heavy metal spokes like an "X"?

well I keep a big dog! We actually have 3 dogs so no one comes or goes without us knowing it. Our littlest dog is nicknamed "Cujo"...he thinks he's bad. He's point dog....he barks and growls first...then it would've been Bandit as his backup but we now wait on Tucker to grow up and be the reinforcements. Another 6 months though and he'll be close to being full size. With a growling little dog at your heels and 140lb "back up" dog barking people don't tend to bother things. Tucker at 5 months is the size of a golden so he has a bit of growing to do still but his bark is getting there. I never had a problem when Bandit was alive and doubt that I will when Tucker finishes growing. Most people see the size and hear the bark and head the other way.

Make sure the room you put the lock on has a phone so you can call 9-1-1. Not much good locking yourself in a room if you can't call for help. :)

About the dogs...friends were burglarized and the burglars took meatloaf out of the frig and fed it to the dogs while they robbed the place. They were beagle mix dogs, nothing huge & threatening. Just something to think about.

My little Pekingese, Sammy, would give burglars something to think about all right. He'd lick them to death if they didn't trip over him first while he laid on his back in front of them to get his tummy rubbed. :mrgreen:

My son plays baseball - I keep a baseball bat in the house nearby and a fire poker at the front door. I also keep a baseball bat in the car - very legimate reason, we keep it there for practise.

These are all good idea. I have 2 dogs who are very noisy, but I don't think htey are viscious. I have never let them get close enough to a stangetr to find out. But they will get attention!

when you;r in car always lock you doors day or night,and alway keep a tote with emergency things like a blanket ,flashlight,fresh battery,s and hammer to break glass if you need to

Another one I practice is when I forget to lock my car doors, I always check the back seat before leaving.

What great advice!
I have 2 dogs who just don't want anyone near the house.

Tell children if anyone ever picks them up, or is coming towards them, to start yelling:
"STRANGER!!!"
Otherwise, ppl may assume a child has misbehaved and the parent is just "handling" the situation.
Too many ppl nowadays, do not coach their children about what to do.
My hubby stopped in a toy store, for me, and he saw what appeared to be a three year old, pass a lady and started looking panicked. The lady began to ask the child if it was lost, and hubby, wanting to help, too, followed, and they quickly spotted the frantic mother yelling into a cell phone.
The mother and child grabbed each other and the child began wailing almost hysterically. The mother was so upset by it all, she almost looked at the woman and my husband as if they were, "the bad guys".
So, sensing that they just needed to be alone, he told the mom, "well, you have your boy, and everything is ok, and left."
For him to tell me about it, it must have been a little disturbing to him too. He never tells me anything.
This is a great thread, bc I always lock doors if home alone, and he thinks it's silly. He sat here while I read to him.
He'll listen to y'all.

My children's Taekwondo instructor teaches a class for women on how to use mace and how to escape if someone grabs you. I think every woman should take a self-defense course and learn about what to watch for.
When I was in college, I was attacked while walking back from the stable to my car at about midnight (after a rodeo). I was walking between two dark outbuildings on a ranch I worked on and was jumped. I didn't have time to react before being knocked unconscious. Fortunately, another ranch hand found me when they saw that my car had not left yet. I spent almost a week in the hospital with a serious head injury, a cracked jaw, and cracked ribs. I was lucky to be alive and not in a coma. I thought it wouldn't happen to me. After that, I am terrified of the dark. My parents live on a ranch and I have a hard time walking more than a few feet outside the lights at night, even though it has been over fifteen years since I was attacked. Not that it would have helped, but I have taken self-defense courses and I have a concealed weapons permit and I carry a 357 magnum when I travel, as well as keep a loaded shotgun in my closet (where the kids cannot get to it.) My husband is a sharpshooter and my sister is an NRA gun instructor and managed a gun store my parents owned for years. I feel a woman cannot be too safe. Just my personal opinion, there.

annaK.......a tire beater is a wooden stick that is around 22" long, kinda like a minature baseball bat. You see policemen carry them around to beat their attackers. I thought it would be perfect for me to carry around in my car for protection.

Excuse the language in this video, but this one of the reasons I carry mace and a gun. This video is incredibly frightening if you place yourself in the shoes of the driver. I cannot imagine.

http://www.break.com/index/ptcruiser.html