I live in a pretty sketchy neighborhood…lots of crime, especially burglaries. I’ve been hit twice, and have had multiple attempts.
I’ve been sick all week, so last night I went to bed at 8:00. I turned off all the interior lights; my xmas lights stay on until around midnight and my front porch light stays on all night. I was in bed maybe 10 minutes, when I heard a knock at my front door. I live in a VERY small house…two bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen, and a front room. There isn’t even a hallway it’s so small.
I couldn’t imagine who would knock on my door at 8:00 p.m. with the lights out. My neighbors simply do not do that. So I got out of bed. My front door is a ranch style with the nine panes on the top half. I peeked through the blinds and apparently startled the guy who was out there. He decided to skedaddle. When he got to the front walk, he turned around to look back. That’s when I noticed the dog, which was a German shepherd mix he had on a short chain. I yelled, “GET OUT OF HERE!”
He put his hands up in the “woah” position. He looked EXACTLY like the criminals on crimestopper websites. He had a woolen cap, denim jacket, and dark pants. He had a beard. I couldn’t understand what he was saying because I still had the door closed and he seemed pretty incoherent. I yelled again, " GO ON!" He said something about liking my xmas lights. I yelled one more time, and he finally headed away.
This morning, I asked a neighbor two doors up if the guy knocked on his door. He said no. I’m pretty sure the guy only knocked on my door. Every other house near mine had interior lights on. My next door neighbor’s house is always dark, but he has half a dozen dogs and none of them were barking.
So I’m pretty sure the guy was casing my house…but why the dog? I thought maybe so that if cops stopped him he could say he was walking his dog, but then if they asked where he lived it probably wouldn’t be near where he was burglarizing. Maybe he could say he found the dog and was looking for the owner. Who knows.
I agree that walking a dog would be pretty good cover for some burglar casing the joint. I doubt that a cop would normally question some dude out walking his dog.
I would say that if he was casing your house you are probably safer now that he realizes that the lights being out does not necessarily mean you are not home.
If you’re in a rough neighborhood you should have a shotgun under your bed. And a dog to alert you to that shit.
I’ve told this story before, but my parents’ home is set on a few acres, the house smack dab in the center. It’s all fenced in but the gates themselves are unlocked.
3am and our dog - first dog ever no less - jumps on my parents bed and is barking like crazy. He’s not even allowed in their bedroom and never breaks the rule, so my parents get up to see what’s bothering him.
A lady casing the outside of the house is bothering him. Mom opens the window, the dog goes berserk and she quickly leaves. He refuses to get into bed and instead watches at the window all night long.
Two weeks ago he woke them up again to a giant black bear roaming the yard. Nothing you can do about a bear really, but a dog’s sense of smell is far superior to yours and will alert you to danger.
A good dog is invaluable, even moreso in a rough neighborhood. Crime knows no bounds in the recession - the nicest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh have experienced upticks in crime. Criminals have balls the size of Texas.
ETA: Turble: this isn’t a lesson in “now he’s gone, you’re safe”. There are a thousand other losers out there just like that who steal and thieve. You have to protect yourself, not count your lucky stars just one of the thousands stay away.
I think he was making a joke about the bear scaring off intruders.
As for the dog thing, well, it’s possible that the dog was to intimidate you or even trained to attack. A lot of people are scared of dogs from “attack breeds” even if the individual dog isn’t really aggressive. I agree with the others though that it might not be a bad idea to consider getting a dog of your own from a breed known to be protective (even if it’s a small one, if it’s the sort that barks at intruders that’s all you really need).
It’s also a good cover story if he’s caught on somebody’s property. “No, Officer, I’m not back here checking if their windows are unlocked. I dropped the leash and my dog ran into this backyard so I had to come here to get him back.”
My dog is useless for protection other than the fact that she is a dog.
She would make friends with a knife weilding ninja sneaking in the window in the dead of night if she thought she would get some affection.
She would run with her tail between her legs if she ever saw a bear.
She rarely barks. Althought she did bark once at the wheelbarrow. Maybe you could get a wheelbarrow for your yard. I guess they must look intimidating.
Yeah, I should add that would a criminal to ever enter my parents’ house the dog would probably roll on its back and beg for belly rubs. He just SOUNDS intimidating as all-get out, and as a mix of two bully breeds LOOKS scary to most people. Why bother with a house with a scary looking dog when the house next door is quiet as a mouse?
OP, have you decided to install any floodlights, or to buy a gun or a dog?
