Posted on 08/30/2010 10:19:51 PM PDT by fred4prez
About 11:45pm tonight my dog started barking loudly, quite unlike her at that time of night. I grabbed my flashlight and went down to the garage to investigate, thinking it was another opossum...The garage was clear, but then I saw a guy in my fenced back yard, walking around with a flashlight. I yelled at him, and he replied that he was looking for his lost dog. Thinking back on it, I recall he did say something about "if you see the dog, I live at house # such and such"...however, I didn't much care what he was saying, I just repeatedly ordered him to leave the yard, and so he finally hopped over the fence, walked to the road out front, and disappeared into the night.
I called the cops, they patrolled back and forth a few times, but didn't see the guy. Then they came to my place and I gave them a verbal statement (I had asked 911 for them to stop by afterwards).
Right now, I'm just ticked at myself that my handgun (Sig 9mm) was still locked away in my portable case from target shooting at the range a few weeks ago, else I would definitely have grabbed it before heading outside; I could have at least detained him until the cops arrived. Maybe it's for the better anyway...I dunno. Let's just say my handgun is accessible again.
The guy was an idiot to be in someone's back yard, at night, here in TN.
Anyways, just thought I'd ask my fellow Freepers what advice you'd have to keeps "strollers" out of my yard. The freeway and Chattanooga itself aren't far away. What can be done to make my house look less inviting in general? I keep the outside lights on 24/7, and my wonderful dog - Java (yellow lab mix) - is fenced in the back yard.
Thoughts?
I hate you.
Seems odd given that you had a fence he had to leap. Otherwise, not sure what the problem is. I can certainly imagine someone’s dog gets away late at night, and they walk through the neighborhood looking for the dog, including in people’s back yards.
They don’t ring the bell to ask for permission because you might be in bed. They aren’t hurting anything or causing any damage, so they don’t think it’s really an issue.
I would hate to live in a place where I had to worry whether walking in someone’s back yard could get me shot. Where I live, kids walk through back yards just to get to other houses — if we don’t like it, we either mention it when they come through, or put up a fence, or get a dog that is territorial.
But like I said, I don’t understand why a guy would look for their dog INSIDE a fence, where they had to climb over the fence. So certainly calling the police was a good idea. And I don’t think people should be entering fenced areas without permission, even though I’d still hope gun owners wouldn’t shoot people simply for being inside their fence.
Plant blackberry bushes and/or knockout rosebushes all the way around your fence
Motion detector floodlights/alarms
I got some of these. Cheap, but effective.
I can see clear to the back fence in the dark...
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/7-13-years/e581/
It was just one of those things. I usually tried to wrap up by 8pm, but I was doing really well and I only had about 10 more houses to do and then I would finish a very large section and wouldn’t have to drive out that way again.
I remember thinking to myself, “pushing it that last bit always nets you trouble”.
But I didn’t listen to that voice and pushed on. I remember thinking, sitting back in the paddywagon thankful that I at least stopped to pick up a 2L of Mountain Dew.
What did you think about Mission Ks. charging a ‘driveway tax’?
What a travesty that is. I hope the businesses, especially Target, packs up and moves. It would serve those folks right. I feel terrible for the residents of Mission - no say whatsoever.
Yes, but as I tried to explain to you the prowler was attempting to enter the house at 11:30 at night. Much different than someone just wandering around your property near the fenceline.
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