PIL shoe thief

[Ilovecoleslaw]

Visiting the in laws last night where BIL1 and BIL2 live at home.
They all keep their shoes in the porch which doesn't get locked.
BIL1 asks if anyone has moved his shoe as the left one has gone missing.
Everyone denies moving the shoe.
BIL2 goes to put his shoes on and the left shoe is missing. Everyone denies touching the shoe.
FIL then goes to check all the shoes and found several shoes (majority left, one right) missing.
MIL swears she's not touched the shoes (has form for moving things and forgetting )
PIL are convinced there's a one legged shoe thief come to torment them
MIl has decided to move all the shoes inside and FIL is adamant he needs to get some cctv equipment.
AIBU to think someone must be playing a joke and that who would possibly go around stealing one shoe??!!

Any chance foxes could have go into the porch?

Why would they steal ONE shoe?

Someone is 'having a laugh'. Not very funny though and I doubt you'll get them back.

I used to work at NHS, people often stole one shoe. It's probably kids thinking it's funny

When I was a teenager we would have found this hilarious we regularly swapped the neighbours hanging baskets around, but we never took anything as such, the shoes would be in the neighbours porch type thing. I swear I have grown up since then

www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/braintree_witham_news/10918409.Real_life_cat_burglars_are_sneaking_in_to_steal_shoes_and_clothes/

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-kitty-who-loves-to-steal-her-neighbors-things-is-the-cutest-crook-around_us_55d735fde4b04ae49702d318

@Penfold007 not unless they're able to open doors and shut them again!

Very interesting @Notevilstepmother, but cats wouldn't have been able to get into porch!

Where I live (London) foxes regularly pinch shoes.

Don't think I've explained the porch very well.
Two doors to get into the house, outside door leading to porch is never locked but door is always shut.
Inside door to get into house always locked.
So unless foxes/cats or other animals can open the door and close it again, I'm not sure it could be an animal

Someone has obviously opened the door and done it for a joke. The problem is that if they opened the door and could then open the other door, what would they have done?

The inside door is locked, they couldn't have opened it without a key

My dog could open doors, but he never bothered shutting them again!

Probably kids then, ask the neighbours to look in their porches and have a quick look round the front gardens.

A former work colleague had all her families shoes stolen from her porch one night. They stored them there but never locked the door. There were over 50 pairs between them.

If the door was closed then someone thinks it's funny. It's not

It'll be someone in the house being funny. They'll have them under the bed and will probably them back at some stage as part of the joke.

Sleepwalking family member? I often sleep walk and hide things. They often turn up on dp pillow or in the fridge, oven, in the bath, behind TV, all those sorts of places

My parents dog stole ALL of my left shoes once and buried them in the garden. I was getting ready to move out and was convinced I'd pickled them.

She had me thinking I was going mad

If it's definitely nobody in the house, have a look outside. Someone might have nicked them then dumped them for a joke.

don't really have anything constructive to add but would like to mention that my cat can open closed doors - he jumps up and pulls on the handle with his front paws, goodness knows how but he does it. He would not, however, pick up several shoes and then shut the door after him. I strongly suspect kids having a laugh.