Found a phone in my garden - isolated property - shit scared

@Bettysnow In fact there could be more instances of burglary in remote properties now, since it's more difficult in built up areas, everyone being at home all the time, not a lot of traffic, anything not right stands out now and attracts attention.
I used to have a german shepherd I love them! they are so lovely and loving. As you say, really fantastic guardians because people are really scared of them. They don't need to do anything, but they would.
This is the best idea! 2 days ago it was still, no, one dog is enough, but now I want one.Where did you get yours?

I will calm down eventually, but tonight looks like a vigil again, can't unwind, started thinking bad things.
But you are making some good points, maybe we are a pass for them now? - There was a barky dog, some nutter (me) still out and about in the early hours,.As you say there is some risk of being linked to the phone if they return but really not that much, the police isn't here waiting for them? Am I missing something?
Thank you for the flowers

@LilacTree1, Thank you for the flowers! I do feel a little more settled.

@georgialondon - strange. All chewed up, no?

Thank you @areallthenamesusedup I seem to be rattling some cages for sure. Not sure why.

@5zeds - You misunderstand, I am just trying to describe the setting, No neighbours, one mile off a road,(10 minutes on a bike? Try a higher gear it'll be easier.), fields and woods as far as the eye can see and one house visible (absolutely tiny way out there from here) depending on the weather, what would you call it?
I'm fine with it being 1/2 miles off the road, I chose to live here you know.

@VanGoghsDog - Since your house is so remote, it's irrelevant whether they "locate" their phone inside or outside your house, isn't it? You are unreal. There is a difference. Maybe you live in a cave?

(which you think they have been to before anyway, so not sure why they need to follow the phone seeker, but anyway) How do you know that they know for sure where exactly they left their phone? It might have slipped out of a pocket; if they had been using it as a torch they would have seen it and picked it up surely.

I'm not sure the seekers are quite so precise as to show whether the phone is inside or outside the house. On icloud I can see which part of the house the phones are in, it's that precise. Maybe educate yourself before you argue.

Course, they might not be bad people. The owner might trace it and just knock on your door and ask if you've seen it. I don't care for the sort of people who lurk near my house in the middle of the night.
If, say, the phone was stolen and then lost in my garden and the real owner traced it and came and knocked on my door wanting their phone, that could be unpleasant. You don't think, at all, do you?

I suspect it's stolen. Maybe part of a haul and they realised it was a dud, or couldn't charge it, and just chucked it over the fence, not realising it was a garden How many times? You can't throw that far from the road (1 mile) or from the gate (too far and trees) even if they managed to lob it over the trees, it would probably land on the roof of an outbuilding and make some noise.

Thanks for the tip about crime in rural areas.

I find you dense and tiresome, will you go away please.

@doorbellringer Thank you so much, you are very lovely.

Most people are really quite nice! Just a few rabid ones who just won't take the salient points on board but still assume they know better. I wonder what it really is, that enrages them so much.

Bashing this out with Mumsnetters has really helped, it's great to have so many points of views, even the more hostile, to apprehend the ??? and try and to make sense of it all.

You are so right about gut feeling, it's there for a reason.
I don't expect much will come back from the Police, their duty is probably more to get on with their jobs than to answer my questions and they seemed to be quite busy.

I don't know about the foxes, it might seem out there, but they do do odd things apparently. I'd rather it was a fox. At some point I'll check that corner in the shadow that the dog was barking at, to see if it a big enough for a person, or not. I have to say the police never mentioned animals, they assumed it was an intruder from the start.

Maybe not tonight though, or I would have to ask DH to come with me and he's already done his bit today by helping set up little booby alarms. He's very much, 'what do we need to do, this, that, done, okay let's move on' kind of chap, probably why it's been so nice to talk here.

@EdwinaMay just very plain tracks both ways. With the cars parked at the front, it's obvious the house is inhabited.

@5zeds, good point, I wondered about that, it took me 3 trips back and forth to notice that phone. But the dog was with me and not bothered by anything.

@GREATAUNT1 - Very funny. Plus at least yours were real people.
@ThatLibraryMiss

@CSIblonde, did I forget to mention? In that spot, unlikely + please don't insult our Postie.
@bruffin - Letterbox at the gate.