Intruder in the house this morning

[DianaMitford]

I feel ridiculous writing this because if it was anyone else I'd be saying phone the police!

Here's what happened.....my partner had left to take dd to school. He's been away and this was the first day in a long time that I didn't take her. I am out 7:45-8:15am guaranteed, every day. We live in a bungalow and I was in the room furthest from the front door. Around 8am my dogs started going crazy, not excited barking but real, threatening growls. There's some left over chicken on the side so I assumed they were growling at the cats as they normally do if they think they're going to steal food. It went on for a minute or so and then I very distinctly heard someone say "Shhh". At that point, I leapt up, petrified. I didn't know whether to stay put, jump out of the window in the room or try and dash to the next room where there are patio doors. I just froze. I opened the window to get out but it was too difficult, I mainly just stood stock still on the spot. I heard further footsteps in the corridor but nothing other else. I tried to phone my DP but he'd left his phone at home. He got back around 5 mins after that and has been sweet and slightly concerned but basically wasn't worried and just said to lock all of the doors. There are four separate doors to the outside. I've only just stopped trembling! I can't remember the last time I was so scared. The thing that's bothering me the most is the timing. They came when they thought they knew that the house was empty. The dogs clearly didn't know them. Nothing has been taken or re-arranged as far as I can tell. If it wasn't for the dogs I'd almost swear I'd hallucinated the whole thing.

It seems a bit overkill to call the police (non-emergency number). I thought about calling them when I was trapped in the room but the danger seemed too immediate, I didn't think I had the time. And I knew DP would be back any minute.

So, lovely mumsnetters, WWYD??

Was it a man of the road looking for food? We sometimes get one coming through our village. Could the door have been open and it was a hope of something to eat or sell?
Could you have been in tha state halfway between wake and sleep and dreamt it?
I'd not fret and put it down to experience.

Why was there chicken left out overnight on the side?

I'd log in with 101. I'd also consider putting CCTV at the front. If it's someone doing it regularly, then I'd want to know why and what they were doing if nothing was obviously being taken.

Yes, I was concerned about the chicken as well.

My DB once just walked into my house, it scared the living daylights out of me. It did however make me lock the door every single time.

We had the same the other night OP - we were sat in the lounge on one of the really hot days last week, must have been about 11.45pm and we had all the doors and windows open trying to get a breeze through. The dog was lead in the doorway, and suddenly started growling - all his heckles went up, and he just stood there. He's never done that ever so I gestured to DH to go and see - and as DH stood up and walked to the doorway, the dog went even madder and rushed to our back gate barking. The gate was open, and we always bolt it to keep the dog in so it had clearly been opened. It was really unnerving tbh and I was insistent that someone had tried to walk into the house. DH was very dismissive so I didn't report it. But we've made sure that we now lock the back door as well as the gate and only leave windowns open downstairs in the room that we are in. It was a horrid feeling OP and left me shaken for a good 24 hours. Given that you actually heard someone, I would report it.

Definitely report it and not to freak you out anymore but are you sure they left? I would be taking an aerosol spray and checking all the cupboards underneath the beds etc

Your dogs sound better than mine, he'd have shown them in, made them a cup of tea and pointed out the valuables!

Around 8am my dogs started going crazy, not excited barking but real, threatening growls. [snip] It went on for a minute or so and then I very distinctly heard someone say "Shhh"

It would concern me that they's shushed the dogs like that. It's not the usual command for a dog to be quiet. If that's what you do, then maybe it's someone who has observed you quieting your dogs in that way. They could have watched your house to know when it would be empty.

I'd have a few nannycams indoors but also an obvious CCTV system outside. Maybe even a concealed camera at the entrance to your drive.

The Police provide security advice, in your position, I'd ask for some urgently.

Can you arrange for house-sitters whilst you're out as normal for a few weeks until you get the right security put into operation?

it must have been very unnerving.

What a fright, glad your dogs put the person off. An opportunist isn't averse to trying their luck in broad daylight.
Yes, do report it.
My heart would have been pounding through my chest.

Definitely get CCTV. And call 101 to report it.

I'm sorry to say this but I find your DP's reaction rather odd.

I also find the 'shh' command to the dogs rather unusual too. It's a familiar type of command that someone who knows them is likely to do and who isn't actually terribly concerned about getting them to shut up.
It doesn't seem like something a complete stranger/burglar who isn't familiar with the dogs would do.

Poor you op that must have been terrifying. I'm really paranoid about this sort of thing due to loads of heroin and crack addicts around our way who shoot up/smoke in our back lane. I have knives/hammers/screwdrivers/cricket bats stashed around the house so every room has a hidden weapon maybe I just need to get a fuck off massive Rottweiler though as it sounds like your dogs did a good job of protecting you.

I would phone 101 and report it urgently - it's not a 999 job as they are gone now but it's still very important.

And if it happens again do phone 999 while they are there. Lock yourself in the loo if it makes you feel safer to make the call.

Hang on, OP. Are you saying that the four doors between you and the outside were all unlocked, or that this intruder had keys or had somehow broken in? And are you sure you heard the footsteps inside your house in the hallway -- couldn't they have been outside the house? Was there a shut or open door between you and the hall?

Very creepy op. I had similar and it was so bizarre, the police came out with dogs.

My dd and I returned from a friend's 50th and she went outside for a smoke. We live in quite a remote rural area. She came back in and said she was sure there was someone lurking in the hedging and her senses were on alert. I told her we had both had a bit to drink and to come in.

I then heard the sound of stones or similar falling right outside the window. We hid on the study room when the security lights went on. There was someone right outside the front door and window. We heard the sound of a car driving off and then went outside. A dead animal had been carefully laid out in our porch with the carrier bag it had been brought in left also. My gs's ride on tractor and trailer had been taken.

We had woken my dh by then and he went out in the car after them (foolish I know). The tractor and trailer had been thrown out on the nearby Coast road and was in the middle of the road and could have caused a bad accident were it not 2 am.

The Police asked us who we thought did it, we had a name but the police told us it was not his modus operandi so to speak and I tended to agree.

We called at our neighbours next day and they had had nothing taken, he even left his works van open with tools etc . It was clearly a warning to us and just writing it cannot convey how creepy it was.

Still have no idea who did it, but I strongly suspect my dd did.

Log it with the police op as it sounds like someone who knows your movements. Our intruder clearly thought we would all be in bed and would wake up to our little gift.

Really sorry to hear this OP. A scary reminder that it's a sensible idea to keep your doors locked.

Get a Yale lock on the outside door and install your own CCTV.

They might come back

Utterly terrifying. You did right to not confront I think.

I know you said it was someone the dogs didn't know but are you sure it wasn't your DP up to no good? It seems odd that he is so dismissive given the isolation etc. My other half would be going nuclear and buying loads of useless tat security equipment off the web.

This time of year is prime time for opportunistic burglars as so many people leave windows and doors unlocked. Do call the police as others in the area may have been burgled or had attempts and the more information the police have the better.
I agree about cctv to help you feel more protected but windows and doors being locked is more important.
Hope your nerves have calmed down soon

We have had a spate of burglaries locally. They walk in through an unlocked door and grab contactless cards. They go straight to the nearest shops and use the cards as many times as they can before the card is declined.

I've had this happen twice in my life, both times we called the police and they came out to have a look around. Again both times it was obvious that it was way too late for the person to still be there, but they still came out and talked to us.

The second time it was late at night and I was watching tv with the dog and the cat. The cat growled and looked at the window and there was a man there staring at me! The bloody dog slept through the whole thing .

Phone the police! Given all the trivial reasons some mumsnetters phone 101 for, I cannot believe you have not done so already

very sidenotey but my sister isn't a dog owner and has no idea how to get mine to shut up. She usually goes for 'shhhh!' because it sometimes works on her children. Shouting 'quiet!' at the dogs would definitely have alerted anyone in the house, so I'm not all that surprised the intruder went for the 'shhh' option.

I would call 101 and set up some CCTV or even a phone camera if your sling tomorrow and see if they come back x