After An Attempted Burglary: “Be Prudent”

An alert — and caring — “06880” reader who wishes to go by the initials APD writes:

Last night I was alone with one of my sons, when my dogs went crazy. I let them out. They pointed to a certain spot, barking and growling in a different way than usual. They looked like they were ready to do some serious damage.

When I stepped outside, something moved. There was a man on my property. He was between 5-5 and 5-9, wearing black with a hoodie over his head. When I said “come on dogs, let’s go get him,” he ran with all his might.

I called 911. They were fantastic. So were the police. They came in numbers, patrolled, inquired, searched.

As I recounted my story, I remembered that 2 of my garage doors were open when I got back home in late afternoon. They had been that way most of the day.

In hindsight, I believe petty thieves were “scouting” houses yesterday for Labor Day weekend looting. They saw our house with open access, no car, no dog (they were inside), and thought they had an opportunity.

I don’t think this man wanted to hurt anybody; he just was hoping for an empty house. But Westporters should be alert, and make sure they close all their doors today.

This is a nice community. Most of my friends leave their doors open once in a while. Incidents like this remind us that we need to be prudent — not paranoid, but prudent.

Needless to say, the dogs are getting lots of hugs, praise, and treats today.