I am SF in rural area; guess my dogs don't count because the only thing they might do is lick someone to death. I don't like anyone coming after dark because about half the time they get lost trying to get to my location if it's dark, and I have to hop in the car and go find them. I've only ever had a couple of people show up unexpectedly very late, once at 12:30 am. I did open the door because other people were here and still up; but I didn't give them a room even though I had one. I would like to have an intercom system so I could talk to people at the door without going to the door; also a camera to see who's there. Such a system is on the top of my list of improvements I would like to make in my operation, but so far haven't found equipment that will work for me. It has to be wireless and be operable in fairly extreme cold.
The answer to the question asked is: I've never had any trouble with anyone at any time of day or night, but there's always a first time and I definitely do feel somewhat vulnerable. I've also given considerable thought to getting a gun, again; I use to have one but it was stolen. The chance that a gun would be handy if or when possibly needed seem slim to me - are we suppose to answer the door with a gun in our hand? I don't think so, even though that might go over better in Wyoming than where most of you live - maybe in Texas it would be O.K. too, especially if you also had cowboy boots on. If you get someone at your door who has violence on their mind I'm not sure it even matter if you open the door to them - they could easily break in to my house. I have an alarm system, but I usually don't set it, and I never set it when I have guests in the house. If a guest decided to go for an early morning walk and opened a door loud sirens would go off and the Police would be automatically called.
My general policy is that I won't take a last minute reservation from a new guest if they can't arrive before dark, which is 4:30 in the winter. Most people call before coming here, even if they are looking for accommodations immediately. Mostly I think it's a risk that goes with the job, as with any job that deals with people you don't know. There's almost as much chance of getting someone you don't want in your home if they come with advance reservation and at proper check time. Criminals can make reservations and look perfectly presentable. But, I certainly agree that anyone looking for a bed at a late hour should be finding a hotel or motel not a B&B.
Bottom line, I don't think we are at much grater risk of having someone who might do us harm come into our home, by any means, than any other SF would be who lives in a similar location, be it urban or rural, and who is not running a B&B.
The answer to the question asked is: I've never had any trouble with anyone at any time of day or night, but there's always a first time and I definitely do feel somewhat vulnerable. I've also given considerable thought to getting a gun, again; I use to have one but it was stolen. The chance that a gun would be handy if or when possibly needed seem slim to me - are we suppose to answer the door with a gun in our hand? I don't think so, even though that might go over better in Wyoming than where most of you live - maybe in Texas it would be O.K. too, especially if you also had cowboy boots on. If you get someone at your door who has violence on their mind I'm not sure it even matter if you open the door to them - they could easily break in to my house. I have an alarm system, but I usually don't set it, and I never set it when I have guests in the house. If a guest decided to go for an early morning walk and opened a door loud sirens would go off and the Police would be automatically called.
My general policy is that I won't take a last minute reservation from a new guest if they can't arrive before dark, which is 4:30 in the winter. Most people call before coming here, even if they are looking for accommodations immediately. Mostly I think it's a risk that goes with the job, as with any job that deals with people you don't know. There's almost as much chance of getting someone you don't want in your home if they come with advance reservation and at proper check time. Criminals can make reservations and look perfectly presentable. But, I certainly agree that anyone looking for a bed at a late hour should be finding a hotel or motel not a B&B.
Bottom line, I don't think we are at much grater risk of having someone who might do us harm come into our home, by any means, than any other SF would be who lives in a similar location, be it urban or rural, and who is not running a B&B.
