Cheap Burglar Alarm

[seamusTX]

You can buy intrusion alarms based on various technologies at Radio Shack and other such places. If there is a single path of access to your porch, an infrared beam would be best. A horn and a strobe light would make teenage intruders beat feet and probably not come back.

This may seem like overkill for sneak thieves, but it would also be effective against more ill-intentioned night visitors.

- Jime

[KBCraig]

You can buy intrusion alarms based on various technologies at Radio Shack and other such places. If there is a single path of access to your porch, an infrared beam would be best. A horn and a strobe light would make teenage intruders beat feet and probably not come back.

This may seem like overkill for sneak thieves, but it would also be effective against more ill-intentioned night visitors.

- Jime

I might do something like that. Beams work great because you can set them high enough that the dogs and cats won't set them off.

Back to the original poster's question, which I hijacked: the best cheap alarm and intrusion deterrent can be had from your local humane society. Our triple-redundant "system" was no doubt raising all sorts of ruckus when my fridge got raided, but we weren't there to respond to the alarm.

Unlike a simple alarm system, they also serve as a physical barrier.

Here are ours:



The poodle is a lover, not a fighter. The little yellow terrier mix is the number one alarm system. The one to be feared, for someone who doesn't belong, is the Border Collie/terrier mix. She's a sweetheart with us, distrusting of strangers, and just crazy enough to turn into 45 pounds of snapping fury if cornered by a stranger.

Kevin

[sparx]

Back to the original poster's question, which I hijacked: the best cheap alarm and intrusion deterrent can be had from your local humane society. Our triple-redundant "system" was no doubt raising all sorts of ruckus when my fridge got raided, but we weren't there to respond to the alarm.

No you didn't (hijack) KBCraig! Any good ideas are great to hear about, and your family (even the dressed ones ) look like winners! Our best (though far from cheapest) alarm system is this trio of girls:



From left to right we have a 13 yr. old yapper (a Shi-Tzu/Cocker/Poodle mix), a 1.5 yr. old "I haven't decided what I want to be yet" Labradoodle we inherited in January when dad passed away, and the most lovable-once-you-know-me Border Collie/Beagle mix that was abandoned, hungry and wormy, but found us outside Ranger one cold and rainy February afternoon on our way back from Abilene a year and a few months ago (we suspect she's a little over 2 yrs. old now). She's actually the one that people are the most fearful of, but in reality has the sweetest disposition of them all (if you're not a stranger).

BTW, if you have a wireless home network I have seen tiny wireless security cameras that are activated by motion to record the video captured to your PC's hard drive. They're not too expensive, and we've thought seriously of doing that when we found someone tried to break into our old Honda parked outside the garage a month or so back. They didn't get in... just jammed up the lock real good with a screwdriver.

[KBCraig]

I've been checking out the "network cameras" (or "IP cameras"), as they're called. A good hard-wired version can be had for well under $100, and wireless for about twice that. They actually have their own webserver and email software, so that they serve pictures that can be viewed from any browser (with the proper login, of course), and can email you when the motion detector is triggered. You can even set them up to stream video to your cell phone when the alarm triggers.

That's a great story about Chloe! What a gorgeous dog! I don't think I agree with the BC/beagle mix, though... that's a Jack Russell head (and ears) if I've ever seen one. Strays are seldom just two kinds of dog, but if I had to pick two, I'd say Jack Russell and Pembroke Corgi. Definitely a JRT head, and a thick body like a long-legged Corgi. The sharp tri-color markings occur with both breeds.

Mary was reading the story, and reached exactly the same conclusion independently. (She's a lot better at guessing than I am, since she's been a groomer for 15 years and sees hundreds of dogs a week as salon manager at a "major nationwide pet chain", as she prefers to put it.)

Our two girl dogs are also rescues. We've had Honey (the blonde) for about six months, and she's finally decided she likes us. She loves John David, our three year old. He could take her anywhere on lead, because she's not getting more than a foot from his side. We've had Katie (the BC mix) for about two years. In the 4+ years that we've been married, we've fostered a dozen or more dogs, and found homes for all but three. Honey and Katie were just too shy to place until past the point when they'd become keepers. And Lady --the greatest dog who ever lived (half German Shepherd, half Australian Shepherd)-- came to us when she was 11, and spent her last two years as happy and comfortable as we could make her.

Oliver the standard poodle is still Alpha Dog, and knows his place in this world. He's 11, and is just now starting to slow down just slightly. He can still clear a 4' fence without touching it, though.

Kevin

[cjlandry]

Good looking dogs, guys!

Our dog died about a month ago. Old age got him. He was half Dachshund and half Feist. He looked like a really tall solid black dachshund. He was one of those that would bark at a stranger while running away in reverse.

Since then I've been trying to get my wife to get another. I really want an Aussie Shepherd this time around. She's partial to the Yorkshire-type dogs.

With me working away from home so much (I leave for Rifle, Colorado in about an hour), I'd feel better if they had an early warning system in the house. I believe I'm gonna initiate a search for a new dog when I return home.

[sparx]

Thanks for the info on the security web cams KBCraig. I hadn't really looked into them before, and had just "heard" about them somewhere. I've got a few fake plastic security cameras that I could Velcro to a wall, but Kathy thought it might not be a good idea at the moment since we suspect the neighbors next to us might be drug dealers, and the faux-cams are made to be noticed (and since they're not real, would hate to be "retaliated against" with no proof or evidence of any retaliation!). I purchased them for one of my district's stores in the past that was having loss issues... turned out to be an employee. :-/

Our "kid" also thanks you for the complements! We were thinking Chloe was part Corgi, too, but when the vet said "No, definitely a BC/Beagle mix" we thought he would know better than us (being a vet and all). My sister-in-law also said Chloe looked to be a Corgi mix (Pembroke I think she even said... she breeds/trains Golden Retrievers for show), but we had never considered a JRT. Thanks! As you mentioned, with the head and ears, we certainly didn't put BC/Beagle together either (not being that educated in various dog breeds), but with the tri-color and the fact that she's out-run every other dog she's met (extremely fast, quick, and can literally turn on a dime) we thought it plausible so left it at that. We'll be looking into the JRT particulars with more attention now!

Tilly is the Labradoodle, and we were wondering where she got such a deep, and almost flat (width-wise), chest. Now that I've seen a picture of Oliver, I know exactly which "side" of the tree that trait came from!

BTW, I'm glad you liked the "story" about Chloe... I almost didn't link it, as I've neglected to keep it updated this past year, right along with my main site. There were just so many things going on with the company I'm with (alliances and now a merger), moving out of an apartment into a rental house, or family issues that there just wasn't enough room even on the back burner. At least now it's back on the back burner so hopefully (if I can break away from TexasCHLforum long enough ) I'll get to those needed updates eventually.

[sparx]

Sorry to hear about your dog, cjlandry. Since my wife and I have no children, our "puppies" are our kids and know very well how attached they can become. Our oldest at the moment, Peaches (the yapper) does the same thing (barks while backing up... usually to between our legs if she can manage it... real terror, that one!). I, too, am quite partial to Australian Shepards. I haven't really seen one yet that didn't (or wouldn't) make a great cattle dog.

Rifle, CO looks like beautiful country (at least on the Google satellite map). It's been eons since I've been in Colorado. I used to do a lot of backpacking and rock climbing around Steamboat and the Estes Park areas when I was a kid, and did a year of college in Denver, but have never made it back since (unfortunately). Have a safe trip!