Home Security here in Lee County? Dog? Gun? System? (Fort Myers: foreclosure, renting)

[cpslaughter]

All three here. The Dog is a Pitt (she wakes me up). The Gun is loaded. The security system is so that the police can get here to watch the poor fellow take his last breath.

[Huckleberry3911948]

a dog may bark
an alarm may ring
but when a shotgun goes off
the fat lady will sing
from bunky's book of ditties
signed
huck aka bunky

[Samiamnh]

Huck...I hear ya......my Mossburg 500 with 00 buckshot is all we need....no need to call the police.....just an ambulance or a hurst.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Ruby24

Please people don't just buy a dog for protection. Dogs should be bought for companionship and to give them a loving home. dogs are living creatures not an alarm system and you never want to train them to be aggressive.

I agree. It breaks my heart to see the way many people treat dogs in Florida.

[MrsTommy]

I've had all three in my life: guns, alarms and dogs.

You really can't (or shouldn't) keep guns loaded and/or handy with kids in the house. Consequently, I never got much of a sense of security from them.

Having worked in Law Enforcement, I know how slowly different agencies respond to alarm calls. You could be dead and cooling before the cops ever get to the house.

I have two dogs now. Both are our babies. But our babies are big and protective and loud. Any time anybody comes to the door, it sounds like we're breeding rabid Pit Bulls inside. An alarm salesman came to my door one day, trying to sell me a system while the "mad dogs" barked and growled and sounded like they were trying to chew their way out the front door. I just looked at him and said; "Does it SOUND like I need an alarm system?"

[JBMallory]

There is no error in keeping a gun loaded in a house with children.
I have one above a clock that hangs on the wall-no issue
I have a couple in a locked closet in my bedroom-again, no issue
I have a pistol next to my bed on my nightstand, bedroom door is locked when we're home with the kids and it goes with me everywhere-again, no issue

There was a prowler in my old neighborhood. I called three times and reported it to the local sheriffs office. The fourth time i politely told the operator "listen, i have called 3 times, and i will only tell you this once, i have a gun, im pretty sure he doesnt, and i am certain im a better shot than he is"

35 seconds later (we lived less than 1/4 mile from the station) an officer showed up, ran the guy off and he never came back.

[Rainbow girl]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

Dog? nah, why waste your time with something so simple?
Security system? good for summoning the slab savers and paper pushers
Shotgun/Pistol? Great Investment, no monthly up keep, no feeding, no contracts...

I also want to correct some statements made about CCW.

You cannot carry in:
Government owned buildings
A bar, or a restaurant where you have to cross a bar area to enter or exit or use the restroom.
Hospitals
"Crowds of 50 or more people"?-No merit to that statement.
"Three steps away" is not a law, it is a suggestion, an unloaded firearm is a brick. You can keep a loaded weapon in your vehicle, as long as it is enclosed, glovebox, console, holster, etc.

Any business that posts "no weapons allowed" is infringing on your right to bear arms.

A good set of locks, even on the windows (so they cannot be open more than 6 inches or so), thorny bushes around windows. Motion activated lights, or lights that are always on even. If you like dogs, then what the heck, own one, most dogs bark at noises and when the doorbell rings. Keep your house locked when you're home AND away. Make it as hard as possible to get into, make it impossible to do so without being seen.

lights, locks, loaded guns

Your posts really scare me. I am moving to Fort Myers in a couple of weeks and hope I don't have to feel that afraid all the time. What areas are so bad? Are there any good areas? We were there recently and I didn't see anything going on illegal. Give me some input here about where to stay away from. Stuff can happen anywhere but I don't want to be in the middle of alot of crime on a daily basis.

[Ruby24]

Originally Posted by Rainbow girl

Your posts really scare me. I am moving to Fort Myers in a couple of weeks and hope I don't have to feel that afraid all the time. What areas are so bad? Are there any good areas? We were there recently and I didn't see anything going on illegal. Give me some input here about where to stay away from. Stuff can happen anywhere but I don't want to be in the middle of alot of crime on a daily basis.

I'm moving to the area too and I think there is a lot of paranoia about crime on this board.

Looking at the crime statistics and listening to the local news doesn't make the area out to be as crime ridden as people make it sound.

For sure there are areas of Fort myers I would stay away from, but for the most part it looks safe to me.

No matter where you live there are break ins. Nowhere is safe from that. Homes in Beverly Hils are burglarized. You do sensible things to protect your property, but I agree if you listened to all the people on this board ready to blow someone's head off it's a little daunting.

Don't be afraid to move to Fort Myers. Fort Myers needs people like you.

[Rainbow girl]

Originally Posted by Ruby24

I'm moving to the area too and I think there is a lot of paranoia about crime on this board.

Looking at the crime statistics and listening to the local news doesn't make the area out to be as crime ridden as people make it sound.

For sure there are areas of Fort myers I would stay away from, but for the most part it looks safe to me.

No matter where you live there are break ins. Nowhere is safe from that. Homes in Beverly Hils are burglarized. You do sensible things to protect your property, but I agree if you listened to all the people on this board ready to blow someone's head off it's a little daunting.

Don't be afraid to move to Fort Myers. Fort Myers needs people like you.

Thanks Ruby, I agree with you, some people take everything to the extreme. I don't live in the best area of town now but we do okay. There will always be areas to stay away from and to avoid and that is my main problem I don't know which areas those are but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. When we were there in August I felt quite safe. I thought it was a beautiful city. As soon as we drove into it we said this is where we want to be. I don't ever fool myself to think any city is perfect but I think we'll be happy there.

[mrcoolmrcool28]

Here's how to handle security...Buy a BIG pair of old boots size 14 or 15, at a secondhand store, leave them on your porch along with some "Guns and Ammo" magazines, and a few BIG dog bowls. THEN put a note on the door that says "Bubba! Me and JimBob, Big 'un and Slim went down to the WalMart for some more beer and ammo. Be back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls, they messed up the mailman pretty bad this morning. I don't think Killer was involved, but it's hard to tell, there's too much blood. I locked all four of 'em in the house."