So .... there was an attempted break in across the street this afternoon .....

[Stinky The Clown]

.... we live in a 30 year old development. Lots of McMansions nearby, but our houses are all pretty modest by comparison. Older people here, mostly, although there are younger people that have been coming in over the last five years or so as a few of the people our age head for senior communities or Florida.

Anyway, there was a break in across the street and three doors down. Very close. The neighbor called me (as she did everyone on our cul de sac) to let us know. The cops got called. An e-mail from the community association arrived a fe wminutes later.

But here's what got me.

During dinner we got a robo call from our county government. A recorded message informing us there was an attempted break-in and what we ought to do to discourage a repeat.

I thought that was very good.

[ikojo]

1. Wow! Now that is government that works.

If they did robo calls in the city of St Louis the phone would be VERY, VERY busy.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Sounds like St Louis is a bad place to live, unless you don't mind break-ins.

[ikojo]

14. It really depends upon where in the city you live

There are areas that have more crime and murders and areas that do not. I live in an area that is kind of on the edge.

[stlsaxman]

19. yeah St. Louis is horrible- stay away!

unless you like really fine people...

and good music...

and good food...

and beautiful 19th century French brick homes...

and the largest outdoor Obama rally-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUiEES2jQdE

in the shadow of the courthouse where Dred Scott was decided (my how far we've come!)

other than that it's horrendous.

[OhioChick]

4. Same with Cleveland. n/t

[MADem]

3. I live in a town with that reverse nine one one, too.

Get a "Beware of Dog" sign. It does deter...! Not the only tool in the toolbox, of course, but if a crook has a choice, they'll go to a place where they don't think they'll get bitten.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Our crime deterrents:

They hate these pictures cuz they look girlie. :)

Of course, they *are* girls, but still. They didn't appreciate the reduction in their street creds that these bows meant.

Big (90 lbs):


Little (60 lbs):


Both have very loud, big barks. Both are protective. Both bark at anything that moves. Big also stands on her hind legs and is quite tall and toothy when she gets face to face with people.

The people next door have even bigger dogs.

Even the Jehovah's Witnesses stay away from our place.

[janx]

6. Awww...I continue to admire you and Sparkly!

:toast:

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Heh .....

In those pictures, Big was feeling cowed by the bow. Little had on her "what the fuck, dude?" face.

[MADem]

8. Wow, great DAWGS...what GRAND faces!!

I had a girl who looked a lot like your top pic, only with a rounded nose and a very full coat--about the same size, too. She used to love to "patrol the property" and had a set routine where she'd follow the property line all around and make sure that nothing was amiss. She was an abandoned dog overseas, who adopted me. I had no idea how old she was, but she was half starved to death with scars from fights and a really hideous coat....after about six months of care and good food she looked like a show dog and the scars didn't even show. She's gone now, and her buddy (another rescue from the streets) is 15 now, so it's the fifteen year old (who has a rare but deep bark) and an adolescent terrier (with a profound and more frequent bark, too!).

My BEWARE OF THE DOG sign has a doberman on it, though I don't have one of those...hey, no rule about Truth in Advertising when it comes to some ass trying to rip you off, is there?

[madinmaryland]

9. Now if HoCo could just get the Examiner to stop littering our yards!

:grr:

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Omigawd, dontcha just hate that rag?

Litter is all it is.

[madinmaryland]

13. I don't know what worse, the examiner or the Washington Times.

Funny, my dad won't even touch the Pittsburgh Tribune (Scaife's rag!)

:rofl:

[slackmaster]

11. Is that what they call "Reverse 911"?

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Actually it is ..... as I found out after it happened

:)

It never occurred to me that was what a reverse 911 was for. (I'm old and not with it)

[ManiacJoe]

15. Nice to see that some local governments work.

What was the advice given in the phone message?

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Nothing at the genius level, but good enough ......

.... lock your doors. Lock your car inside your garage. Clear shrubs from the house (which made me chuckle for the imagery it evoked), if you must keep a ladder outdoors, chain it to a tree or fence, or something. That sort of stuff

[TheKentuckian]

17. Sounds like a waste of resources to me

leave a light or two on, lock your doors and windows, keep a tv or a radio going, and talk to your neighbors so you can watch each others backs.

Maybe if cops rode their beats instead of trying to write citations and get laid they would have been able to do something constructive.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. What resources got wasted?

[stlsaxman]

18. First to rec for community awareness!

We know all our neighbors... we watch out for each other.