TampaRaleigh

+1. AND... the ones that find you tend to be even more protective. I had a 70 lb rescued greyhound that went after someone who started coming in my front door one afternoon. He let out the deepest hound barks I've ever heard and that guy turned and ran. The wannabe intruder was lucky he slammed the door on his way back out, because there was no way he was going to outrun my dog.

And that's a great looking dog you've got there.

KonAaron Snake 

Isn't he handsome? I find him to be very regal.

His personality is so interesting...he is so friendly and protective of smaller dogs, but larger dogs...his alpha turns on and he likes to, well, mount them. He doesn't like confrontation...when the cats occasionally battle or hiss, he runs over and breaks them up. He also gets a little confused by humans touching one another...he doesn't mind when Lori and me hug anymore, but if someone comes to the house and we're too near them, he likes to come over and check things out. He likes people to know he's there.

At the dog park, if a larger dog is close to us, he starts to saunter over and keeps an eye on things. If one of us leaves the park, he waits by the gate for us to come back.

jet sanchEz

This is a very hard charge to prove, that the owner of the pawn shop or used goods store knew that the goods that they purchased were stolen. It sucks but, if they act within the law, there is not much the cops can do. This happened here in Toronto for years, a well known fence for stolen bikes seemingly acted with impunity but he was in fact just very smart and never stepped outside of the bounds of the law. Any and all bikes that he bought from a person would have to be accompanied by photo i.d. and, if the seller didn't have it, there would be no sale. It was not until he started giving the bike thieves what they really wanted, crack in trade for bikes, that the police became interested.

KonAaron Snake 

We have some interesting laws around this area...

In Philadelphia (I don't think it's state law, just local) pawn shops are not held accountable for selling stolen goods (assuming they follow certain procedures) and charge the victim for the return of their items. I think this is horrendous...by moving the loss to the victim, you are effectively encouraging pawn shops to behave irresponsibly since they won't pay the financial penalty for their error. All other stores are on the hook for eating the loss in the event of buying stolen goods. The rules for individuals in PA and stolen property can also be vague...there is an assumption of good title when buying from a bricks and mortar store. Flea markets are a grey area.

This wasn't a pawn shop - it's a store that sells used stuff on eBay and is the "check out their auctions" when your stuff gets stolen. From the people I spoke with, they've been doing this for generations and, unlike pawn shops, aren't on the hook for doing ID checks and the like. The downside for them SHOULD be financial loss and criminal prosecution, but thus far that hasn't happened and they charge victims for return of items (which they aren't allowed to do).

I think it would be fairly easy to go after them - an undercover sting would be quite effective. They manage to go after local massage parlors that way, and I would hope a fence for theft is a bigger priority than that. It isn't of course.

RubberLegs

So sorry....YUP, BAD feelings, then always nervous of sounds in the night. We got home late one Christmas Eve from church to find the house burgled....NOT FUN. Being that we had double cylinder deadbolts, they went out the same window they broke to get in, taking only little stuff (including presents from under the tree). After that, Motion Sensor Flood lights, More Locks, a Shephard/husky/lab mix from the pound, CACTI planted under some windows....I was angry for years, but eventually got over it. It was just stuff, my sleeping toddler on my shoulder NOT being harmed by some crackhead hunting for his next fix is more precious to me....even than my Great-grandfather's Masonic ring that was not exactly replaceable!

Back up, take pics of stuff, and store OFF PREMISES. The cloud, or with family....doesn't help if it is all under your roof, fire, flood.....you can loose it all....too easily.

scozim 

Very cool! Friendly, yet guarded. A good dog is a fantastic thing to have around. Our first Great Pyrenees (she was small for the breed at 85lbs) would go nuts when the door bell rang. So, if we saw someone coming door to door we'd call her into the living room and wait around the corner. Sure enough the door bell would ring. She'd be up in the bay wind going ballistic with the hair standing up on her back. The visitors usually left the porch fairly quickly. Funny thing is she was probably the most mild mannered dog we've ever had - wouldn't even lick you. She just hated the door bell.

shoota 

The computer nerd in me hopes you learned your lesson about backing up important info on your computers.

RubberLegs

He DID have it backed up....but they took the storage device as well!!! Redundant storage....OFF SITE is highly recommended

shoota 

Ah, yes, yes it is.

Cougrrcj

I'm surprised that the 'store' hasn't been busted for Receiving Stolen Property.

As for the security, I have all of our window a/c units mounted in such a way that they cannot be taken out or pushed in. Just a few minutes with some angle aluminum and a couple of screws... No screw holes in the house or window frame, just a few torx-head sheetmetal screws into the AC unit itself in a 'safe' location.

Glad you got a good dog, and a good dog got you.

Kobe 

Monty, as in Python or Hall?

KonAaron Snake 

Probably python, but I didn't name him. I think of him as "Monty" Montgomery, but I'm a history geek. If I ever have a German Sheppard, I'm naming him Rommel.

Bianchigirll 

Cute doggie but I still think you, well everyone, needs and knows how to use a .38 in the nightstand.

Cougrrcj

I'm also a WWII history buff. However, Bernard Montgomery was a pompous egotistical a-whole, that insisted that he alone could devise strategy to beat the Germans... Oh, don't get me wrong, there were any number of US Generals who were as much so or more (Patton, MacArthur, Stillwell, ...) That's why a never-battle-tried administrative/logistics General was named Supreme Allied Commander.


Anyway, 'Monty' should serve you well... ...but it would be prudent to have a backup plan as well!

KonAaron Snake 

I wasn't going to mention it because I didn't want to risk the debate, but I did eventually decide something similar...except I went with a .40. One weird thing I've found out is that apparently I'm a good shot, having never shot anything before. The guy teaching me at the range was really impressed and I was doing better, my first (and only) time, than guys who had been shooting for years. Why? I have no idea.

KonAaron Snake 

Keep in mind...given British ground force futility, Montgomery was Alexander the Great by comparison. I also think the media and powers of the time promoted these mythical icons, fueling the mythology and pomposity.

Personally I think Marshall Zhukov was more impressive than any of them.

CenturionIM

That dog's hair is ruffled up like a lion. dig

KonAaron Snake 

Lori's brother used to shave him to look like a lion...he had a mane and a mohawk strip. We have not continued that tradition. He's a little too cool...no interest in playing catch, or fetching (unless in a river). He wants to play tug of war with a rope and is a bit aloof.

Bianchigirll 

Do you mean like this guy?

https://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2013/01/10/tsr-pkg-moos-lion-dog.cnn

BigPolishJimmy

What a handsome dog. Fantastic that he has a loving home. Our dogs have all come from the pound/humane society/animal rescue. Our latest is a flat-coated retriever that is so friendly I thought she would never bark at people, as she usually doesn't. However the other night she went crazy, and I couldn't figure out why as this is usually reserved for the many squirrels or rabbits around the house. Then the next day we realized we'd gotten a package delivery. Good Dog!

oddjob2

My new neighbor is a local public safety officer, which may be the best protection of all!

My golden retriever can have a fierce bark and be protective, but I think his tendency is not very territorial. But he always knows what's going on, so smart!

Regarding firearms, IMHO bike aficionados are far more at ease than gun lovers. Hence, if you are relaxed, you'll probably do better at the range, than a highly wound individual. Forty caliber will stop a meth abuser, while a .38 will just slow them down.

I recommend range time at least 4 times a year as a minimum for your own safety and comfort.

In addition to the above, and a steel edged Bowler Hat, I recommend one of these too!

KonAaron Snake 

I really don't want my house to start looking like something from one of those reality programs about end of the world survivalists. Getting anything was very weird for me and is a lot for us to get used to. Neither of us has ever been around firearms before and we're just so far from that culture that it's a bit of a shock.

miamijim

Why? Because most guys at the range are shooting guns they cant handle or let their egos get in the way. It's kind of pathetic. You should watch guys shoot with lasers, one shoot and the laser goes all over the range from the recoil...on the ceiling, on the target next to them, 40 to left on the wall.

I can get 10 shots with my .22 in the 9 ring before most guys can get 2 shots off with their big guns.

oddjob2

I understand, no underground bunkers! Prior to last year, I had only shot a Ruger 22 rifle at Boy Scout Camp, 2-3 sessions of trap shooting with some friends, and I had an air rifle.

A year ago, I was seriously looking at moving into the heart of Detroit, hence Smith & Wesson were necessary bedroom partners, in a city where there is more than one murder a day. I made offers on 3-4 places in Detroit for cash, but got no where, because the not-for-profits and Quicken loans were giving buyers $20K forgivable loans as a down payment. So I bought nearby, in one of it's bucolic suburbs.

Doohickie

Well, Winston is named for Winston Churchill, but that's what you get when you are married to a history teacher.