The Blacktown Dog Burglar – Dog Proof Locks Required

I am continually surprised how much effort people go to secure the front of their house… deadlocks, security doors.  Window locks and bars.  Yet walk around the back?  The back door is often far less secure and often where a key to the house is stashed.

In the last month, I have attended 3 burglaries where there was no forced entry, but a stashed back door key was found under the back doormat, a pot plant, etc,  In one case a former flatmate was suspected but in the other cases, it was simply opportunistic thieves knowing where to look. This locksmith knows where to look, and you can guarantee your average burglar knows too.

It’s important to secure the back of your house at least as well as the front of the house.  Usually, thieves are less likely to be disturbed when breaking in at the back of the house so in my mind… it should be the MOST secure part of your house, not the least.

But most recently an ongoing series of “break-ins” in a house in Blacktown turned out to have a happy ending and a funny thief.  I was called around to a house to secure a back door that a burglar was constantly using to raid a house.  Now, this was no ordinary burglar… this was a hungry burglar.  He routinely ignored wallets, electrical goods that could be converted into cash and instead focused on stealing food…. Often leaving the fridge or cupboards wide open.  I suspected an inside job… but humored my new clients who were adamant they left the house properly locked, no one had keys, yet every time they left the house someone stole food from the fridge or the benches.

I came around and examined the security of the home.  6 ft fence, with a padlocked gate.  A hungry cat burglar?  In the backyard was a large, rather portly German Shepherd that started barking in a frenzy when I approached whilst still wagging its tail.  I am not one for patting large dogs that are sending such mixed messages… so I retreated to the front door.  I didn’t think anyone really was breaking in via the back sliding door… but all the same… thought I had found the thief.

I went back inside and investigated the glass sliding door.  It was very loosely fitted on the runs and could easily be lifted up over the lock.  I got my new clients to pretend to leave the house, say goodbye to the dog and the husband drove off as I sat silently inside with his wife… waiting for the thief to make his move.  He did.

Mr German Shepherd barked at the back sliding door a few times… not to get let in.. instead he was just checking the coast was clear.  Then he jammed his nose into the corner of the glass sliding door and lifted his head.  The friction of his nose kept it stuck to the door, he left the glass door off the lock and then pushed it to one side.  Then he made a beeline for the kitchen… only to find his owner and a strange man waiting for him.  I have never seen a dog with such a “just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar” look about him as he practically crawled on his belly back to the door.

I fixed a new lock to the inside of the door, and try as he might on future occasions, my portly German Shepherd never succeeded again.

It was kind of lucky for my new clients they had such a smart dog, as these kinds of poorly secured sliding doors are just what opportunistic thieves are looking for.