Missy just scared the bejeebers outta me.

[Lothlorien]

This is the scenario. Dinner is over. husband is on his way home from plowing and shoveling our rental property. I'm working on a report that is due in the morning, which I didn't get until almost 6pm. Dog starts barking like a lunatic. Missy says "Where's daddy?" I said that's probably him. She opens the garage. Dog runs out and is still barking like mad. I yell out and ask "is that daddy?" No answer. Again "Missy is that Daddy?" Still no answer, but dog is in the garage barking like a lunatic, which is odd for her if he's home. I go to garage and see a total stranger standing at the foot of the garage. He asks me a question, but I don't understand him over the dog barking. He repeats himself, just asking if we want our driveway plowed. Whew!

I ask Missy, why didn't you tell me there was a complete stranger in our garage? She shrugs and says "I don't know, blank mind." Uh...hello????

I'm freaking now...Maybe it's just a guy who is just trying to carve out a living, but why didn't he come to the door? husband also snow blowed the driveway this morning and it would have been pointless to plow it. On top of it, husband has tools galore in the garage and now this guy has been eyeing up our garage. After he left, he didn't stop to ask anyone else on the block, he left.

Anyway, besides the creepy guy in our garage, why the heck didn't Missy yell "Mom, there's this strange guy in our garage!" If it weren't for the dog, who knows if we would have known he was there?

We are going to have some serious drills about strangers. I guess all the talks we have had, didn't make a difference, so now I'll be getting some friends to help me with drills. Lesson learned on Mommy's part, for sure.

 

[gcvmom]

Yikes! That was kinda creepy! Thank goodness for the DOG. If the guy truly was casing your place, he may think twice about coming back, knowing you've got a four-legged alarm.

difficult child 2 is very naive about stuff like that, too. I hope you can drive the lesson home with her!

 

[tiredmommy]

Thank goodness she is okay! You've had quite a few foreclosures in your area, right? If so, I would definitely look into a security system and extra lighting. Yikes!

 

[slsh]

:wildone: Oh my GOSH!!!! So glad you have a barking dog - that would've sent me completely over the edge. Actually - gives me shudders just thinking about it. Getting that stranger danger into them can be so hard. difficult child still doesn't get it. The pcs do but that's probably because they get it hammered into them still almost daily as they head out for school.

That's just too bizarre that he was standing near your garage.... yikes!

 

[Star*]

My first thought was WHAT if he took HER? OMG - (board auntie faints)

And I don't buy the "Plow" line - I think he was there to steal.

I probably would make a mental note of anything about him - car - hair, eyes and maybe just ask a police over the phone if there have been any other reports of this guy -

If he's stealing and someone got a partial description - you may fill in some blanks. No one walks up a blown drive and says "Can I plow it?" -duh where was his truck?" Time for upped security.

AND A TALK TO THAT NIECE OF MINE ABOUT STANDING THERE TALKING TO STRANGERS.....

Thank GOoDness all is okay~

 

[DaisyFace]

Wow!

Very scary! I might make a call to my local police department (not 911...the non-emergency line) and report a suspicious person. One can never be too careful these days!

--DaisyF

 

[Lothlorien]

She wasn't talking, just standing there, dumb.

I think I'm going to find a Great Dane, now. Sheesh.

His truck was in the driveway and had a plow, but, hey, I'm from Jersey and I'm a suspicious person, by nature. husband pulled up just as he was pulling out of the driveway. I'll make sure not to leave the garage door open anymore.

Seriously, I think I'm going to get another dog. A really big one! My parents had big dogs my whole life. We never had our house broken into. We even found footprints in the snow a few times, but the dogs started barking at they took off.

 

[Wiped Out]

Very scary! I would have probably freaked out. I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to call the police.

 

[Fran]

Very scary.
My neck hairs go up when there is someone near my home that doesn't belong. TG for the dogs.
Hope Missy gets it.

 

[Shari]

At least he knows you have a loud dog.

I'm glad it all turned out ok. Hope Missy understands the importance of it, too.

 

[Lothlorien]

I would call the police, but stupid me, I didn't think about getting a license plate or truck description. I just kept thinking about Missy not telling me that a stranger was there just inside our garage. husband was just pulling up and waiting for him to pull out of our driveway when this occurred, too.

I should have taken his licence plate down. I do that when I see a strange car just sitting there. Too late now.

I really have to focus on getting Missy not to trust people so much. I'm going to find a few people that I know and she doesn't to approach her or come to the door, to see how she reacts and then show her what she is doing wrong.

 

[tiredmommy]

Loth,

You can still call the police and give him whatever little bit of info you have. Then they'll at least know there is someone suspicious in your neighborhood and they'll likely watch your area closer. In addition, if Missy knows the police are involved she is more likely to take the situation seriously.

 

[JJJ]

If you get Missy to actually understand Stranger Danger let me know because Eeyore will still open the door to anyone and let them in if they ask (he doesn't want to be rude @@ )

 

[timer lady]

kt AND wm both scare us ~ neither of them "get" the concept of stranger danger. Terrifies me in ways only you can imagine.

Loth, I'd have had the same reaction & not gotten any information other than my child is safe & I have to get a big dog real soon.

I'm so glad that Missy is okay ~ get your living alarm system.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Loth,

glad nothing came of this, it could have been much worse. There's a pretty good chance this whole thing was "nothing" - the guy could have been getting out of his truck when the garage door opened (and that is why he was there rather than at the front door) and he could have asked Missy to get her parents - you just never know.

I live in the city and I am thrilled my hyper jack russell has a ferocious bark!!!!! I don't open the door for anyone! Fortunately I have a strip of windows on both sides of my front door so I just "yell" through the glass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad everything is ok and I would be giving the dog a biscuit.

Sharon

 

[bran155]

Scary! Sounds strange that he would be standing at the foot of the driveway instead of coming to the door. I agree with Star, he was probably going to steal but the dog scared him and he made up the plow story. EEEK!!! Good for the dog!!!

I can only imagine how scared you must have been. I am so sorry. My daughter has always been very outgoing and never afraid of strangers. When she was little she would talk to anyone and everyone. Very scary. I think the drills are a good idea.

A really big dog can't hurt either!

 

[house of cards]

How frightening, was Missy standing there scared or talking to the guy? I would want to tighten my security as well, big dogs are a good start. I'm glad husband was home right after, that would have helped settle me a little.

 

[Star*]

I VOTE MOLOSSER!!!!!

Beaucheron's are fierce

But how about a shelter dog?

 

[aeroeng]

We have a neighborhood watch program for things like this. He did not commit a crime so the police are not likely to do anything. But a neighborhood watch program will spread the info around so everyone knows what to watch for. If you don't have a formal neighborhood watch program talk about it with your neighbors.

I found that my difficult child was never good with the stranger instructions ether. For years we told him that strangers will tell you someone in your family is hurt or sick and not to go with them. Then one day his older brother ruptured his spleen. I was dazed and not thinking clearly. Panicked on how I was going to go get difficult child because I needed to stay with easy child. The ski patrol said that they would send someone. I told them he was trained not to go with a stranger, been trained not to. But he did. I needed him to, so it helped. I was glad but also concerned. Years of training hand no effect when someone approached him.

 

[Lothlorien]

I don't think she was scared....just didn't know what to do or say. I just don't know. She was kinda tired. She was playing in the snow half the day and had taken a really long nap on the couch. We had eaten dinner and she was watching tv right before it happened. She was somewhat subdued.

She just left to go play at the neighbor's up the street and she left the garage door open. I called the neighbor and stayed on the phone until she got there and I closed the garage door.

Star....will be looking for a pup that is in a foster home, most likely. I would rather get a foster pup, especially with hearing about so many dogs that need homes, now.