What a good dog!

I got up too early this morning and rode a little bit of the Cycle Across Maryland ride. After deciding I was horribly unprepared and just plain tired I gave up, came home and took a three hour nap.

While I was laying on the couch, the little dog (Roxina)http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...ullMastiff.jpg
(ok, that's not really the little dog, this is)http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...WoolWeenie.jpg started barking at something. Then the big girl (Ginger aka Gingy)http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b.../Gingygood.jpgjoined in. I got up to discover a man right outside the door taking photos of the house. I told him to get off my property or I would let the dogs out. He was saying something but the dogs were so loud I had no idea what it was. As far as I know there is no reason for anyone to be taking photos of my house.
He seemed to be getting pretty cocky, going as far as to put his foot on the low wall of my porch, leaning forward and resting his forearm on his knee.

So I let Ginger out.

I had no idea how this was going to play out since I'm not the person who trained her but my gamble paid off.
She stayed on the property but told him in no uncertain,teeth-baring terms to get the heII out of there which he promptly did.

I'm so proud of my girl.

Sounds like he did not handle it well, but he could have had a legit reason for taking photos. Often when an appraisal is done a few other comparable houses in the are will be photographed and included in the appraisal. Then again he could have just been some weirdo....

Appraisal comps are done from recent listings of houses for sale or recently sold.
I've seen lots of those lately.

His camera was pink:confused:
No professional man would use a pink camera.

Did you ask for his name? it's always worth investigating people that show interest in your house.
Of course he could be more than legitimate, for example architecture students do this all the time - or people like me that have chosen architectural photography as a hobby... BUT, until you know that someone has a legitimate reason (or a warrant) to collect evidence at your house (and pictures are evidence) - it is a good idea to look into it.
But, hey, tell Ginger "good job"!
:)

I thought of many possibilities and decided that, depending on the need for photos, he could have left a card or given advance notice.
All I know for sure is I live alone and trust no one.

Good dogs, both of 'em! I assume you gave them treats and rubs? I can't think of any good reason for a stranger to come all the way up your walk to the front door and be taking pictures. If he's just interested in the architecture, he can see it from the roadside, and even that would be a bit spooky for me if I were living alone. We get people doing that here, but we know they're looking at the fjord view between our house and the neighbors. Other places I've lived, I'd've been spooked.

I agree with Zen, if he had a legit reason for being there he could have knocked on her door to ask her permission since she was home. If he found that she wasn't home, he should probably still leave a note explaining what he was doing in case neighbors noticed and reported it to her when she returned. I'd find it creepy too if a stranger was taking pictures of my home without permission. Hopefully he's learned something from this experience because I've met homeowners that have a policy of shoot first and ask questions later.

Dh and I do lawns for foreclosed homes. We have had several occassions this year that they have given us the wrong address, we had one this week in fact. Our contractors tell us to take and send photos so that they can show evidence of the home being lived in and try to get the correct address. If my husband could have a pink camera and not be ridiculed by his friends, family, and anyone else, he would have one.:D

Zen: I'm with you -- if it's legit they should knock and let you know before just wandering around your home. Good dog, Ginger!

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Originally Posted by jesvetmed

Zen: I'm with you -- if it's legit they should knock and let you know before just wandering around your home. Good dog, Ginger!

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My thoughts exactly. The guy should have knocked first. Atta girl, Ginger. Way to show 'im those pearly whites (without actually using them and getting Zen sued...). :p:rolleyes:

A couple months ago, some neighborhood dumbazz tried stealing my kids' basketball right out of our garage, with me yelling at him to stop, and sprinting after the squealing-away car he jumped into. I figured someone that stupid had to also be stupid enough to steal something in their own neighborhood. Sure enough, I found the car just two streets away and promptly started taking pics of the license plate with my cell phone. Driver of car (not the thief, but an accomplice nonetheless) came out, said "hey, you can't do that." I was angry as hell and said if the basketball wasn't back at our house within the evening, I would be turning in the guy's license plate to the local police in the morning. Needless to say, we got the basketball back within an hour's time. I had my doggie Mayah at my heels as I answered the door, who played the part by giving the guy a low, continual growl of distrust (probably felt my animosity towards him). I think that sealed the deal. I love my dog!

~BikeMomma

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Originally Posted by BikeMomma

Atta girl, Ginger. Way to show 'im those pearly whites (without actually using them and getting Zen sued...). :p:rolleyes:

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Even that crossed my mind (whew).
I told the man if he didn't leave I was going to let her out. I guess he didn't believe me.

That's creepy, you did the right thing. Lucky you to have dogs, too.

By the way Zen, I know it's a pretty obvious question, but... Did you make a police report?
Even if the trespasser did not give his name, you saw him so you can still give a description, correct? And if he touched anything on the property, like a gate or something, they could lift prints and run a check. It may turn out to be nothing, but better safe than sorry. And remember, cctv's on a home (along with the "area monitored by cctv" sign) never hurt and often serve as a good deterrent - although their maintenance may be a pain sometimes :rolleyes:
Also, if it was really someone with bad intentions (like a burglar or whatever), he may have checked out other homes in the area, and if more than one report from the same neighborhood are filed - that may convince the cops to investigate further and maybe patrol the area more.

All the self-defense and security experts say that the best home defense you can have is a good dog.

Good dogs!

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

All the self-defense and security experts say that the best home defense you can have is a good dog.
Good dogs!

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Especially if he/she has BIG teeth and likes to show them at the right moment! :D
Although a protective detail would probably eat less... ;)

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Originally Posted by TxDoc

By the way Zen, I know it's a pretty obvious question, but... Did you make a police report?

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Naw, what Oakleaf said :)

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Originally Posted by Zen

Naw, what Oakleaf said :)

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Yes, I know (love my dog!), but usually dogs cannot testify in Court... ;)
Give her an extra treat from us anyway, she totally earned it!
:)

Zen... good for you and your brave babies.

As you know, I had to go through putting my beloved girl down. Her big dog bark definately kept the riff raff to a minimum. The post bike theft attempt came after her sickness and lack of bark.

I was just sitting in my beach chair tonight next to the rack where my baby used to lay in the garage, and along comes my neighbor walking her dogs. She knew my girl was sick and asked how she was. I told her the deal. We had the discussion about her watching out for her garage and property and how the doggies keep unwanteds away. She's a young widow lady and told me about a break in at her house. But... since she got this new barking doggie, that has stopped.

No respectable person would just show up on someone's property univited to do "whatever" the man was mumbling about before you let your girl outside. Just like my bike theives that specifically came back to my house, that yahoo was probably taking pics of what was good to steal. I say, let him be milkbone dog biscuits!

Btw... on the side bar subject of dog biscuits, one lady I encountered while buying my memorial doggie flowers said someone poisoned her dogs. Thieves will sometimes do that to rob. My trainer had told me that one can train your dog to not take treats without your command. That's a hard one, as the doggie wants to naturally eat free food. Watch your yard for any stray scrap stuff that might get tossed over the fence, etc.

Hope the man has a lick of sense and never comes back.

EDIT... also, very cute furbabies:).

Ear scritchies and cookies tonight for all the dogies. :)

good dogs!! That has to be some measure of comfort to know your dogs will protect you if need be. Most dogs would be a deterrent with their barks, but not all would back it up if it came right down to it.
What was with the pink camera? Too bed you couldn't hear what he said, but I know how that is. Multiple dogs barking easily blocks out human voices
vickie

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Originally Posted by fastdogs

Most dogs would be a deterrent with their barks, but not all would back it up if it came right down to it.

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I'm pretty sure my Cocoa's one of those who's more bark than bite. Then again, we've never been in a situation to test that theory, so who knows? And anyway, most people have sense enough not to challenge a large, barking, snarling, teeth-baring dog. On the other hand, most people have sense enough to ASK before taking pix of a stranger's house for whatever reason.

I'm with the majority here, Zen--you did the right thing and your wonderful doggies "done good." *virtual head-pats for wonderful doggies*

I'm pretty sure Mae would defend me if needed, as I'm sure if the situation arose she'd have more bite than bark. :o

Fortunately when (and there's been a few) someone was a d@mn fool enough to approach a woman (me) walking a 55 or so lb dog who if you look closely obviously has some pit somewhere in her mutt'igree in either a hostile or suspicious manner Mae has known that's the time for her to be extremely well behaved as we just calmly leave.

'cause no, Bad Ju Ju, most people got no sense ;-)

I have had legitimate reasons to walk on to another person's property, take pictures of everything, and leave without knocking. I was a private contractor for a repo business, and companies who have interest in such things (lenders, mostly) usually have stipulations in the paperwork that allow this. These were mostly mobile homes. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone why I was there, unless I was speaking with the person who owed the money (violation of privacy). If there's a tenant, I could ask them if the knew where to reach the owner, and I should identify myself.

The county appraiser in my county takes pictures of my place every year. He doesn't knock.

If he had a legitimate reason to be there, of which you may not be aware, he may be back to get the needed proof that he was on the property so he can get paid. Who cares if his camera is pink? Anybody casing the place is not going to want to interact with the owner, I would think.

Karen

He may have had a legit reason to be there, but once he stepped onto the porch after being asked to leave, he was trespassing. End of story. He wants to go back in, he can get a warrant (or if it's a rental, get the landlord to give whatever notice they're required to in that jurisdiction).

And, I've looked in enough of DH's catalogs and accompanied him on enough camera shopping trips, if there was a professional or pro-sumer camera body that was pink, I'd have seen it. There ain't one.

I'm not sure what kind of neighborhood Zen lives in. I think it's suburban? - in which case an appraiser could take all the photos they need from the public street (they always do when they come by our Florida home). If they need to come onto private property to even see the house (as they do for our house in Ohio), then we come out of the house long before they'd have an opportunity to knock. It's always been okay with us for them to take their pictures, but they've always asked permission when we asked them their business, and if we had asked them to leave, they had better have done so.

And, LOTS of people casing the place interact with the owner, posing as a worker of some kind. Happens to us all the time, scruffy people without uniforms going house to house offering to "demonstrate" some window cleaning product that they have in an unmarked spray bottle, or something of that nature.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

an appraiser could take all the photos they need from the public street

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Very true.

I've had someone who looked like a sheriffs deputy knock on my door before (at night). i called the dispatch office to make sure before i opened the door .
(They were looking for the delinquent who used to live in the apt upstairs)

as a woman who lives alone in a somewhat rural area, I trust no one.

As someone used to say "trust, but verify" :D

I had someone knock at the door, say he was UPS and demand that I come out to sign for a package. Dude, UPS employees don't wear dark blue track suits.

Good dog, Mae. He left.

BTW, took her to the vet today and she got a clean bill of health. The vet said I'm doing very well with her, she's even lost almost 5 lbs. She's still got those little "love handles" on her hips. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Zen

as a woman who lives alone in a somewhat rural area, I trust no one.

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Agreed, Zen. I am so glad you have such a wonderful. brave dog!! (do you suppose my cats could do the same??? :rolleyes:)

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Dude, UPS employees don't wear dark blue track suits.

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:D

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Originally Posted by IFjane

Agreed, Zen. I am so glad you have such a wonderful. brave dog!! (do you suppose my cats could do the same??? :rolleyes:)

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Cats might work, but you have to throw them at the intruder;):p

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Originally Posted by Zen

:D



Cats might work, but you have to throw them at the intruder;):p

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.... or their hairball ;) :cool:

Good puppies, treats all around :D

Now unless I missed something somewhere - some of the "legit" reasons that one might want to photo a house without the owner's knowledge - repo and sale - but I don't remember Zen ever mentioning that her home was for sale, or she was risking loosing it. Which begs the question to why the guy was there? As for admirers of architecture or gardening - they could ask for permission first. Seems to me the guy was up to no good. Or very lost.

Zen - did you dogs smile for his camera? :D

Good doggies!!!!

Hugs and smoochies and bikkies!

Good grief, Zen! It definitely was a full moon! Glad your Roxy girl protected her mommy without incident. If the guy was legit, why didn't he show any id? In this day and age where litigation abounds, I would think companies would make sure their people had proper identification and contact information. What that mad did sounded suspicious at best.

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Originally Posted by Zen

She stayed on the property but told him in no uncertain,teeth-baring terms to get the heII out of there which he promptly did.

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*golf clap*