Good posture. Walk tall and with confidence. If you look passive you're a target. Look people in the eye as you pass. No purses or personal items left in a shopping cart. Not even strapped down. Ever. Don't carry your whole life in your purse. Just take what you need for the day. License,cash a check or two (if you use them) and only the credit card(s) you plan to use. Trust your first instinct. Don't ever second guess yourself if something feels off. Instinct is there to protect you. Learn to heed it. Don't blab on the internet. Message boards and social networks are only as private as you make them. Make sure the pictures you post have neutral backgrounds. I've seen pics of kids posted near the family vehicle with the license plate clearly displayed. Don't tell us you live in a small town and then tell us your dwelling overlooks Target. When you rent a car take the key off the tag and put it on a normal key ring. Same with hotel keys. Don't advertise you're a tourist. Tourists are targets. Crooks know they carry valuables and that they won't be around to testify later.

When you say that the dog terrorizes the cats, do you mean terrorize as in actually wants to harm them or terrorizes as in wants to be friends/play with them and doesn't know how? If it is the latter then perhaps you could teach the dog how to get along with the cats so everyone could be happy. My lab used to try to terrorize the cats until she got used to them and they to her. She was really trying to play but was to rough for the kitties. I corrected her when she was too rough. Eventually she got used to the cats and for the most part ignores them. Occasionally she will sneak up behind them and "goose" them just for fun. But I have also found her and the two younger cats cuddled up on the bed together. Try introducing the dog to the cats with the dog on leash. If the dog tries to get rough with the cat, give it a leash and voice correction. If dog acts appropriately with cat, then it gets an especially yummy treat. There is an animal behaviorist on NPR, "Calling All Pets" that recommends this method. She says that every time dog looks at cats but doesn't try to lunge at or chase them, give dog praise and a special treat. Eventually dog associates cats with treats and learns to get along. The cats will get used to dog once dog stops trying to pester them.

This is a rather old thread but I wish to make a comment anyway since every time I search for fire safety-dogs, it comes up as one of the few resources. Also this thread catapulted me into finding a solution! This is it and I couldn't be more excited to have found it!Someone above mentioned a harness made for letting rescue dogs down from a helicopter into an emergency zone. That looked great until I found the following, which is less than half the price at $70. https://www.x-itproducts.com/how-it-works-large-pet-escape-sling/ At this time it's not offered on Amazon so you have to go directly to the X-It website to order. Ours arrived today. My husband and I tested it out a bit. Okay, we didn't throw our dog out the window however easily got our 80 lb. Golden into the sling/harness very very quickly without any struggle from him (and he's a guy who snaps at being brushed - gently). It's just so easy to get the sling on - slip paws into the large holes, pull up and cinch the velcro at the neck. Next we picked him up using the handles - no problem - and again, not an ounce of struggle. He was obviously well supported and comfortable, even off the floor! We were very happy to discover the sling comes with an attached nylon webbing strap that was way longer than it would take to get him down from our 2nd story bedroom. (It's made for a 4 story building.) Best of all, the "strap" has handle loops every so often taking away the danger of it slipping through your hands while letting your dog down. We're seniors yet I feel confident we can do this if necessary! Of course using this is a last resort and it clearly states that in the instructions. But we feel so much better having a 2nd way out of our 2nd story bedroom for our dog, as well as ourselves (via ladder). We're so grateful someone finally thought of large dogs. Thank you X-It!!! We'll be spreading the word to everyone we know who has dogs. And no, we're not paid by the company, nor have we received any free products! We're simply happy to have finally found this solution. But I agree with some of the above comments, the next house we buy will be one story. Until then, we have a plan.

I have seen tabs with precalculated tips -- usually at least 15-18%, 20% and 25%. I find it crazy that people can't figure tips -- even with a calculator on their phone. I learned something I'd never heard before -- in addition to tip-out or tip share where a percentage of the tab goes to the kitchen staff, expo/bus staff, the bar and even the host or hostess, the credit card service charge comes out of the tip paid to servers where my son works. When a table of 6 or 8 get separate checks, they get hit with 6 or 8 transactions fees. A 20% tip may or may not reach 15% to your server. I don't agree with that practice, but can't change it. Does the kitchen get charged for the food and the utilities? Sheesh.