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

[ScarredBunny]

Name changed for this - Sorry if this seem trivial, I know people are dealing with far bigger things at the moment.

I found a phone lying on the ground, about 5 yards from my house.

We live in an isolated property about a mile away from the first road. We have not have any visitors , maintenance people for many weeks (obviously). Delivery drivers, yes, but they would not have any reason to go to this part of the garden/couldn't access it during daytime without us seeing something.
At first I assumed it belonged to one of us, but no!
Phoned the police, have a ref./case number, etc. but they're busy and will get back to us when they can.
The police said to take the phone indoors and wait for their call/visit.

I am worried that the next visit is going to be from whomever the phone belongs to.
The phone is dead as a dodo but I assume it still can be found?

What should do?

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow
I work in rescue and I always say to people who are missing pets that they’ve lost, please adopt/foster and give another dog the love your dog had 🐶🥰

OP totally get why you have been rattled by this.

We used to live semi-rurally, backing onto extensive farmland, about a mile from the nearest main road.

One time we had a police helicopter above, and officers on the ground, tracking what turned out to be a drug dealer who’d abandoned his car on the main road and ran away across the fields towards our house.

Point of this story! We had a gorgeous soppy GSD at the time and a feisty cheekyJack Russell. People would cross the road on seeing the huge GSD.

Guess which one went potty when the police were scouting around and was the best guard dog?
The JRT.

Sadly, our dogs are no longer with us but both had long lives and died at good ages. Our GSD was 14 and our JRT was 17.

Very glad you are hoping to rehome a GSD, especially as you have already owned one and know about the breed. They are not for the faint-hearted!

Wishing you solace and peaceful nights in future.

Of course it’s scary. Anyone who’s had intruders knows how horrible it is.

Yes it could be a fox there’s more than one video on the internet easily found of it happening.

Alternatively it could have been a person but it’s extremely unlikely they’d come back after being barked at. Especially knowing you had the phone which they will wonder if you’ve given to the police.

Most burglars are looking for an easy opportunity and no hassle and will stay well away now.

Btw your house sounds amazing and I love GSDs can I come and house sit for you?

If they do the forensics they will find my fingerprints all over it!

that and the remnants of your last casserole that spilled over 🍲

@Bettysnow - Thanks, it was your idea to get a GS I will make sure to keep you posted

@DysonFury - haha! No, not yet caught them in a home-made bear trap.
Yet.

@randomlettersabc - at Trolls in lockdown #bekind indeed!
Within our own homes we all know what's normal and what's not. I am fine with a car turning up in broad daylight, pp being (-nosy- ) lost, not with someone snooping in my backyard at night.
I hope you don't get too many dog's false alarm, they only happen when you're on your own, don't they?

@GnomeDePlume - thieves are essentially lazy and risk averse. They wont risk a dog bite just to get your goods That reminds me, wondered why we found the little gate we think he came through, locked? When you're in a hurry you don't stop and lock behind you. Unless as DH pointed out, there's a dog after you.
an allotment on a field. Every few months the field gets broken into at night : beyond tiresome! You deserve your fresh vegetables Gnome

@ScarredBunny vegetables have been safe so far (too lazy to do the picking/digging to get the vegetables) it's the tools they go for.

Depending on your home situation the intruder may have been scouting around to see if you had machinery in the shed or a car worth stealing. But yes, I can imagine them wanting a closed gate between themselves and a dog.

@PenfoldsFive Nononono, not a Caucasian

@stairway - Whaaat? They took your slow cooker??? Is a nutter, or a joke? Although not a joke to you.

@JKScot4 - Thank you. Nope, they can't fathom a life beyond the street lights.

@AncientRainbowABC

@SirVixofVixHall - Aren't these Caucasians extraordinary!?
They were probably checking to see if the house was unoccupied You can clearly see the house is occupied from any angle they were looking inside.

@LilacTree1 - thank you, I do. And also @1Wildheartsease Re. JLCarré:
Can't remember which book sorry. The trick is something you can instal indoors or outdoors, we all have the one basic material in our houses, you might notice it in daylight if you are super observant but can't notice at night. It's fiddly. totally silent. You can't feel it or hear it.
Any ideas?

@BangGoesThatTheory - Weird I will pm you if it's okay.
Re. dogs: Jack Russels are fierce! these were good old ages , bless them

@Summerofloaf - You're right it's scary (not scarry ) I do hope they all stay away, foxes, burglars and phones.

@Gnome - sorry I meant you do deserve your vegs if you have to go through so much hassle Good idea re. looking for stuff in the shed, they must have been disappointed.

@GnomeDePlume - That's where I keep my collection of nasty plastic plant pots

Hi @ScarredBunny, been reading since the start. Anyone with an ounce of empathy would understand why you were so unsettled. Ignore the heartless gits, most of whom clearly need to RTFT! Hope you're feeling less freaked out and that you've seen and heard the last of the rogue iPhone.

I have just caught up on everything and I think a GSD is never a bad idea. (I was raised by one who taught me to walk when everyone thought I had brain damage and thought it was never going to happen. Turned out it was a genetic joint problem and wouldn’t have been diagnosed without that gorgeous, soppy dog! Also protected me from my mum who had post-natal psychosis.) I now have a Shiloh Shepherd who is bigger, and completely silly. (Not guard dog material. Not recommended for this situation.) Just make sure dog has passed Penn hip vet test, and has no heart murmur (especially if under two years old.) Sheps are lovely people but you don’t want any mast medical surprises.

*nasty, not mast

Ooh I’m intrigued
I will need to find out for the day I have my home in the middle of nowhere!

@LilacTree1 - it also work if you want to find out if someone's opened a door, cupboard, drawer, etc.

OP - drawer or cupboards makes me think a thread but that’s no use outside...unless it’s thread across a large place, fastened in two places...

@RochelleGoyle, I think so too, just RTFT, but I can't resist a little sparring if they persist and for you.

@LilacTree1 - yes that's it It works very well outside too, on gates, and providing you have walls or anything you can twist it on, not fasten, so no resistance or snap.

Twist rather than fasten? Hmm, trying to picture it. So you’re not looking for it to be taut and to break, but just to fall loose?

@ScarredBunny

Yes with the dogs, if it's a fox at night or a pheasant or something in the daytime they bark but settle down immediately. If it's a person they continue barking at the window or door nearest to the person. One time I knew someone was out there cos I could hear them trying the gates that my car is parked behind and the dog (only had one then) ran to the back s'door barking, then the patio door, then sat at the front door (where the car is), growling for ages. I put all the lights on (hubby was away) and basically wet myself the entire night at every sound. I slept with a cricket bat, my dog lead and the car keys. That was before having kids. My dog settled down and went back to sleep, I made a makeshift bed next to hers lol and slept there. There's no way police would get to ours quick enough. We've had some bizarre things happen down our lane as well... So it's a bit unsettling. If the dogs are calm, I'm calm. If they start going mad... I'm reaching for my phone/cricket bat... x

Yes that's right, not too loose either , it has to stay in place, as I said, fiddly. I tried to pm you with some details but you do't accept pm

I meant unoccupied as in nobody at home, rather than empty. If you were obviously home, lights on etc, then it is more worrying but it is comforting that whoever it was scarpered when your dog went out.
Yes those dogs - amazing ! I like the idea of a big protective dog, but they do sound like they need v experienced handling.

Sorry, OP, I changed it now, I’d love a PM to hear more, good security thing to know! Thank you.

@justilou1 - What a beautiful story, really amazing. It's incredible what dogs can and will do for us. They always stay with you, no matter how long they have been gone. I love them.