burglaries....cow bells

[Nomad]

Let me explain.
Home burglaries have gone up in my neighborhood.
My next door neighbor was hit hard.
The police say usually it is because someone forgot to put the alarm on and that was probably her case.

Last night, my husband didn't lock his car door. Guess what? His car was burglarized last night...got the GPS and a few other things.

We have a home alarm.

One thing that has always sort of bothered me is the screen enclosure. It really isn't a big deal, but I would like to know if anyone is coming into it.

So, I got the idea to put a cow bell or Christmas bells on the screen enclosure doors. My thought is that if someone opens the door, they will be surprised by the noise. Also, if it is loud enough and I'm home, for the most part, I will be aware of someone opening the screen enclosure door (s).

It sounds kind of goofy, but I think it might work.

The police said that most of these burglaries are simply a matter of opportunity and that these guys just run in and run out and they don't want any trouble....no loud noises, no dogs, no one home...etc.

Anyway, here is the weird question (or two): Does anyone know of good cow bells or Chrstmas bells that I could put on the doors? NICE AND LOUD ones? And what do you think would make a louder noise when opening up a screen door...an attached cow bell or Christmas bells (attached to leather or something like it??)
Can't use wind chimes, then it might be making noise all the time.



Thanks.

ps Yesterday at the Pet Store, I saw these two GIGANTIC German Shepards...they are a "couple." Believe me...I'm thinking of taking them in. They were HUGE! LOL!

 

[muttmeister]

I don't know about the cowbells but, as I am a dog person, the first thing I thought of while reading your post was that you need a dog. LOL Actually, you don't even need a BIG dog. Studies have shown that the kind of burglars you describe are deterred by ANY dog barking. If they are targeting you specifically, a dog may not help but if they are just looking for the path of least resistance, dogs are a great deterrent.

 

[Nomad]

We use to have a very large dog and I did feel much safer with him around. AND he was kind of mean, especially to men. Not sure I would exactly recommend to have a dog like this...BUT, I DID see the advantages. (hee hee)
I currently have a tiny little dog and she terrorizes lizards. Sigh.

 

[tiredmommy]

Personally, I like the dog idea. My other thought is to wire a simple alarm on the door that buzzes when it opens. You'll become used to the sound during the day, but it should be loud enough to be heard at night, at least by the intruder. Also, decent motion detection lights are great deterrents. We use them in our back yard. We're not as concerned about burglary (hasn't been too much of a problem around here) but rather the risk of teens "pool hopping" in the wee hours of the night.

 

[Hound dog]

I think a cow bell would be louder than a xmas bell. It's a sound that is meant to carry over distance. Also would be an odd sound that would cause neighbors to turn their heads and look for the source.

But I also like the dog idea. Makes sense since I have 3 of them. Dogs don't always deter with just their barks. Molly has went after more than one intruder. Once I believe she fully intended to go straight through the front door if necessary. None of them made it inside. All 3 of mine are big breeds. I admire and coo over other people's small dogs, but I want a big dog myself.

If an intruder has more than just grab and run on his/her mind, my dogs job is to do their utter best to stop them while we're calling cops and preparing to defend ourselves. Little dogs......are adorable, but not quite as able bodied to fit that role.

I'd try the cow bell and if that doesn't work, I'd start looking for a new fur baby that will be medication to large size.

 

[donna723]

The first thing I thought of too was a dog. It doesn't have to be a big dog, just one that barks a lot. I have four of them and when anyone approaches the house, the barking is just deafening! Together they sound like a lot more than just four dogs! I figure that would be enough to persuade a potential burglar to change their mind and go to a different house that doesn't have four dogs! I have one that doesn't bark at all but two that more than make up for the silent one. If one barks, the others figure they're on to something and they all join in. Three of mine are 20-30 pounds but my mixed breed is bigger and very protective of me and if anyone ever got in they'd have to go through her first and they'd have to be crazy to try it! I have no doubt that she would cheerfully nail anyone who actually came in the house uninvited.

If you wanted to put something on the doors, regular little Christmas jingle bells wouldn't be very loud. But they make those big ones (about the size of a ping pong ball) that are really loud. I don't know if you could find them now but I've seen them with 5 or 6 of them attached to a ribbon, a decoration meant to be hung on a door knob. I had some for a while and we hung them on the door knob but had to take them down because they were just too darn loud!

 

[TerryJ2]

Absolutely, a dog is the best thing ever. When my dogs are at the vet or groomers, I actually get nervous, and my parents always complained that I was too bold, with-too much bravado, and not afraid of anything. I didn't realize how much I'd come to rely on my dogs after we moved into this big house with-all this property.

I use little cowbells on the door handles, which the dogs use when they want to go out. They butt the bells with-their noses.
But if someone comes in, I can also hear the bells.

I would suggest that a larger bell could be purchased at a feed and seed store. But if you don't like shopping around, just Google it. Be sure you check the size before ordering.

So sorry about the break-ins. We've had rashes maybe 3X and it's nearly always the same group of kids. Half of them move on to more serious crimes and the other half get jobs, get married and turn into macho jerks like our neighbors in back.

 

[TerryJ2]

Here: http://www.cowbells.com/

Oooh, they even have pink ones! http://www.cowbells.com/collections/frontpage/products/bargain-cow-bells

 

[recoveringenabler]

Nomad, everyone has given you good thoughts already. Your post made me think of my Dad (bi-polar, generally very odd) who when he was very sick and getting more and more vulnerable before he passed away, he was frightened that their home would be broken into, but he did not want to get a dog. He built a dog house and placed it so it could be readily seen; he bought those signs that say, Beware of the Dog, and placed them on the fences, and he had some weird tape of a dog barking that was somehow attached to the doors so when the door was opened, the "dog" barked. All the illusions of a dog, without a real dog. Strange but effective.

 

[susiestar]

I would go and get some of those electronic alarms meant for the doors and windows instead of a cow bell. They are LOUD. They are also cheap. here is a search for them on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=door+alarm

I read some of the reviews on cow bells on amazon and many of them had bad reviews because they were not loud or made no noise when attached to doors the way you are talking about.

as for dogs, it is very true that small dogs work about as well as big dogs for deterring many crimes. A burglar who wanted in and out with no problems would avoid homes wtih ANY dogs.

You could always balance an empty can or bottle on top of the doorknob and it would clatter when it fell off.

I hope the burglars get caught soon and you can feel more safe in your home.

 

[TerryJ2]

Recoveringenabler, maybe your dad wasn't so odd after all (assuming you meant weird/odd and not oppositional defiance) ... no dog poop to clean up, either!

 

[DDD]

The little electronic things that are smaller than a pack of cigarettes and send a beam from one side of a doorway to another work really well. We have a store and the "beep" tells us when anyone enters or leaves the store. How is your hearing? My hearing is extremely acute. husband can't hear worth a dang. If we didn't have Ace the wonder dog I know that I would respond to the "beep" from the inconspicuous doorway protector thingy. DDD

PS: Which reminds me, lol, Ace jumps up and runs to the door barking when the pizza delivery commercial comes on TV! Yikes.

 

[witzend]

We don't have a screened in porch but my neighbor does, and her garage was broken into a few weekends ago. Luckily an alert neighbor saw someone walking a dirt-bike down the street at 3 in the morning and knew something was up and called the police. I'm going to tell her about this idea. I think she'll like it.

 

[DammitJanet]

I like the invisible dog to be honest. I have the most annoying tiny dog on the planet along with a larger dog. We call my inside dog the guard dog. We dont need a doorbell. If anyone pulls in the yard you can here that dog barking the moment you get out of the car. What might be good is to get a pad that if stepped on sends a signal to the barking dog. This would work out well if it would set off your real dog too.

 

[witzend]

My neighbor has a dog that she swears is a greyhound but it's way too short for a greyhound. It's a bull of some sort. Anyway, when her garage was broken into and the dirt bike and Pirelli tires were stolen, that dog snoozed right through it. He's a great big baby!

 

[muttmeister]

Actually, I have two good sized dogs and they bark like crazy when I'm home but one time when the electrician was coming, I told the guy that if he was worried about the dogs he should lock them in the bathroom so when he was done and I saw him I asked if the dogs were any trouble and he said, "What dogs?" Apparently they were scared and went and hid. LOL At least they bark when I'm home. Maybe they're saying, "Save me, save me." LOL

 

[AnnieO]

I like the motion sensor thingies. We had one that scared the SNOT out of the cats. Kept 'em upstairs.

Bubbles sounds like a rabid (insert hated breed of the day) here. Think Cujo. And then... He will lick you to death. So if it's 2 AM and he barks, husband goes for the shotgun and I go for the cell phone... And burglars beware if you have a problem with dog slobber!

 

[InsaneCdn]

There are at least two "flavors" of working dogs - I don't know about the non-working breeds.
One set is like the German Shepherds. These are "territorial" dogs. They defend their (and therefore your) territory, usually at least very vocally and often aggressively.
The other set is like the Labradors. These are "pack" dogs. They defend their pack - i.e. everyone they live with. While they are usually friendly, if a member of the "pack" is threatened, they can be very aggressive / protective.

Mine are Lab crosses. I'm not sure they would protect the house much when we are gone. But... good luck to the person who breaks in and tries to put ME out of commission. Two big black dogs aren't something to mess with. We've been around "shady" characters in the later evening, and when the dogs see these coming down the street, they immediately assume aggressive/protective postures... and for some reason, these people always seem to need to cross over to the other side... not sure why... <lol>

 

[Star*]

IF .......you feel at ANY TIME your home is being watched or uncomfortable - you can call 911 - and ask them to have a special property check - and the officer will go to your house walk around it, check the property, and you can request that they CALL YOU back - or you can call back to the 911 center and have that officer call you later after he's been there. (one time deal)

if you feel this is an ongoing problem?? Call the front desk and ask the DESK SERGEANT to have a patrol come through your neighborhood a couple times a day - AND ask them HOW to organize a neighborhood crime patrol......or crime watch.....or at the least - talk to your neighbors and tell them what is up WHO isn't supposed to be at your house and to call 911 if any suspicious people or cars are in the neighborhood for ANY length of time - driving through, stopping, looking - or even walking through -

Your neighbors KNOW who is and isn't LIKELY to be in your neighborhood - Don't worry about hurting someones feelings...........CALL 911.

it's what they're there for.