Women's Safety Checklist

At Sheepdog Response we recognize the unique personal safety challenges women face. Not only is it difficult to find quality self-defense advice and training, but it can also be difficult to find female-friendly training environments.  We’ve got you covered! We’re excited to announce our first Women’s Self Defense Course coming to Las Vegas, NV  January 14-15th, 2019.

Don’t have a lot of training options close to where you live? Sheepdog Response has compiled a list of the top 10 things to do for an isolated woman. Most have to do with home defense, but also apply to mentality, a way of life and family preparation. Like everything in life, all it takes is the first step.

1. If possible, talk to your neighbors. Find out who they are. Check sex offender registries at www.familywatchdog.us  and invest in beenverfied.com or a similar website. If they check out, be neighborly. Ask them to watch out for your home and offer to do the same for theirs.
2. Keep up with local crime patterns. Many sheriff’s offices and police departments have social media accounts you can follow to stay updated on everything from traffic hazards to local fugitives.
3. Install chain locks on all exterior doors. They’re cheap, simple to install, and offer an added layer of security in that they can’t be picked. Install them high and you’ll also have the added benefit of ensuring your three-year-old can’t open the door to strangers.
4. Purchase a gun. Own one, know how to use it, and keep ammunition on hand. Ensure you have an appropriate child-proof method of storage, but also make sure it’s easily accessible to you in the event it’s needed.
5. Keep the exterior of your home well-lit. It’s easy to forget to change the porch light-bulb, but lighting is another cheap and easy layer of home defense.
6. Purchase a security camera. There many excellent ones on the market right now that allow you to see what’s going on outside your home from your smartphone.  If you can’t afford one, you can buy dummy cameras for short money on Amazon. Real or not, they’re an excellent deterrent! The Ring doorbell is also an excellent option.
7. If you can, rescue a pound pup! Even small dogs are excellent alarm systems.  They’ll let you know when the UPS guy delivers your new security cameras, and when there’s someone in your yard who doesn’t belong there.
8. Be alert while driving.  If it looks like the creepy guy from the grocery store is following you home, then the creepy guy from the grocery store might be following you home. Drive to the nearest police department, fire department, or return to a populated area. Don’t lead him to your house and don’t stop the car until you reach safety.
9. Keep flashlights in both your car and various locations in your home. They’re useful for many things and they’re also a great equalizer.  Bad guys tend to have better manners when their faces are clearly visible.  Sheepdog carries a great series of high-powered Nitecore flashlights that also have disorienting strobe lights.
10. Take a self-defense course.  We recommend ours. Learn about situational awareness, weapons retention, shooting, and how to gain a dominant position in a physical fight.  It could save your life.