Our House was robbed....

[sbctwin]

We have been burglarized several times. Two times resulted in a complete ransacking. Another time, they were thwarted by the the alarm system. Our garage has been broken in too many times. After the first break in, we put bars on certain windows. They just broke through a sliding glass door both times. We have completely removed that door and now have an alarm system. During the 2nd robbery, we had a dog and 2 cats. We joke that Toby probably followed them around the house wagging his tale. He was not a watch dog. The two cats (Katrina and Kallie) probably hid under the bed. I am thankful they weren't hurt. It took me a long while to feel 'secure' in our home again. I still don't feel completely safe and probably never will. I learned that I don't need anymore 'valuables'. We have motion lights around the house, but no security cameras. We were harrassed by some druggie neighbors for awhile and the police suggested we put cameras up. There are times I feel like we lock ourselves into a prison cell when at home. I don't know what the best solution is. It is quite depressing. {{{{Itself}}}} It will get better, just give yourself time. Make sure you inventory and take pictures of everything you own. Go through, room by room and write down serial numbers from everything. Do not leave that at your home, keep it somewhere else safe, like a safety deposit box. Insurance companies don't make it easy. I remember after the 2nd ransacking, the insurance company acted like we did it to ourselves. I wish I knew what else to say that would help you recover your mental safety, but only time does that....

[itself]

Lisa, have you thought about getting someone to house-sit while you are gone? We have to because we have a big dog who is a very needy girl, but it is also helpful knowing someone is watching your house. Even if it was someone to just come in and check up on everything every once and awhile. We do it for our neighbors now. If they are gone during the winter we drive in and out of their driveway a few times to make tracks in the snow so it looks like someone is there a lot.

Also, putting lights and the tv on timers is a good idea, too. It makes it look like someone is there. I don't think you'll have to go the Fort Knox route to make it feel safe again.

I just called a camera surveillance company and will have those installed before we leave.

And I'm so jealous of you living in Arizona. I was born in NM and I miss the southwest so much. What a beautiful beautiful area that is.

We can have several people drive by the house throughout the day while we are on vacation...I've been trying to find a house sitter, but our cat sitter can stay overnight, but not during the day when the real threat is. Keeping some acitivity with people driving by will hopefully help.

I just called the camera surveillance company and will have those installed before we leave.

Lisa

[Grog]

I'm so sorry Itself, that really sucks.

You might want to consider a house sitter. That way someone is home to watch things and take care of your kitties. Maybe a son or daughter of a co-worker?

I would think twice before leaving a teenager at my house knowing that there may be thieves interested in coming back for more. Who knows what the thieves would think when they'd realize, after checking on the house for a few days, that there's a young woman or a young man "in charge" while the owners are not there...? I really think the alarm, some neighbourhood watch system, and all the other precautions mentioned above would be the way to go.

[Tuckervill]

I've heard some really good things about Laser Shield. It requires no wiring and can call you if the alarm is tripped, in addition to calling the police.

http://www.lasershield.net/

Karen

[crazycanuck]

sorry to hear your house was broken into.

Just want to let you guys know that most housesitters are older. My mom did it for a while.. At my previous workplace there were always folks offering to housesit or friends of the workmates offering to housesit.

I don't know what it's like in the US but here in AUS & NZ it's normal to get a housesitter. As long as it's someone you could trust.

Different hemisphere, different ways.

[bmccasland]

((((((itself))))))))

I could add to the robbery tales - had my truck broken into when I lived in Phoenix. Cop told me that usually these things are random, but in my case, because of what they took, I was watched. Comforting to know it was your neighbors. Ha!

Anyway, considering you live in the desert area of Arizona - any chance there's a retiree community nearby to recruit for house sitters? They're more likely to be home during the day than teenagers or college students. Just a thought.

CC - great minds think alike!!

[withm]

I hear ya. My family's summer house was burned to the ground by an as yet un-apprehended arsonist. Four generations of my family grew up in that house, and there was 80 years worth of stuff that the insurance company thought was worthless, but to us, well it was priceless. We felt so violated, still do. Sometimes I really wonder if there is any sense left in this world. The real crime is that the authorities think they know who was responsible for this string of about 13 arson fires, yet apparently they can't prove it, or worse, the perpetrator is the son of a prominent citizen in the neighboring town and is "being protected." Sadly I think it's both.

[sundial]

I would think twice before leaving a teenager at my house knowing that there may be thieves interested in coming back for more.

I suggested this with the assumption that itself would only consider a mature, sharp, on-the-ball young adult. It's harder to find older adults to house sit because most households are dual incomes.

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm sorry for the bad experience. The violated feeling is much worse than than loss of possessions.

Personally, I like the idea of incorporating video surveillance into the equation. It's gotten affordable and allows the benefit of knowing that at least you can see who it was as an added benefit to the police.

But, keep in mind that by putting in the system that you have, you've helped to make yourself a tougher target...and that's a deterent. Even if you put in decoy video cameras, it's a message that says "we're prepared"...

I apologize if I've repeated stuff from other posts...it's late and haven't been able to read everything... but I know how you feel having suffered from several robberies 20 yrs ago. The feeling will pass...the key is learning to laugh if you can.

[KnottedYet]

I'm sorry this happened to you! Thank goodness your wife was ok and you got home so soon!

My puppy joined a household with 2 adult cats, no problem. The cats quickly made it clear to him that they were in charge, and he behaved appropriately.

He barks like mad when someone comes near the apartment, and I always tell him "good boy" and "thank you, that's enough" when I've checked the situation. (there are some hairy ones here in the apartment complex) He knows it is his job to bark. I feel much better knowing my dog is on the alert when I'm gone and when I'm asleep. I don't think he would stop an intruder, but he would certainly make enough noise to wake me or get the neighbors curious.

[froglegs]

I'm sorry this happened to you.

My dad's house was robbed a few times before they got dogs. The dogs weren't anything scary, a lab and a medium-sized fluffy golden mutt, but there were no more robberies after that. At my mom's house, we never locked the door during my entire childhood. I never even had a house key. We were lucky and never got robbed.

Now that I have my own house, I don't take chances like that. We deadbolt the front door and sliding glass door, lock the front & back garage doors, deadbolt the door between the garage and house, and lock all the windows every single time we leave the house. We have a motion detector light in the backyard, a big "beware of dog" sign on the gate, and a very territorial dog. The most vulnerable point in my house is the back garage door, since it only has a lock on the handle and doesn't have a deadbolt, and has a big dog door. If someone were to get in, it would be bad, since we have a ton of tools and my bikes in the garage, but the door between the garage and house is always deadbolted so at least they would have a hard time getting in the house.

My dog is a boxer mix. He was a rescue and I got him a year ago when he was a little over a year old. His previous owner had a cat, so I was fairly confident that he would be good with my cat. After a few weeks of supervising their interactions, I felt ok about leaving them alone together, and while they have not become friends, they coexist peacefully. The dog really does provide peace of mind for us. I don't know that he would attack an intruder, but he would definitely warn me, and his bark sounds vicious and scary and might deter them from trying to come in.

[Brandi]

I am soooo sorry for you two and glad that you are ok. Please consider the dog. I don't want to bring this up but I know someone who was robbed and they hurt the cat. The cat WAS ok in the end but they could have really hurt her. The cat's might be a bit pissed at first for bringing a dog in but it is for thier protection as well. They will get over it it will take up to 6 months for them to forgive you and a year maybe to totally forgive you. But it can work.
Please think about it.

[froglegs]

The cat's might be a bit pissed at first for bringing a dog in but it is for thier protection as well. They will get over it it will take up to 6 months for them to forgive you and a year maybe to totally forgive you. But it can work.
Please think about it.

My cat is young, big and tough, and he was NOT happy when we brought the dog home. He had never lived with a dog before. We let him see the dog through the sliding glass door, and he puffed out, walked up to the door, hissed, and smacked it with his paw. We set up a couple baby gates and one of those cat towers so the cat could watch safely from a distance. After a few months, they just got used to each other. Every once in awhile the cat still gets mad at the dog for no apparent reason, but they mostly get along and even occasionally show each other something that resembles affection.

[Tuckervill]

I have a cat that hates dogs and a cat that rubs against them if the dog is calm. We recently got a new dog, and the cat that hates dogs is more friendly with this dog. This cat runs when he should sit still around dogs, and that gives the dog a reason to chase. This dog doesn't happen to have a strong chase instinct (part golden retriever, and she got the obedient gene, thank the stars).

Whether the dog and cat get along depends a lot on how the dog behaves when it meets the cat. A dog with a strong chase instinct will have a hard time making friends with a scaredy cat. Certain dogs can be trained not to react to the cat (don't get a Jack Russell Terrier!). Some cats hate dogs on sight and will not interact at all. With my cat who falls into that category, it has become a low anxiety thing for him, kind of like how he feels about the vacuum cleaner. As long as it's not on, he can walk right by it. But it's all about how the dog behaves around him.

Karen

[RoadRaven]

When I was flatting we were broken into twice

Its a nasty feeling

Just joining the sympathy, the empathy and the well-wishes as you sort your way through the next few days and weeks.