We were robbed!

Once when I was younger and lived in a thief ridden place because of my job. My car was vandalized and house broken into. About 3 days before I moved I sprayed everything sellable outside with CS spray (teargas), put big fishhooks hanging down in the holes under my chainlink fence in the back yard, set rusted nails in boards beneath my windows, with dirt over them, set a wine bottle with epicac and wine down in the shrubs by my house where someone would sit and watch my wifes and daughters room windows. And a few more tricks that are unmentionable.
The day I moved I collected about 1/2 half of the sellable stuff, 10% of the fishooks set out, one of the boards was up above the dirt, the bottle of wine mix was gone.
I am now older---------smarter--------------and meaner. Shadowwalker

Thanks again for the good thoughts.

Needless to say, we have stopped taking things up there to store until our move-in date! We are also considering getting a storage locker in town for the really valuable stuff (heirlooms, the wedding stuff that was not yet up there to be stolen--although they did get much of the china and crystal already!).

to unregistered (why do the nasty comments come from someone who isn't brave enough to sign their name to a post?):

Yes, everything was/is locked. A window was broken into the garage and then they opened the door from the inside so they could get everything out, the barn door was jimmied open which broke the lock, and we can't figure out how they got into the machine shed, but once inside they opened a door locked from the inside and cleaned us out. And everything that was left outside--hoses, dog dishes, some gardening tools, and a beach chair--all gone.

There was a big theft Ring going on around here, 4-5 people over about 30 miles away was coming over to our county and whenever nobody's home they would steal T.V's Funiture, antuiqes and ATV's, the sheriff had the cops setting at the country store, waiting ......

My Grandparents live way out in the country, and the next door neighbors got broken into in the daytime, they never got the stuff back.

We introduced everyone who came near to our dogs when we first moved in. In a small town, it doesn't take long for word to get around. Everyone knows the crazy Tinkles have lots of big German Shepherds running around that will stop on a dime on a command from my husband, and growl in a most terrifying way, making it quite obvious they would like to eat anyone who comes near us. We also point out to people stopping by that should they happen by when I am out with the dogs and my husband isn't here, not to ever leave their cars, because the dogs won't stop for me, and will protect me at all costs.

Everyone, down to the ups man, is aware of this and no one bothers us, no one ever gets out without honking and waiting for us. When our neighbors house burned to the ground last year, I was the one who saw it and called it in. When the fire marshal and insurance adjuster came out to ask questions, they already knew not to leave their vehicles.

We don't post beware of dog signs. Our insurance company told us to do so is tantamount to admitting you have vicious dogs (whether you do or not) and should someone get bit, you're hosed. We simply inform everyone that our dogs are here to protect our land and ourselves.

Nothing is fool proof, but I think dogs can be a wonderful way to protect yourself as well as wonderful companions.

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http://tinksquared.com

meth heads, illegals , home invasions and drug dealers have preferred the rural areas for the last ten years or more. Thats why us country boys arm to the teeth now. Even my bathrobe has an inside under shoulder holster pocket added for my snub nosed .38 Colt.

__________________
"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

When they break in and steal from you don't you just feel molested?

After you move, if you are going to be gone away from the house, I would advise in getting some Rotts to keep inside the house or outbuildings. Some of these dogs wouldn't bite anything, but some are aware of bad people and will put them on down the road.

A spy cam sounds like a good idea also. The country is the place where the thiefs are hitting. A lot of them are just taking fast items, like tv's, camcorders, Cd/vhs players, jewelry, guns and such. They can turn these real fast and are easy for them to handle. There is usually a buyer in a larger city near by that will buy from them.

We have not had a break in, yet, in our house. I think we have scared some thiefs off, a few times. It looked like no one was home, but surprise, someone was. A lot of times they will ring the phone to see if anyone answers. My answering machine came in good on that, until caller ID came out which is better. . We have had some baby calves stolen, and 2 Dobies. Also some gas in a 5 gal can and gas out of the vehicles and tractor. Our biggest lose was a metal locking tool box on the back of our truck. We went to the river and left it parked at the boat dock. Got back to the docks and hubby started to change shoes which was in the back of the truck. His shoes were gone. I said check your tool box. They had cleaned it out. They got over $2000 worth of tools. They had pried the locks undone. We never found any of it. A lot of the tools was marked with his name and SS#.

We did put a stop to the gas being stolen from the 5 gal cans. We can leave cans of gas all over now and it isn't taken. They still hit the tractor and vehicles. DH put deisel in the can that they had been getting the gas out of. We discovered it was local boys that was getting the cans of gas. All of a sudden the truck and cycle they were driving started smoking, next they blew up. Those boys aren't around here anymore but they must have passed the word on not to bother the cans.

Hope you get some leads on your stuff.

If you rent a storage building, be careful what kind of locks you use. A city near us had their storage lockers broken into. They used bolt cutters and got the fast moving items. They took something and pushed the camera up toward the sky, so it would not film them. They make a lock that bolt cutters won't touch. Best to invest in them.

One tactic that I've seen work well is to post prominent signs warning that the area is under recorded video/web cam surveillance, pictures will be taken of trespassers, immediately uploaded to a website, and passed on to the local law enforcement.

Add a picture of a camera for the illiterate.

You do not have to actually HAVE a web cam. Just lie and say you do. It's almost better not to have one -- if the thief decides to hunt for your surveillance camera, he's NEVER going to find it!

A big mean dog will discourage some thieves, but not all. (A .22 air rifle will take care of the big mean dog without noise.)

Floodlights -- bright ones -- and motion detectors are also a good idea. Have a switch inside so you can immeidately illuminate your entire property, in case of nocturnal trespassers. (Two or four legged.)

You can get solar powered flood lights with motion detectors that are quite bright, to put in areas of your property without power.

I've also seen a motion detector wired to a tape recorder -- a friend had this set up for his horse trailer w/ living quarters after his tack was stolen twice. The tape recorder said something to the effect of, "Hey! You hear that? I think someone's out there!" and another voice -- his girlfriend -- said, "Can't be, that'd be three this week. I'm *bleeeep* tired of going to court to press charges." And the first voice said something to the effect of, "Where's my gun, honey?" .... at which point a large dog started barking and you heard a shotgun being pumped. (Note, it takes a good set of speakers and a good recording to make this sound realistic. He had access to a recording studio.)

Knowing your neighbors helps wonderfully too -- the other night an unfamiliar car pulled up when the neighbors weren't home -- their house is about 500 feet from mine. I snapped on my outside floodlights and shone a spotlight at the car, just as my other neighbor, who's a cop, quietly pulled up behind the unfamiliar car in HIS squad car. *LOL* We'd both seen the car and not recognized it. Turned out it was the neighbor kid and his buddy, in the buddy's car, but a strange car got our attention for sure.

Another tactic is to make it look like someone's home -- park a car in the driveway (and move it occasionally, don't let cobwebs accumulate), have timers on your inside lights, play the TV loud, and consider putting a "security scarecrow" in a chair -- stuff clothes with rags, put a wig on it, and place it with the back to the window so all they see is hair. Move the scarecrow occasionally.

Leva

Cath, I don't think 'unregistered' was being mean by asking if things were locked up. Just looking for facts. Unfortunately locks keep honest people out.

Knowing your neighbors is A 1 in importance. About 10 years ago when new folks bought one acre our land surrounds, they moved a tent and supplies in. We hadn't met them yet. So when a few folks arrived and tore the stuff down and took it, we assumed they were extensions of the family. They weren't. Later during a building phase, some concrete block was taken. Since then, I now work at home and so does another neighbor. It always helps if your schedules can be switched around now and then. We also move the dogs to different places in the yard and have one loose in general. They are well trained and friendly but big so strangers are wary. Especially when they run down a path and stand/sit about 20 feet away and stare at you.

No-one has stolen gas for a long time either (we think that was a troubled neighbor, and he didn't get ours cause we locked our cars then and the gas caps were locked). Course, another neighbor made it known he would shoot and ask questions later if he saw a prowler around his truck. He never lost gas again.

An interesting thing happened way back (14 years maybe) that changed a different one of our habits though. A neighbor got stuck in our drive and we called another with a winch to come and get it out. The troubled neighbor showed up in about 10 minutes saying he heard we needed a winch!!! Turned out we had used the cordless phone to make the call. NEVER owned one since. I won't use them for anything now.

Leva is right, nothing beats working together and caring about one another. It is noticing the small things that let the community know that it is intolerant of sneakiness.

You can buy fake surveillence cameras. Look like the real thing, but are just a metal box with a lens and battery operated red light.

As mentioned above in a post, consider placing a good sized block ad in the local papers to the effect, "NOTICE: $5,000.00 REWARD FOR THE ARREST AND CONVINCTION OF THE PERSON OR PERSONS WHO STOLE PROPERTY FROM (ADDRESS) ON OR ABOUT (DATE). 555-XXXX."

If nothing else it may make others concerned about anyone else knowing what they were doing with the reward dangling out there. Make sure it says AND CONVICTION, so just an arrest doesn't qualify. They have to stand trial and be found quilty.

We started a Crimestoppers locally. Hard to say the impact. May make some think twice though.

One place to look for stolen property is on eBay. Fencers have found it a good way to dispose of items out of the area at a decent price.

Ken S. in WC TN

Hi Cath, I'm so sorry to hear that!!!! :waa: DH and I just purchased 92 acres in rural W WA, do you mind telling which county this happend to you in, or near what town? We've not started to clear or build yet, but I can envision something very similar happening to us when it's time to move in!

If they stole lawn chairs and hoses, maybe you can check local garage sales for your stuff?

One thing theives don't like is going to a house or barn with restricted access. For example, one with only one way to drive out, including overland. If you are planning to put up fencing anyway, you may want to make drive-in access a cul-de-sac. We live at the bottom of a hairpin driveway. Only one way in with a vehicle, easy to blockade, and in winter you better have 4-wheel drive and studs, if you can get in or out at all!

Hehe, they must not of been too bright if they couldn't tell gas from diesel. You'd think they woulda smelled the difference.

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ICOG7.ORG
Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
Taking Reservation for 2015!

bury them in the orchard...

Fence your whole property leaving only one way in and out like mentioned above. A locked gate to keep vehicles out would be good (could be and automatic gate). Once fenced plant thorny bushes, shrubs, vines, trees. Some possibilities are Pyracantha, Cherokee rose, or Barberry. If you’re daring enough and you want to teach them a lesson to never come back add some poison ivy to the mix. If they climb your fence they will get cuts, punctures, and gashes as well as a very nasty rash. That should teach them not to come back around.

I think they were in such a hurry, they didn't take the time. It had always been gas before. The thought that it wasn't that time, apparently didn't hit their minds.

I have also heard of people mixing sugar in with the gasoline left out for the thieves. Just make sure everyone in your family knows which is which.

Ken S. in WC TN