SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

I haven't been on in a long time, hubby and I are almost at the 5 year mark happily reconciling, but when big scary stuff happens I come back for support.

I live in a decent middle class neighborhood. In the past week we have had a neighbor robbed, and another who was in the shower heard his dogs growling and found someone in his home who took off. We have 3 empty houses on our block de to moves and foreclosures.

Last night (8ish) my daughter and granddaughter were visiting because her hubby is in his final week at police academy, and my hubby is overseas for a week on a business trip. When my daughter and granddaughter got ready to go, daughter said there is a creepy man smoking at the foot of your neighbor's drive way. I told her to wait for a while, and when I went out to help her strap in granddaughter, I made sure to take pepper spray out with me.

They went on their way, and less than 1/2 an hour later, someone called Pizza Hut (from the empty house next door that neighbors just moved out of) and set up the Pizza Guy. He got a gun pulled on him and bashed over the head for a lousy $20.

Our whole street was blocked off, crime tape everywhere and it looked like a scene from CSI. I am now FREAKED OUT!!! My 2 large dogs didn't bark at all and I heard nothing. The police think it is a drug user/but have no one in custody. I DO know how to shoot, but it is still scary. I also went and got some of the cheap screaming alarms for doors and windows and am having my old Rott sleep in at night. Any other suggestions? HATE this feeling! Any words of support would be welcome.

YIKES! I'm so sorry, Ripley123. Hopefully the rapid response by the neighborhood means that people will think twice before pulling this crap again.

Like you said, you live in a decent neighborhood. Individuals can be crackasses, but this isn't representative of where you live.

(((Ripley123)))

Wow... be safe.

(((Ripley)))

I've seen an increase in those robberies that involve calling a pizza guy to an abandoned residence and then robbing them. Keep your exterior lights on maybe a radio or TV? We moved to a really small town from a city right after d-day and we had this really friendly Italian food (more than just pizza) delivery guy that we loved. We hadn't been there for a month when I saw on the news that a driver had been called to an abandoned house, robbed, shot, and killed. In my gut, I just KNEW it was him and I called H and told him about it. Sure enough, it was him.

Stay safe!

Have your daughter contact the police & give a description of the creepy man.

Yikes. Put a big beware of dog sign in your yard. Keep a cheap air horn by the front door and on night stand. If you hear a sound open a window and blast it. Keep your car keys with you and hit the car alarm button to create more noise. Also, put a remote on your outdoor lights.

Thanks for the support! We have a Rott and Husky who NORMALLY bark at everyone, but I wonder if they had been tossed something over the fence. Police think he may have been in empty house for a day (SCARY!). I put shrieking alarms out, have been having lightso on and off at random times, and have had televisions with sleep timers on. I am not leaving my house without police strength pepper spray, and having a dog sleep in, and a loaded friend on my nightstand. I HATE living this way. Stupid question, but where would I buy the recommended air horn?

So scary!! Maybe get some timers and have lights go off and on in different rooms all night.

You can get an airhorn at the Dollar Store. Trust me, I know. My 9 year old makes us go in and buy one every time he gets his hair cut at the Best Cuts next door!

Keeping you in my thoughts - this is certainly scary!

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this. And I'm so scared and angry for you, too. I have a friend whose family member was killed by someone who hid in an unoccupied house.

There have been a bunch of break-ins and robberies around me the past couple of years, some very close. I live in a rural area, so no neighbors really near like in the city or a development. It's really scary stuff. I don't know very many people around like I did before. There have been meth labs in the area in the news too. Meth users can be very unstable and do desperate things. And then there's xpos to worry about coming around and doing things too. Things have changed so much and not in a good way.

Is this related to your thread about concealed carry?

(((Ripley))). Glad your R is going well.

Even really good neighborhoods are experiencing an uptick in this sort of thing. And people are taking on self-defense (all types) as a precaution.

Well worth while.