My house was broken into tonight

[Theo]

I came home from an appointment tonight, and Titus met me at my car. I grabbed my pocketbook and "stuff" and forgot to lock my Jeep.
My husband wasn't feeling well tonight, and went to bed early. I stayed up to watch the local news.
I heard the garage door open...I FREAKED. I looked upstairs and Titus was up looking at me. I gathered enough courage to go outside to see if
the light was on in the garage...THE DOOR WAS HALF OPEN.
I ran upstairs and woke my husband. He went downstairs and noticed that the door leading into our house from the garage was OPEN.
I called the Police. They were here in a minute. I noticed my car had been ransacked. They took some CD's. They didn't take my XM radio or my
Ray Ban sunglasses. We noticed my husband's SUV was ransacked as well...they took CD's.
THE BAD THING...THEY TOOK MY GARAGE DOOR OPENER.
They brought the K-9 unit in. The dog got a scent, and it took them to the shopping center behind us.
They will never catch them.
I'll check that route in the morning for my garage door opener.
I just don't get it...there were three cars parked outside my home, and one in the garage...and they still entered my house!!
UNBELIEVABLE!

[Coco Chow]

That's terrible!
I'm glad nothing happened to you and your husband, physically I mean.
What are you going to do about the garage key? Can you get another door opener re-programmed so in case they want to come back the opening code will have changed?
You must be so upset...

[Jeff&Peks]

Boy getting be alot of crime going on in the Chow world.

On most Garage door openers you can change the code on the back of the motor then go buy new remotes and set the code to the new opener. Garage doors are easy to open people just drive down the street with remotes sooner or later a door is going to open you might just be the door that opened so they went in, for now you should go out and see if you can change the code incase they come back thinking its an easy entry. If not either padlock the garage door or disconnect the motor so it wont open.

[Theo]

Thanks Elodie & Jeff!
As you can see, I'm still up..can't sleep.
We disabled the garage door opener and locked the garage while the cop was in my house.
He searched our basement as well. Nothing taken inside, that we know of.
My husband has so many tools...he'll have to take the time tomorrow to check if anything is missing.
Hubby knows how to change the code and will do so in the morning.
I still can't believe they were in my house!

[Chow Chow Mama]

Did Titus start barking? Maybe he scared them off. I would be so paranoid I wouldn't go to work today.

[Cara&Haley]

I'm so sorry that happened to you. Good thing they didn't take anything too valuable?
My apartment was broken into a couple of years ago, the day before my birthday. I was out picking up my first dog... came home and all of my valuables were gone.
The upside was the new puppy kept me from loosing it.

[CoraP.]

I'm sorry to hear this! I am glad your husband knows how to change the code. Hopefully you won't be bothered again!

[sit_by_the_beach]

That's a horrible invasion of someone's privacy. My place was broken into some years ago and I felt violated. Does Titus bark when someone comes close to the house? Possibly the burglar was someone Titus had met before?

I had an alarm installed, an alarm that sounds inside and outside to alarm the neighbours in case I am out. No point to have an inside alarm only, no one will hear it while I am out.

[TJordan]

Thieves are so brave these days. I am glad nobody got hurt. That is scary. I have heard of that around here as well. It seems they know most people don't lock the garage door that leads into the house so they come creeping in..

[Theo]

I'm so tired! I went to work today despite zero sleep, but don't know how long I'm going to last!
I noticed that my mailbox key was missing from my car this morning. I contacted the Post Office and they are sending someone over to replace the lock.
Just think, they could have access to everything!
I keep thinking what could have happened, and we're lucky.
I think while they were in my basement, they looked up the stairs and saw the lights and heard the TV and didn't come any further.
Had we been asleep, they could have had the keys to our vehicles, my pocketbook, and all the cell phones.
Titus did hear the garage open. He was sleeping in the hallway upstairs. He did come to the top of the steps, probably thinking, "where's my Mom going this late at night"!
When he saw me, he came down and helped me investigate. My little hero!
When my husband hit the garage door, Titus ran out (he stays close) and picked up the same scent the K-9 dog picked up! No barking though!

[Tippsy'smom]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened. I'm glad no one was hurt, though.

[Laura]

Wow that is so scary!!! I am so glad everyone is ok! Can you do something about the garage door opener so that they can't come back and use your opener that they stole? I would be scared to death! We are horrible about locking up. This is a wake up call for me no doubt!

[fatima]

OMG!
Thankfully no one was hurt. I know this is kinda out of left field, but what kind of an Idiot just steals CD's?
I am scared too, I'm home alone for half the Summer and it's just Bear and I and our Cat Shadow. Before I got Bear, someone was trying to break into my home a couple of times. I think it was the same person because they did it when my husband wasn't home. They were even bold enough to do it when he stepped out the house for a few minutes! But i feel good now that we have our boy. Especially when he sleeps in front of our room or by the foot of the bed

[Layla]

Glad you're okay Jackie. Brave boy Titus!

Dh wants to get an alarm, I want more chows

[Theo]

Thanks everyone for your concern!

The mailbox lock has been changed, and the garage door opener has been reprogrammed.

Now I just have to get rid of this very weird feeling of what could have happened, and the fact that a stranger was in my house.

Layla...as we're coming down off our caffeine buzz we are comparing notes of the "sequence of events"...

Titus didn't bark. He was more worried that Mommy was leaving without him!

He did bark at the nice police officer that came into the house to check around!!!

We're going to have to work on "GOOD GUY/BAD GUY" with him!!!!

[Layla]

That would be Alf.... Millie would eat them though, she's pissy about anyone she's not seen a clear visitor's pass for entering the property! She even been know to protest a guest using the upstairs bathroom..... their badge didn't say 'access all areas' apparently

[fillyok]

Glad to hear nothing worse happened to you or your family. I know it's a terrible feeling of being violated like this and that doesn't go away overnight. From what you've described, it sounds like young kids/teenagers. Who else would steal CDs and leave a satellite radio??? I bet they took the garage door opener without thinking (or knowing) you could re-program it and the remote would be worthless. Again, not your typical thief activity.
Be safe and get some sleep tonight.

[chowfrnd88]

Oh Jackie, I am so sorry!! I just saw your post!! That is awful. We've been broken into too. We were at the hospital visiting my mom while she was fighting for her life. It was the third week of us doing that and we were exhausted. When we came home, everything looked pristine... expect when I sat down on the futon and stared ahead I noticed the stereo was missing! It was an awful feeling of violation. Thank God you guys are alright. How brazen of them to come while they saw the cars at home, that is the scariest thing I think.

Fillyok, the police told us that most burglaries are drug related and that often they'll take cd's because it's really easy to sell them.

[carolyn dewrance]

I am so sorry that this has happened to you, I know how it feels, 10 years ago I went home to check up on one of my chows during a tea break at the place I worked then, I opened the front door, and there were two black men in my house, they tied me up and locked me in the bathroom, and then ransacked the house, taking tape, radios, t.v. food and oh so much and I could not get out the bathroom, I was terrified they would come back and kill me, and My Chows never stopped barking untill they were gone, I eventually got free and called the police, the theives were caught the next day, one got 6 months in prison and the other was set free under his parents guidance, What a laugh, I told the magistrate, that they should have been hung and she wanted to charge ME with contempt of court, Thats the new law in S.A. they are all for the criminals.
I do hope you get over the fear you have soon, I know that it has taken me a while to get over my attack and mugging.
Keep strong and I am praying for you
Carolyn

[mikkabear]

Maybe you should change your locks as well? The ones to the house.
And get flood lights up that come on with a sensor - have the husband put them up around the perimeter of the house. Or you could get an alarm system for the house like ADT.

[Dogdad]

The good thing is no one was hurt, you have to remember that, items can be replaced, love ones can't

David