Did you lock your doors in the US?

The sound. That wretched, god-awful sound ... was baby foxes. 

I know that sound.  When I first moved to London, I heard the screams and was convinced someone was being killed, beaten, raped...or all at the same time!  And it turned out to be mating foxes.

Either I've learned to block it out, or Glasgow foxes are quieter, but I haven't heard that sound in years... thankfully!

I miss that sound! Badgers can be pretty screamy at night too.

In the US, I always locked up when I was out and at night. When I lived in rural Wales, I often forgot to lock the door when I went out and it never worried me. Now that I'm married and living in Cornwall, we always lock up at night and when we're out - but I don't know how much of that is necessity and how much is because my husband's habits have rubbed off on me. I suppose either way it's a good idea.

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere where I locked the door if I was home in the daytime. In fact, most of the time, the doors and windows are left wide open when I'm in.

It seems nuts to me not to lock your front door no matter where you live, but I grew up in Philadelphia and lived there most of my life until I moved to the UK.  I lived in lots of different areas of Philly and certainly locked my door.

I had two apartments broken into and one was in a posher part of Philly (Rittenhouse Square), the other less so (Broad and Lombard).  So it doesn't even matter sometimes if you lock your door or not, but I wouldn't leave it unlocked!

I know in my parents small town about 30 years ago no one would lock their doors. In fact, if you were going to visit someone you just walked right in with no knocking. When my parents moved back there about 20 years ago they raised all sorts of ruckus because they locked their doors.

I always lock my door but I used to work in Law Enforcement and the paranoia is hard to turn off.

We grew up not door locking, in a college town nonetheless.

Now I don't religiously lock the back sliding glass doors and it drives my husband nuts but a. The lock is some weird chunk of metal that you have to push in and it's *hard* b. I have to let the dog out multiple times a day and c. the gate is locked and if someone is going to break through the gate, the're going to break through the door too.

Our next-door neighbours were broken into about two months ago--the police think they were looking for their car keys, as the only thing they took was the 4 year old's birthday money that was out in plain sight. But our car is a piece of junk, quite frankly, and even that has not really changed my back-door locking habits.

We are from the NYC suburbs and we always lock our doors when we aren't home, when we are home they are mostly open, but at night and when we leave, they are locked.  My parents have one of those locks that your put a combination into on their back door so you don't need a key.

Thanks for all the responses guys! 

I completely agree that if you live somewhere near a city or a generally tough area, you lock up. Like BBreslin, my parents were always of the opinion that if they want to get in, they're gonna get in, so why risk them breaking the windows.

Meghan2828, I never knocked either. I always just walked into the home of whoever I was visiting if I knew them particularly well. Sometimes I might knock on the door as I'm opening it and walking in and people always did the same to us.

In this part of Shropshire, we always lock the doors. It was hard for me to get into the habit though, but there are lots of burglaries in the area, so I can understand why people are so concerned about locking the doors.

When I'm in, the windows are wide open and the front door isn't locked. I just make sure that anything valuable on the ground floor is out of reach from windows and out of sight as well.

Anyway, regarding the car theft on my estate, a man knocked on the door of one of my neighbors the other day. The neighbor answered and the caller asked him if he knew someone by the name of "Mr. X." The neighbor said no and the caller left. The following night, there was a break in while everyone was asleep upstairs and they made off with a tv and their laptops. They also took the keys to all the cars. They used one set to move the ford focus that blocking a new Audi in and then stole the Audi. So, it's believed the man asking for "Mr. X" was calling to figure out the best way to rob the house. So, be careful everyone!

I grew up in a rural community in the middle of nowhere and we always locked the doors. Sort of. We never used the front door so it was always locked and we locked the sliding glass doors, kept broom handles in the windowsills so they couldn't be jammed open. But if we were home and awake the garage doors were often open and the door from the house to the garage was never locked. My mother also never locked her car (at home) so the easiest way into the house was to open her car door, press the clicker for the garage, and waltz in.

My parents had been robbed twice on the property in the early years of their marriage, the first time while on their honeymoon. So living in rural areas doesn't mean things like that don't happen.

After my dad died in 2003 I had the hardest time getting my mom to stop telling everyone she was a widow and lived alone. I was at her home one day when a rather seedy looking guy came to the door, I can't remember what he was trying to "sell"; and my mom gave him the entire run down of her status. After he left I started to tell her to keep that stuff to her self and she responded by saying "I know. There is a half way house for drug addicts in the old nursing home." (Which was about 2 blocks away). Enter my forehead slap here.

I know *why* she did it (and I suspect she still does it) but that was just asking to get robbed.

After over 20 years in her current house she finally replaced the front and side door which here hollowcore doors with real steel doors with deadbolts. *sigh* finally.

Even in Dallas, I only ever locked my front door at night, but I definitely did that every night. Here in UK, I only lock it at night. But there I would never have slept with the window open whereas here, I do all the time. Though really that's because we have no air conditioning and I am hot natured. 

I've had several similar conversations with my DH in regards to home security.

I grew up in a small PA town in the middle of nowhere with really no need to lock doors!  Everyone kept their doors unlocked.. You'd come home to some friends hanging out once in awhile, it was pretty wonderful really.  When we were away on holiday and such we would lock up of course, but that was only once/twice a year for a week or so.

As for my DH he couldn't be more paranoid about home security!! =/ It's been quite an adjustment to keep things locked, not leave the windows open.. I can't tell you how many debates we've had about it.  I once left the back patio door open for the pups while I ran out for some groceries (it's not like its wide open.. fencing around the garden) and I don't think he stopped triple checking every door/window in the house for weeks!  He used to get so frustrated with me when it came to the subject... I personally still don't understand why the windows upstairs must be closed when going out.. (Not like someone isn't going to notice a random person climbing on the roof to enter our home!) *sigh* For him I now lock everything up when leaving the house!

Our most recent security debate is about the vehicles.. I don't think it's an issue to run into the house and grab something while the car is running in the driveway. =/ This has caused arguments a few times now.. I guess it's not a big deal to turn off the vehicle and lock up for a minute while running into the house to make him happy, but it just seems silly to me!

Well if some tea leaf nicked your car because you left it running in your driveway, insurance won't pay out. All mr Tea leaf needs is that small window of opportunity to steal your car or break in to your home, don't make it easy for them.
With tougher security systems in motor vehicles, especially fancy cars, thieves are now targeting homes to get the keys. Lock your house up and keep your keys hidden.

I had my car nicked in Edinburgh way back in 1997, and it was found/recovered undamaged in Glasgow minus its alloy wheels. Months later with more thefts from Edinburgh, the weegies were finally caught on the M8.

The UK doesn't have armed citizens so thieves have no fear about entering property and nicking stuff.

I was just thinking about our door in the UK- you can't open it from the outside without the key. As long as it's closed (which it will be because it's one of those heavy doors that closes itself), no one could get in.

Now, we're on the 3rd floor and our windows (minus the kitchen) are on the side of the building with no access unless you're spider man! There's not even proper balconies for someone to climb. So this summer, I left the windows open even when I was gone, because it would get so stuffy. DH flipped out when we got home later and he saw the windows cracked. :/  I kept trying to get him to explain how someone would get in!

I was just thinking about our door in the UK- you can't open it from the outside without the key. As long as it's closed (which it will be because it's one of those heavy doors that closes itself), no one could get in.

Now, we're on the 3rd floor and our windows (minus the kitchen) are on the side of the building with no access unless you're spider man! There's not even proper balconies for someone to climb. So this summer, I left the windows open even when I was gone, because it would get so stuffy. DH flipped out when we got home later and he saw the windows cracked. :/  I kept trying to get him to explain how someone would get in!

Our front door is the same way and DH maintains it's not lucked until you lock the lock where the door handle would be in the US. If I forget to lock it, he gets huffy. But we have gone out with the windows on the second and third floor open.

 
Blissful_Koala, I'm also guilty of running into to my unlocked house while my car is running in the drive. No one has ever nicked it. DH also thinks this is insane, but he drives a very expensive car and mine wasn't worth stealing.  

.. I don't think it's an issue to run into the house and grab something while the car is running in the driveway.

I think it's illegal to leave your car running /'stationary engine idling'.