The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Home invasion at elderly neighbor's house. I'm a good shot but not mentally prepared

Mainah · January 4, 2015, 07:41 PM

The police response time around here is half an hour, at best. I'm in the same rural environment that the OP described. That doesn't get better with an alarm, the bad guys know it. They'll break into an alarmed home and do their thing while the alarm is going off. From my perspective, based on where I live a security service sign is just an advertisement for valuable stuff in my home.

Dogs are a great warning system. But as others have pointed out they're also a big commitment, not worth it if you don't love owning them. And dogs that bark at everything can condition you to tune a lot out. I've owned over ten dogs, and only a couple of them knew when to get my attention when it was important and just watch when it wasn't.

Keep in mind that the guys who hit your neighbor likely targeted her because she was an old lady. Furthermore I have to wonder if it was a coincidence that they hit the house while her husband was in the shower, I suspect they'd been watching for awhile.

So reach out to all the neighbors. Strange traffic is easy to spot in rural locations. Work together and keep an eye on things. I live on a quiet dead end road. I smile and waive at every car that comes down the street when I'm working by the road or walking the dog. To be friendly, and to let them know I've seen them.

January 4, 2015, 07:41 PM	#24
Mainah Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2007 Posts: 1,119	The police response time around here is half an hour, at best. I'm in the same rural environment that the OP described. That doesn't get better with an alarm, the bad guys know it. They'll break into an alarmed home and do their thing while the alarm is going off. From my perspective, based on where I live a security service sign is just an advertisement for valuable stuff in my home. Dogs are a great warning system. But as others have pointed out they're also a big commitment, not worth it if you don't love owning them. And dogs that bark at everything can condition you to tune a lot out. I've owned over ten dogs, and only a couple of them knew when to get my attention when it was important and just watch when it wasn't. Keep in mind that the guys who hit your neighbor likely targeted her because she was an old lady. Furthermore I have to wonder if it was a coincidence that they hit the house while her husband was in the shower, I suspect they'd been watching for awhile. So reach out to all the neighbors. Strange traffic is easy to spot in rural locations. Work together and keep an eye on things. I live on a quiet dead end road. I smile and waive at every car that comes down the street when I'm working by the road or walking the dog. To be friendly, and to let them know I've seen them.