Certain security measures that your neighbors take, like keeping a feisty guard dog to ward off intruders, may compromise your family’s safety. Children are often quick to pet strange animals and according to the ASPCA at least half of all U.S. children will be bitten by a dog before the age of 12.

So even though you know that a home alarm system is a better home security solution than an animal, make sure to help prevent bites by teaching your children these guidelines about when it’s OK to pet dogs.

1. Keep away: Stay away from chained-up dogs.
2. Don’t tease: Never stare a dog in the eyes or tease dogs behind fences.
3. Leave it alone: Never touch a dog that is eating or sleeping.
4. Stay still: If a dog comes near you stand still and be quiet. If you see a loose dog tell an adult right away.
5. Ask permission: Only pet a dog if the owner has given you permission and then the dog has given you permission by sniffing your closed hand.

Summer fun often involves lounging around a pool. But don’t be tempted to nap while the kids are playing. Follow these tips to be proactive about preventing pool-area accidents.

• Adult supervision: Make sure an adult who knows CPR is always carefully watching kids in or near the pool. If at all possible, do not leave the task of watching younger children to older children.

• Safety vests: Keep life vests that are approved by the U.S. Coast Guard on hand. Anyone who is not a strong swimmer should wear one. Air-filled swimming tools are not adequate substitutes.

• Fences: Fences do more than serve as a great back up to a security system. They also help keep children out of the pool when they’re not under your supervision. Surround your pool with a fence that’s at least five-feet-high and closes securely on its own. Keep the gate closed at all times and never prop it open. Also, keep furniture away from the fence so kids won’t be tempted to climb over it.

• Post-swim clean up: Clear any toys from around the pool so children won’t be tempted to retrieve them without your supervision. Also secure the gate so they can’t get back into the area.

One of the biggest life changes an adult can experience is the role reversal that comes with taking care of an elderly parent. And while you might be used to your parent being the one to offer you guidance and assistance, there is definitely a point where it’s your responsibility to do the same for them.

Asking an elderly parent to move in with you is a big step. After all, most parents would like to maintain their independent lifestyles. Fortunately, some home alarm systems come with around-the-clock monitoring for emergency medical response, so you can rest easier when leaving parents at home.

While it’s  important that you have an alarm from an alarm company like ADT – where you get the medical emergency monitoring – you need to take other steps around the house. Make sure that you have all rugs securely attached to the floor, that steps are not going to cause any sort of tripping or accidents and that all walkways are clear. Move wires out of the way, and try to make it easy for your mom or dad to make their way around the home.

It’s important to plan ahead before a parent moves in. It’s ideal to set them up in a room on the first floor of your house that is also near a  bathroom. While it’s a big step, asking your senior parent to move in can be a great way for the entire family to grow closer.

While there’s nothing quite like feeling the sunlight on your face after a long winter, it’s still important to remember that too much heat is never a good thing. And this isn’t just about your face–it’s also about your house and vehicle. Keeping your home cool is important for it structurally, not to mention how important it is to ensure that young children, elderly relatives and pets are not subject to temperatures that are too much to handle.

Keeping doors and windows shut is about more than home security. It’s also an essential way to save energy and make sure the pumping AC doesn’t go to waste. If you’re running the AC while you have the windows open, you’re wasting a cool air, while also making your house a bit more vulnerable for a break-in. Try to keep the doors and windows shut so you  can save on your energy bill and make the most out of your system.

It’s also a good idea to inspect your HVAC system before the summer, in case it looks like it will need any repairs. If you get it fixed early, you might also be able to find more reasonable prices. This way, your home is more prepared for a particularly brutal summer.

It’s also worth noting that the summer heat can have other effects on your home security. Sometimes when it gets particularly hot, it is easier to accidentally trigger a power outage in your own home by overloading extension cords or using too many devices on a single fuse at  time. Fortunately, many home security providers offer systems that work even when the power goes out. ADT  home alarm systems come with battery backup so you’ll get hours of home monitoring even if you lose power.

If you want to protect your car from the heat of summer, the best idea is to find shade.  Try to park your car in places where it won’t get direct sunlight. This will make everything from the interior to the paint job last longer, and it will also be a lot more pleasant to get in on a sunny day.

While summer might mean taking a break from the office to hit the beach, for many Americans, it also means preparing for hurricane season. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. After all, there are some things that a home alarm system can help out with, and others that might require a little more work. Here’s a simple hurricane preparedness checklist so you can make sure you cover all the basics before a big storm arrives:

1. Do you have enough food and water for two to three days? If you’re far enough away from the ocean that evacuations aren’t necessary, then you need to have enough supplies to make it in case you can’t leave the house for a few days. Stock up on nonperishable food and enough drinking water for the entire family.

2. Did you move the lawn furniture indoors? When it comes to home security during a rough storm, this can mean the difference between a manageable amount of damage done to your home and something more serious. Make sure to move all lawn furniture and outdoor decor inside if a big storm is headed your way.

3. Did you park your car in a safe spot? Once you’re finally able to leave the house, it’s important to have a car ready. But if your car incurs damages due to falling branches or live wires, you won’t be able to go anywhere. Try to park it somewhere safe – ideally in the garage. And if you’re  leaving the house, remember to set that ADT home security system before you hit the road, just in case looters are eying your property after the storm is over.

The first step when you’re leaving for a summer vacation is to remember to activate your ADT home security system . Burglars know that people go away in the summer, and they prepare accordingly. To avoid falling victim to a burglary, you need to make sure that your property looks occupied – even when it isn’t. Be sure to replace the light bulbs around your house, including your exterior lights, and set some sort of timer that will turn lights on and off both indoors and outdoors. This way your house will look more lived-in.

But home security is about more than making sure robbers don’t break in. Also be sure to handle the smaller steps around the house. Unplug electronic devices from overloaded power strips, and be sure that you remember to turn off things like coffee makers, irons, and flat irons. This will greatly reduce the risk of a home fire.

Before you leave town, remember to make essential home security updates to your house. If you take the right steps before leaving, it will make for a much less stressful return home.

Home security is about much more than keeping criminals outside of your house. It’s about protecting your loved ones and personal belongings from other dangers as well – like fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. And while advanced burglary monitoring is a function of all ADT home security systems, remember that there’s more to taking care of your property than worrying about a break-in. In fact, statistics show that in most parts of the country, people are more likely to deal with a fire or water damage than a break-in.

So what can you do to help protect your home from a fire?

Install Smoke Detectors – Once they’re in place, make sure you regularly replace that batteries to keep them functioning.

Be prepared – Have items around the house including fire extinguishers in case a small fire breaks out in the kitchen or another area of the house.

Get an ADT home security system – ADT allows you to integrate smoke detectors into your home alarm system. If there is smoke or fire in your home, the alarm will sound and ADT will immediately contact the local authorities.

Whether it’s during the winter months when fires are statistically more likely to occur, or at another point in the year, take the steps necessary to help prevent a fire in your home.

As summer approaches, families across the country will make travel plans. In addition to booking flights and finding deals on hotels, one thing can’t be overlooked – home security. One of the best ways to protect your home is installing and activating a home security system. Homes with monitored security systems are reportedly three times less likely to be burglarized.

Another great way to help keep your home safe is by hiring a house sitter. He or she can make sure things run smoothly while you’re gone – and most importantly – make you home look occupied. An occupied home is much less appealing to a burglar than one that looks empty. House sitters are also ideal for people with pets.

Here are a few tips to follow when you hire a house sitter:

Keep them informed. If you have dogs or cats that require medicine, a particular kind of food or something else, be sure to let your house sitter know ahead of time. And be sure to leave the house sitter with a list of emergency contact numbers in case anything goes wrong.

Give an overview of your home security system. The house sitter should know how to arm and disarm your ADT security system. Let them know how the system works and create a plan in case a break-in or other home emergency occurs.

Give clear instructions. Make sure everything that needs to be taken care of while you’re away gets clearly listed or communicated. This will make things easier and less stressful for all parties involved, and clear expectations are always great – even if someone is doing you a favor.

Don’t forget about the mail! If you are going out of town, make sure the house sitter brings in the mail and newspaper. When they start piling up, burglars will realize no one is home.

If you’re in the process of moving into a new home, you likely have more than enough on your plate. From coordinating with movers to finalizing last-minute inspections and important paperwork, there’s a lot to do. But before you get entirely overwhelmed, remember that breaking down your to-do list can help make the moving process a lot easier.

One of the first and most important steps of the move-in process is installing a monitored home security system. Monitored systems connect your home to security centers that provide surveillance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ADT home security has four nationwide monitoring centers – the most in the nation. Plus, homeowners can get up to 20% off of their homeowners insurance when they install a monitored security system. This is a huge perk. If your new home already has a security system, ADT installers can overtake the system and rewire it with the latest ADT technology.

Of course, there’s more to home security than installing an ADT home security system when you move in. Be sure to consider how you’re disposing of all of your boxes and packaging. It’s easy to be in such a rush to clear out boxes that you don’t think about the potential dangers. Placing boxes in front of your house can advertise to burglars exactly what they’ll find inside.

If you moved any expensive items like TVs and stereo equipment in their original packaging, it’s a good idea to break down and dispose of those boxes before putting them on the curb. Also, change the locks on all the doors. This will prevent previous owners and anyone they gave spare keys to from accessing your new house.

There are plenty of reasons for living alone if you can afford it. For one thing, there isn’t the constant stress of dealing with a roommate, or having to worry about your own home security because someone else forgets to lock the door at night. It’s also exciting just to have your own space.

Of course, when you live alone, there are certain safety concerns to take into consideration. And whether it’s the government or ADT telling you this, it’s important to know that criminals prefer to break into homes when they are empty. They don’t want run-ins with homeowners because they are typically just going after personal belongings and valuables. So what do you do about your place if you live alone? Well, installing a home alarm system is a definite step in the right direction.

If you’re ready to install a home security system, there are a lot of things to consider. One of the most important factors is burglary monitoring. You want a system with 24/7 home security monitoring. This way, you’ll know your home is being watched around the clock by security professional and technology. You can even customize a system for your specific needs. Companies like ADT have special pet-sensitive motion detectors so pet owners don’t have to worry about false alarms.

Taking simple and effective steps towards improving your home security will make living alone an even more enjoyable experience.