[Canaqua]

Our bedrooms are on the second floor, so those windows are open when it's warm out. I shut and lock the ground floor windows when we go to bed. I don't generally lock up anything when I'm home and awake.

There was a time when we left our doors unlocked all the time...there was a period of a couple of years when we didn't even have a key to our own doors, it had been lost and it didn't matter. But, a few years ago, some local fools started going into unlocked houses and cars and stealing stuff, so now it's locked up when we aren't home. Jerks...way to ruin a worry free neighborhood.
Because of the dogs, no one would get very far trying to steal anything from our house anyway, but why put the dogs through having to attack someone (they would!) and possibly US getting in trouble for it...so we lock up now .

[Hulk]

Lived here my whole life and no locks or locking things up until last August we adopted 2 kittens and set up the sun porch as a nursery for them. Well we lived in fear someone would open the front door and mistakenly let them out. So all of a sudden the front door is locked and everyone is totally blown of balance that the front door was locked. Well they are big girls now and enjoy the whole house, and we are right back to nothing is locked ever. We even leave the keys in all the vehicles in case someone needs to move it or use it.

[Guin]

I never lock the house, let alone the windows. I'd boil to death in the summer if I couldn't have the windows open! How in the world do you sleep if you have the windows locked? Even in the dead of winter I have them open an inch for fresh air.

[rmh_rider]

We live in the country, and sleep with manchester terriers (2). Even through they are under the covers at all times, they are TRUE burglar alarms. Their noses and ears and dog bark systems still work under cover - literally.

So we leave the windows open when we sleep.

I rest my case.

[RLastInstallment]

I live out in the boonies, so I will occasionally sleep with my windows open. I grew up in suburbia, and we always locked our doors/windows even when we were home. Habits die hard, so I always lock my doors when I leave the house but I'll usually leave them unlocked and sometimes open when I'm home. I can very easily hear someone pulling into my drive, plus any suspicious noises turn on my Pug alarm She is small but mighty.

[HighFlyinBey++]

I live on the third floor and the floors below me have security stickers on their doors. No worries about anything

[Superminion]

I used to be really lax about leaving doors/windows unlocked, then we got broken into through the (2nd floor!!) balcony so I make sure the house is buttoned up at night. I think who ever decided to go round 2 would be pretty sorry... our terrorist and her 60lb minion would make short work of anybody who tried.

[danceronice]

I don't have a choice here on windows--the previous owners made it impossible to open any of them without removing INNER sets of storm windows or screwed-in plexi, so I'm waiting until I have the funds to replace them (roof and siding got priority and either the floors or the wellhead should be next.) Door is locked. At my parents, on the second floor of a house with a hard-wired alarm system, I'll open the window if it feels stuffy and the A/C isn't on.

[leheath]

I work in a field where I see crime/the bad side of humanity every day and yet I still don't lock my doors (except the one where someone could accidentally let my dogs out), open and close my windows based on the temperature, and my security system is 3 large dogs who bark but would probably hide behind me in a "dangerous" situation! I sleep just fine at night (unless the darn neighbor's dogs start barking at 2am, in which case I close the windows!) and have lived this way in urban, suburban, and rural environments. If someone really wants to get in, they will get in, so I just don't worry about it.

[SSacky]

Here in Sweden I live on the 7th floor (with ground floor being considered floor 0, so the 8th floor really). So I have no qualms leaving my window open.

At my uni in Canada I was on the second floor, next to the fire escape so I would only leave the window not facing the fire escape open. There isn't much crime in a student town because we're all poor students, but there are crazy drunks, so its more to avoid nuisances.

At home home everyone in my family leaves upstairs windows open. Heck we're considered weird for locking our front door at night

[HighFlyinBey++]

I don't have a choice here on windows--the previous owners made it impossible to open any of them without removing INNER sets of storm windows or screwed-in plexi

Doesn't the thought of being trapped in a fire scare the pants off of you?

[Adamantane]

I often leave the upstairs casement windows partly rolled out even in the winter and sometimes open the door to the second floor deck in the bedroom. Nobody could get through any of the windows in the house on a bet without simply smashing them. And then there is always the Mossberg.

[up-at-5]

I lock the doors when we leave for work, but they're unlocked at night when we are home. My car keys are in the ignition. Windows are wide open in the summer.

[BuddyRoo]

I keep my doors locked even when I'm home. I do have windows open, but none are at ground level and there are no balconies.

At our old house, not so much. But here? Absolutely.

[witherbee]

No. If the weather is nice, they are open day and night, whether we're home or not.

I live in a rural area. If someone wants to break into my house, they could easily break a window and get in. If they are unlucky and we are home, though, they are likely to meet one of us with a shotgun. Two dogs that bark are also a deterrent, although it's hard to know how they would react if a stranger did make it into the house.

In general, I don't think we live a lifestyle or in an environment that would make us a likely target for a quick "convenience" type of crime/theft. I know I'd never consider sneaking up on any of my neighbors for fear of being shot.

Same here - I don't think of closing the windows when it is nice unless it is to worry that one of the dogs or cats would push a screen out. Very rarely do we have the kind of weather where the windows are open. When they are closed they are always locked, otherwise they tend to pop open.

We too are armed and have 5 dogs, so would hope that would deter and make someone look for an easier target. Our dogs are in the yard most of the day and early evening, so if anyone were casing the place, they would see the 2 big dogs charging the fenceline and hopefully choose another farm. Our neighbor had his old riding lawnmower stolen and our new one was left, so I would imagine the dogs did their job.

That said, it is good to review security now and then and I will be more cognizant of leaving the house when the windows are open, and also to leaving the doors unlocked when I am home alone.

[Rubyfree]

When we're not home, closed and locked. We are in the middle of the city with no street visible entrance... most people don't know our apartment is back here, but once you find it one could take their sweet time getting in and no one would be the wiser.

We also don't have AC and would DIE if we didn't leave the windows open at night in warm weather. Anyone wandering in would be cheerfully greeted by the 150 lb dog, vicious attack cat, unpleasantly awoken irish woman and irish man looking for an excuse to use his new machete.

[Windsor1]

Not that you would want anyone breaking into your home no matter what your living arrangements but as a woman living alone I ABSOLUTELY lock the lower-level doors and windowsat night. May leave the unlocked during the day if I'm home, but usually not. Second-floor windows remain unlocked 24/7 and I'll open the windows at night if temps permit.

Housecat affords little protection against intruders.

I have often pondered the horror of waking up in the middle of the night with someone standing over me. No thanks.

I used to live in a ground-floor apartment and would actually check tub/shower, under bed, in closets before going to bed. A little paranoid, perhaps, but there was always that niggling question in my mind of whether someone was hiding and waiting until I went to bed. And I think it was worse because my apartment backed to woods.

[TBRedHead]

Quick answer: I don't even have, or know where a key to my house IS! There are 3 dogs in this house, big dogs, including a new rescue who is more then happy to offer to rip people's throats out if they come through the front door (which I am working on.) I live on the Central Coast of ca, next to the ocean, so Everything's always wide open anyways. I also have guns, stashed everywhere around my house, if the dogs don't work. And if nothing else, I have nine hens that will surround a person and make a racket, which will alert someone nearby. LOL.

The only "burglary" I've had over the years was a BIL who lived with My mom next door, and started doing drugs which = sticky fingers. He was finally caught, was sent to jail for stealing $15,000 worth of stuff from my husbands horse rescue he co-runs with a friend.

[Natalie A]

I live on the 4th floor of my apartment building, and leave them open. Benefits of city-living, I guess! Even a mile or so away where I grew up, though, we always locked first-floor windows at night. It's a nice area of town, but break-ins do happen so I was taught to be prudent.

I just also got a dog so I feel so much safer (although he would be a pretty useless dog in that situation, he'd probably just try to get butt rubs from the criminal least he's 70 lbs and looks imposing!)

[jherold]

I lock doors at night, but I don't have air conditioning so in the summer, all the windows are opened. I have a collie and a shepherd. I figure most thieves would think that if the poor sod can't afford air conditioning there's probably nothing worth stealing! If they want to get in when I'm not home, I'd rather they just open the door and take what little I have and not break anything.