Friend walks in on burglary

[tuckerdog1]

She retired early ( age, maybe late 40s ) & I work with her husband. They live in a secluded neighborhood. Very hilly, lots of trees and all the lots are 3-10 acres. So even though they have neighbors, they are not close. Their house is one of the most remote, at the end of a gravel road and 75-100 yards back in the trees. She comes home in the afternoon from shopping. There is a strange truck on the road in front of their house. She thinks that's odd ( yea! dead end gravel road ). Goes up their driveway, and sees the gate to the back yard is open. Now at this point, if it's me, the firearm is ready, but I don't think they even own a gun. She should have at least called 911 or gone to a neighbor's. But she hits the garage door opener & heads inside. As she goes in, a couple guys are heading out through the window they'd broken in the back of the house. The noise from the garage door may have been her saving grace. The scum, not knowing who was heading inside were in flee mode. Had she come in through the front door & surprised them face to face, they might have seen an easy victim in a lone female.

She went back out to her car & called 911 & her husband at work. They of course feel violated & vulnerable.

Tuckerdog1

[Ruthless4christ]

are they against guns? even so Dogs security alarm, and hardened windows can all be considered.

[Hemicuda]

If they actively choose not to own the tools they need for self preservation, then there's nothing we can do to help... sorry it happened, and maybe they'll open their eyes... but it's their choice...

[jrothWA]

maybe they face reality, fortunately not like the incident in Conn.

[4V50 Gary]

Glad she's safe and I hope she learned a lesson.

Have a plan. If nothing else, upon spotting a strange vehicle, jot down plate, note make & color and type of vehicle, call the boys or girls in blue (or brown) and wait from a safe distance.

[chris in va]

Wow, that could have been a really bad situation. She did everything wrong.

I came home to my townhouse one evening to find the front door slightly open. First thing I did was call the non emergency police number while still at my car. They sent out a couple cops that searched my house for me. All clear, done.

Turns out my friend's kid didn't close the door all the way, but still.

[Eghad]

I can see some lifestyle changes taking place. She is very lucky.

[Tanzer]

About all I can do is agree with previous posters. This is the type of situation we have in mind when we're at the gun shop (except when we just "have to have that one"). It's what we're thinking when we practice, and talk with our family about emergency plans. Heck, most everything you describe is the exact opposite thinking of most of us here. That's why it seems so foreign to us. We could pick apart the story and talk about each mistake in sequence, but the fact is, her original thought process was "at fault".
I suppose the true test here is to see whether or not their "condition white" mentality is altered in any way by this event. Luck was on her side this time, whether it was chance, or the nature of the crooks themselves. We can't tell from the information given. I hope they look at this as a "freebee" lesson, and take appropriate measures. As mentioned before, a dog or two would be a major asset here. It seems, living in a rural setting, the relationship would be great for them and the dog(s).

[Tanzer]

Now at this point, if it's me, the firearm is ready,

Not trying to be a wise-guy here, but not knowing who and how many are in the house, I too would have a firearm ready, but only for the purpose of slinking back to my car & getting some help.

[tuckerdog1]

Well, I didn't think they had firearms, but I was incorrect. I called in the afternoon yesterday and offered to let them borrow one of mine, and take them to the range to get familiar with it. Turns out they do have a 12ga & a 9mm in the house. But one of those situations, where the guns haven't seen daylight in years. Husband says they are going to break them out & get some practice time in.

They do have two dogs. One yapper & one that could do some real damage if it wanted to. The dogs were in the house upstairs. Nobody knows why they didn't do their job.

As most are saying here, hope this turns on the lights as to how the real world is.

Tuckerdog1

[DesertDawg]

There are crooks and "opportunists" everywhere you go. In the mountain resort areas, where people have weekend cabins. there are break-in's all the time. In one desert region that I frequent, a lot of people have "retreat" cabins, and they have the same problem.

I have a friend that has a "time-share" at a mountain cabin at a nice resort area. Once, when he drove up there, the cabin door was off its hinges, so he backed off and called the local Sheriff's department. While waiting for the deputies to arrive, a huge brown bear trundled out of the cabin! The bear hadn't kicked in the door....that had been done by a human....but the bear had gone in there afterwards, looking for food!

The uncle of one of my friends has a "retreat" cabin in the desert. The uncle got a phone call from the Sheriff's department one day, about the cabin having been broken into. There were 4 people that had been arrested inside the cabin! They had set up "shop" inside, using it as a methamphetamine "kitchen"!

Having a big dog MIGHT help, but it wouldn't guarantee anything. It might be best to "harden" the exterior, with security bars over the windows and heavy-duty doors. Gates at vehicle entry points work, at least somewhat. Probably good to have a radio blaring away inside the house, so that a criminal or "opportunist" might think that there's a music-loving teenager inside.

I liked what one guy did. Every time he would be away from home for any amount of time, he left a note on the front door. The note read, "Honey, I went to the gun store to buy some more ammo. I should be back in about 45 minutes." (That guy didn't even own a gun! He never had any burglaries, either!)

[pax]

They do have two dogs. One yapper & one that could do some real damage if it wanted to. The dogs were in the house upstairs. Nobody knows why they didn't do their job.

Heh. That brought back a childhood memory. When I was a kid, we had a pretty good house-alert dog. He was little but had a "big dog" voice, a good deep bark. If someone drove into the driveway or knocked at the door, he would race to the door and bark for all he was worth. Very excellent alert system and we considered him a pretty good watchdog.

One afternoon, shortly after my older sister got engaged, her new fiance needed to stop by our house to feed the dog while we were gone. Nobody else was home, and he had been there only a couple times before, but mom told him where the key was and he let himself into the house. When the dog did not meet him at the door, he was puzzled and a bit worried, but he went ahead and got into the garage for something my sister needed, and checked the dog food bowl. Still no dog. He got a bit worried, knowing the dog had to be around there somewhere, so he finally went looking for him.

The dog was upstairs hiding underneath a bed. Hiding, as in, he'd jammed himself as far back into the back corner as he could and was trying to make himself really, really small.

Apparently, some dogs are only brave alert dogs when their human alphas are around.

Glad your friends are okay, and hopefully this incident will help them be safer in the future.

pax

[Hallucinator]

1. Big Dog (Very useful if not too friendly)

2. Shotgun (if you're home when they arrive)

3. Carry weapon (If you arrive after they do)

4. Situational awareness (do not enter house if door is open)

[markj]

Everyone should have a dog. Dont need to be big and scary, just a noise maker when needed. MAny women wont carry or shoot. I have had the pleasure of teaching a group of women my wife works with how to shoot. Not easy being a single female these days.

Wife has a taser and a handgun, she is an inspiration to those she works with she also rides a motorcycle, a big motorcycle so do I.

[Justme]

My daughter has a small revolver, she is 100lbs and 24 years old, but remarkable mean.

In Germany they used geese as "watchdogs" on the airforce bases. They were considered more alert than the dogs. Wierd.

[CrazyIvan007]

Given her apparent lack of common sense with the fact of her seeing the truck, seeing the open gate and continuing to approach the situation without the ability to defend herself...I wouldn't want her moron-azz to own a gun anyway. With decisions like this, I doubt she would be a responsible gun owner.

She coulda been beaten, raped and killed or any of the above...and not necessarily in that order.

Stupid woman!

I check closets and hidden areas of my apt when I get home, with my gun in my pocket. When no one is there all day, there is no telling who or what is where in your house when you get home. Locks can be picked. Bolt locks can be jimmied open with a rough 'master' key and then locked again from the inside with no apparent forced entry.

I might sit & watch my house if it looked like someone may have went in or I may call the police and then approach myself. But, I wouldn't approach it so stupidly like this woman did.

[DougO83]

Think how many times trained professionals have done the same kind of thing. Highway cops walking up to a traffic stop, totally oblivious. It happens everywhere. It is unfair to call her stupid for a momentary lack of judgement. What she did worked. She cannot be faulted for that.

[tuckerdog1]

Thank you DougO83.

I know the woman. She is anything but stupid. Did a stupid thing, but is still here to learn from the experience. Who knows, in the long run, this may be the lesson that puts her on a track to be ready when a more serious situation comes up in the future.

Tuckerdog1

[CrazyIvan007]

It is just the blissfull ignorance to dangerous situations which causes my concern. Perhaps "stupid" was a bit harsh. But, I hate hearing these kinds of things...I just get a picture of a "Like Duh, AHYUCK!" face on a blonde teen girl in my head when I hear this kind of thing.

It's kinda like watching President Bush give a speech...

[Ruthless4christ]

By the way the geese deal is really true! In guatemala lots of people use them, in fact no one eats them here, they only use them for alarms. Also, you would never think...PIGS! they can be so darn mean, and alot more wieght then your average dog! we should open a farm animal forum!

[Tanzer]

I had a neighbor with geese years ago. They are nasty.

[Semblance]

They do have two dogs. One yapper & one that could do some real damage if it wanted to. The dogs were in the house upstairs. Nobody knows why they didn't do their job.

They didn't do their job because their job is not to attack intruders, unless they have been trained to do so. Dogs are useful for defense, yes, but that is only with the proper breed of dog and generally only with proper training. Most domesticated dogs will defend their owners as well, but that is because of their pack mentality - when the owner is being attacked, they attack in turn to defend their pack leader. However, when the pack leader is not around, most dogs will not attack a non-aggressive stranger. Think about it - most dogs are actually trained to be very accepting of strange people, are shushed when they bark at visitors, and are encouraged to "be friendly". This establishes a mindset that strange people are friendly.

The dog was upstairs hiding underneath a bed. Hiding, as in, he'd jammed himself as far back into the back corner as he could and was trying to make himself really, really small.

Apparently, some dogs are only brave alert dogs when their human alphas are around.

This is exactly the case. When the pack leader (alpha human) is around, the dog barks and postures to alert the pack leader that something is unusual. When the pack leader is gone, the dog is a completely different animal, as there is no pack leader to take care of them.

Even the biggest, most defensive dogs can generally be calmed with firm (not aggressive) words and body language. When dogs bark and growl at a new person, they are in most cases not going to attack, they are trying to establish their dominance as pack leader. When this dominance is shut down, they will yield.

A dog's usefulness lies in their ability to be a "first alert" system, and their willingness to defend those in their pack.

I'm speaking very generally, of course. There are always exceptions.

Anyway, your friend got very, very lucky, and hopefully she realizes that. The situation could have turned out horrifically in any number of other circumstances. She is not stupid, however, she is naive and made a bad decision.