So prank or is someone trying to steal our dog...

[Jann in TX]

We recently (end of December) moved into a city-- our neighborhood is small (under 100 houses) and is 'new' (homes less than 5 years old). 

Our dog is a pure White German Shepherd (parents and long long linage of white GSDs).  He is GORGEOUS!  Since we now live 'in town' and have a very small yard we have been taking him on daily walks.  Every time we are out people always comment about him.

This morning when we let him out we found out pretty quickly that our back/side gate had been opened-- but dog was still in our yard as he is trained to stay unless we 'invite' him out.  Later in the morning a neighbor let us know that now our FRONT gate was now open (dog was let out a second time)-- this gate is HARD to open as it is a bit rusty.  Again dog was still in yard...  We do not leave him in the yard alone for more than a few minutes because he is still being trained at what to and not to bark at.  We personally never use the gates to get into the yard (we go through house).  PERIOD.  I know that GSD's are smart but no way he opened the gates!

DH thinks that someone may be trying to lure our dog out of our yard. 

Are we being paranoid?

City life is going to take some getting used to!

(Our previous home had 10 acres and lots of trees so no real neighbors to bother us.)

[Lecka]

Meter readers?  
 

Someone cutting limbs around power lines?

Both can go into yards here and sometimes don’t shut the gate back.  

 

[Lecka]

What a beautiful dog!!!!!!!!

[Carol in Cal.]

I’m thinking maybe yes.  Stand out animals do get stolen around here sometimes.  Not necessarily just purebreds.

[Pawz4me]

I kind of doubt it.

Dog theft is way more common than many people would believe, but I can't see someone opening gates on the off chance the dog would walk out. That seems . . not an efficient way to steal a dog.

I'd be more concerned that someone was nosing around your house--trying to figure out if the back door is unlocked, etc. Or possibly neighborhood kids?

I'd get some locks if your latches will accommodate them.

[itsheresomewhere]

Common tactic here for stealing dogs.   I would be on alert and install a lock in the gates. 

[Tanaqui]

Is it possible to cut through your yard using both those gates as a shortcut to get from one street to another?

If you're certain it's nothing legit - not the mail or a delivery, not a meter read - then that's the most likely answer, that or kids playing around. You can tell them and tell them to stay out of people's yards, but of course they don't.

Put locks on the gates.

[gardenmom5]

I agree with  your dh.  Get some cameras.

[prairiewindmomma]

Having lived in that area, I'd say your house was getting cased.

Typically they will break the back patio door, or any large back window and go in that way.

They might be trying to take your dog, but I'd say a break-in is more likely.

I always used spot crime to see if there were patterns in the area.

The meter readers--SAWS, etc. all are digital readers on digital meters. There is no reason for them to get out of their trucks.  

[gardenmom5]

5 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I kind of doubt it.

Dog theft is way more common than many people would believe, but I can't see someone opening gates on the off chance the dog would walk out. That seems . . not an efficient way to steal a dog.

I'd be more concerned that someone was nosing around your house--trying to figure out if the back door is unlocked, etc. Or possibly neighborhood kids?

I'd get some locks if your latches will accommodate them.

not efficient maybe - but then they have plausible deniability they were trespassing instead of just found a loose dog.

 

 

OP - does your dog have a microchip?  I'd strongly suggest it.  then if it is stolen, any vet its taken to would discover that when it was scanned.

[gardenmom5]

2 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Having lived in that area, I'd say your house was getting cased.

Typically they will break the back patio door, or any large back window and go in that way.

They might be trying to take your dog, but I'd say a break-in is more likely.

I always used spot crime to see if there were patterns in the area.

The meter readers--SAWS, etc. all are digital readers on digital meters. There is no reason for them to get out of their trucks.  

cameras - up high.

[Nanax6]

Certainly possible.  We just had someone try to take a dog from a neighbors dog in our neighborhood.  He was quickly picked up on all the cameras and reported.  

I would put up a camera and chain lock the gate until you figure out exactly what's going on.  

Beautiful dog!! 

[Tanaqui]

Quote

OP - does your dog have a microchip?  I'd strongly suggest it.  then if it is stolen, any vet its taken to would discover that when it was scanned.

 

The only time I've had an animal scanned for a microchip was when I found a lost animal and brought him in to be scanned for a microchip. He didn't have one. Now he does, and he lives with us.

[Corraleno]

I don't think you're being paranoid at all — I would put locks on both gates and install security cameras ASAP. If they are trying to steal your dog, it may not just be because he's gorgeous, it may be that they want to break into your house without the dog there.

[Selkie]

I wouldn't let my dog out of my sight, and I would be worried about someone breaking into the house as well.

[prairiewindmomma]

FWIW, if you own a truck, I'd also keep an eye on it.  If you get cameras, be sure to put one with a view of the driveway. Hardly any truck owners park in their garages because they don't fit, and they get stolen and sent to chop shops a lot. We had four neighbors all have their trucks stolen while we lived there. They take them across the border overnight, generally, so they are rarely recovered. Sometimes they just take the catalytic converters---you can get a cat lock/shield as a deterrent for about $200, fwiw.

 

[melmichigan]

You are not being paranoid.  We don't allow our dogs outside without supervision after someone walked into the yard and tried to leave with one of the dogs.  It's a relatively common happening with anything out of the ordinary or of high pedigree, but we had discounted the warnings.  

[Katy]

I think it’s likely someone is trying to steal something. The dog, casing your house, or worse, stalking a child. Another possibility is a homeless person staying in your house, shed or backyard at night. 
 

I’d lock the gates and put security cameras up. 

[mmasc]

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this stress at your brand new home. But I agree with many pp, I’d be doing locks on the gates, security cameras, and keeping my dog in my site until everything is secure. I’d make this top priority, because I’d be a nervous wreck if I didn’t! You said that your dog stayed inside the yard even with the gate open—was anyone home during this time or did it happen while you were away?
(Your dog is truly gorgeous❤️)

[Tanaqui]

Quote

I think it’s likely someone is trying to steal something. The dog, casing your house, or worse, stalking a child. Another possibility is a homeless person staying in your house, shed or backyard at night. 

 

It is extremely unlikely that a stranger is trying to stalk the OP or their kids. That's a really exceedingly rare crime.

Most violent crimes - including stalking, rape, or kidnapping - are done by people known to the victim, most often family members or romantic partners. The odds that somebody is stalking the OP or a child - or any child in the neighborhood - are so small they're not even worth mentioning. That's just silly fearmongering.

[ktgrok]

Any kids next door that could have accidentally thrown a ball/frisbee/etc over the fence and come to get it?

[Pippen]

I'd definitely install cameras. 

There's a cable company in my town that's notorious for leaving backyard gates open. 

[EKS]

We had a lock on our gate when we lived in a well populated area and had a dog as striking as yours (he is gorgeous!).  This is not only because we didn't want him getting out but also to keep others from getting in.  I also agree about getting cameras.

Edited January 26, 2021 by EKS

[katilac]

I've wasted enough time watching videos of dogs opening doors, baby gates, and refrigerators to not feel confident it was not the dog. The hard-to-push rusty gate is hardly a problem for a muscular 70-lb dog. Remember, you trained him not to leave the yard, you didn't train him to not solve the interesting puzzle of opening the gate! 

29 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Any kids next door that could have accidentally thrown a ball/frisbee/etc over the fence and come to get it?

If it were my neighborhood, this would have a very high chance of being correct. 

OP, I'd get simple locks for the gates and cameras. We have cameras aimed at our porch, driveway, back patio, and glider cage, lol. The first two are both for security and simply to see who is outside/at the door. We've never needed them for our own security purposes, but we gave copies to the neighbor when someone sideswiped his car and kept going, and to the police when they were trying to track down the teens that broke into an empty house and started a small fire with cigarettes.

The ones on the back patio and glider cage we use all the time for pet purposes, and I highly recommend! First of all, it's extremely amusing to watch them (we have cats and sugar gliders). Second, you can check on them when you're not there, make sure the pet sitter feeds them daily, and so on. 

You can have the feed to to your phone and/or tv. Check on the gate periodically. If you know it's closed at 10 am, and then it's open at noon, you can check those two hours and see how it got open. I might do that if I were home to keep an eye on the doggo (easy to do if you stay in the room with the tv, or just go ahead and have him inside), but I'd be too worried to not lock the gate otherwise. I'd probably both lock the gate and add a motion sensor that sets off an alarm (because they may be able to get past the lock quickly, and an alarm adds another layer of safety). And make sure he is chipped. 

You might even add some of those "video cameras in use" signs as a deterrent. 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by katilac

[MercyA]

You're not being paranoid. If I were you, I would not let my dog be outside without supervision right now. (I never do, anyway!)

Last year, someone in my area took a purebred assistance dog off someone's porch while the woman went inside just briefly. (Thank God, someone recognized the dog in the news, realized he was stolen, and returned him.) Another purebred was taken out of someone's car. Yet another sweet elderly dog was taken by teenagers, was beaten, and died.  And I don't live in a "rough" area, at all.

Your dog is really and truly gorgeous, so I would be especially concerned. 

Hopefully cameras will show a happier explanation and you can breathe a sign of relief. But please be careful until you find out what is going on.

Edited January 26, 2021 by MercyA

[Annie G]

Does your neighborhood have a private Facebook page or what’s the other one called- Next Door, maybe? I’d be trying to network w neighbors and see if anyone else is having issues, or at the very least get the word out that you’re aware of the stuff going on with your gates.  Our neighborhood is super good about keeping an eye out for each other and letting us know when suspicious stuff is happening.
What a beautiful dog!

[Spryte]

Another vote for locks on the gates and cameras.  Casing the house, stealing the dog, or just a strange coincidence with kids, I’d want cameras and gate locks.
 

And I personally like having a house alarm.  We have a Ring alarm, FWIW.  They make cameras, too, but we prefer Nest Cameras for higher resolution and being able to plug them in.  

[katilac]

22 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

The thief obviously cared about dogs because when he figured out that dog wouldn't work for him, he returned her!  

That's oddly sweet, lol. 

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

Not sure if it was mentioned upthread, but you may want to place a call to the police non emergency line and report it. They may be able to tell you if something is going on in your area. 

I was going to give the same advice, but seasider beat me to it.  

[BlsdMama]

I think all possibilities are on the table. Also, don’t discount him being able to open a gate latch. Our GS could. Legend died a year ago in October, but his intelligence was unlike anything I’ve seen in a dog. He was only afraid of storms so he never let himself in the house unless he had a good reason. He was a farm dog and spent the nights in our mud room. He would open two doors to get in. It required chewing metal door knobs to twist them AND one was a push to open and the other pull to open. Not only could he do it, but he only did it in storms. Yes, it really could be your GS. 

[Pawz4me]

Depending on the latch it can be very easy for a dog to open it. I know more than one dog who knows how to open an unlocked storm door, and those are pretty much the same thing as many gate latches--either a simple push in or down. It's a relatively simple thing for dogs to accidentally learn.

[fraidycat]

Do not underestimate an intelligent dog with determination to open a gate latch "puzzle" just for fun.

 But also get cameras and locks because there are jerks who steal dogs.

ETA: And your dog is gorgeous, so would be a "high value target".

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by fraidycat

[Tanaqui]

Was she able to recover from that latter incident!?

If not - could you shove it under spoiler tags? That's really distressing and upsetting to read, and it really requires a content warning.

[Jann in TX]

I tend to agree with most posts above...

No meter readers-- we do not share a fence (well we do on one side but they are elderly).

We had a $$$ security system installed that has lots of features like 'glass break' sensors because we have lots of windows...Our neighborhood is new-- so crime rate is extremely low (like it was zero reported crimes when moved in!).  I thought DH had gone overboard with the system-- but I'm now glad he did!

Trip (dog's name) is about 130-140 pounds-- classic GSDs are HUGE.

Yes GSD's are smart enough to open gates-- but not this one (LOL)-- well, he is too lame and would have had to get up on back legs (not happening any more).  We did have one GSD in the past who opened doors and another who would literally say 'out' when he wanted outside!

Gates now have locks. No big deal since we never use the gates! (another reason I doubt the dog did it because he would need to see that they opened).

DH and I work from home and I'm quarantining--we do go for daily walks and are making it a point to get to know as many neighbors as we can.  I think this will help the most.  We have several 'retired' neighbors and they seem to be busybodies (and like to talk) so we know the house is being watched out for!.

--

As a special thanks for your help-- here is a picture taken 9 years ago when he was around 8 weeks old (and over 30 pounds!)

[EKS]

10 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

Also, don’t discount him being able to open a gate latch. Our GS could.

YES!

My SIL has a German shepherd who got out of her latched crate and then opened the front door and took a romp on the streets of San Francisco!  Thankfully they found her just a few blocks away.