THIS ISN'T CANADA.

[LDora 7]

I moved to Florida from a small town in Canada. How small? The place was called Dawson Creek. Yes, really. But it was a small place, only about 20,000 people or so, and in my twenty-odd years there growing up I never once encountered any sort of crime upon my person. This is not, of course, to say small-town Canada is a magical place as safe as a sealed bubble or populated entirely by people as safe and fuzzy as newly hatched ducklings, but I'm saying I lucked out and had a pretty safe childhood and adolescence.

Here, now, we have Florida. I live with my husband in one of the smaller suburbs, and have for a year now. Nothing bad has happened, even that time my husband went out of town for three nights for a manager's meeting and I scared myself watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre (again) and slept with all the lights on. Despite being from a small town and leading the mildly charmed life I mentioned, I've always been a bit of a naturally cautious person, especially coupled with a constant stream of stories from friends back home who are just CERTAIN I'm going to be murdered because, well, they watch too many movies.

I was home alone today -- husband was at work, and I'd just come in from finding all the frost had killed my tomatoes. There's a knock at the front door. I peer through the peephole to see some . . . guy standing there in a blue hoodie, with a shaved head. I don't know him, so I don't answer. Frankly, I've been roped into so many terrible salesman routines by answering the door that this is my primary concern; this guy may try to sell me something. He knocks again, louder. When I look out again a few moments later, he's gone.

Less than a minute later, I hear the door to the patio facing the backyard in my living room slide open. By the time it took me to go in there, he was reaching through the blinds.

My brain sort of locked up on me. I don't think I was afraid just then. Shocked and confused. What comes out of my mouth isn't a scream or a threat, but, weirdly, "EXCUSE me?!" in a terribly offended tone of voice, like I'm an old woman who's just been told a dirty joke.

The guy BOLTS.

I unfreeze and call the cops, and my husband.

By the time my husband comes home, miraculously without any speeding tickets or bodies on his car, the cops have arrived. They call for a K-9 unit. The dog leads them from my backyard, farther up the street and straight to the backyard of another house, where he loses the scent over the fence into some land under development. They knock on the door of the house the dog leads them to, and it's answered by a fifteen year old girl, home alone babysitting her little brother. She heard someone try the backdoor earlier, but she thought it was just her brother, who turned out to be sleeping upstairs. I shudder to think what would have happened to her.

The guy is long gone, and the deputy only lifts one print from the door, which will probably turn out to be my own. I tell this story NOT to frighten anyone from moving to the US or Florida, but as a warning. I'd always assumed nothing bad could ever happen during the daytime. The back door was unlocked, a mistake I will never, ever make again.

Folks, from me to you, no matter what the time of day or night is, whether you're alone or not, please, PLEASE make sure all your windows and doors lock and lock properly. I know I was lucky. I'd been in the shower not fifteen minutes earlier. I never would have heard him come in.

Edited January 23, 2009 by LDora

[BradnKim 0]

Wow... very scarey! I leave my side door open a bit all the time for my pets to come in and out. Not such a great idea I know. I guess I should look into installing a doggie door!

Glad you're safe and nothing bad happened! And I hope they catch him!

I moved to Florida from a small town in Canada. How small? The place was called Dawson Creek. Yes, really. But it was a small place, only about 20,000 people or so, and in my twenty-odd years there growing up I never once encountered any sort of crime upon my person. This is not, of course, to say small-town Canada is a magical place as safe as a sealed bubble or populated entirely by people as safe and fuzzy as newly hatched ducklings, but I'm saying I lucked out and had a pretty safe childhood and adolescence.

Here, now, we have Florida. I live with my husband in one of the smaller suburbs, and have for a year now. Nothing bad has happened, even that time my husband went out of town for three nights for a manager's meeting and I scared myself watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre (again) and slept with all the lights on. Despite being from a small town and leading the mildly charmed life I mentioned, I've always been a bit of a naturally cautious person, especially coupled with a constant stream of stories from friends back home who are just CERTAIN I'm going to be murdered because, well, they watch too many movies.

I was home alone today -- husband was at work, and I'd just come in from finding all the frost had killed my tomatoes. There's a knock at the front door. I peer through the peephole to see some . . . guy standing there in a blue hoodie, with a shaved head. I don't know him, so I don't answer. Frankly, I've been roped into so many terrible salesman routines by answering the door that this is my primary concern; this guy may try to sell me something. He knocks again, louder. When I look out again a few moments later, he's gone.

Less than a minute later, I hear the door to the patio facing the backyard in my living room slide open. By the time it took me to go in there, he was reaching through the blinds.

My brain sort of locked up on me. I don't think I was afraid just then. Shocked and confused. What comes out of my mouth isn't a scream or a threat, but, weirdly, "EXCUSE me?!" in a terribly offended tone of voice, like I'm an old woman who's just been told a dirty joke.

The guy BOLTS.

I unfreeze and call the cops, and my husband.

By the time my husband comes home, miraculously without any speeding tickets or bodies on his car, the cops have arrived. They call for a K-9 unit. The dog leads them from my backyard, farther up the street and straight to the backyard of another house, where he loses the scent over the fence into some land under development. They knock on the door of the house the dog leads them to, and it's answered by a fifteen year old girl, home alone babysitting her little brother. She heard someone try the backdoor earlier, but she thought it was just her brother, who turned out to be sleeping upstairs. I shudder to think what would have happened to her.

The guy is long gone, and the deputy only lifts one print from the door, which will probably turn out to be my own. I tell this story NOT to frighten anyone from moving to the US or Florida, but as a warning. I'd always assumed nothing bad could ever happen during the daytime. The back door was unlocked, a mistake I will never, ever make again.

Folks, from me to you, no matter what the time of day or night is, whether you're alone or not, please, PLEASE make sure all your windows and doors lock and lock properly. I know I was lucky. I'd been in the shower not fifteen minutes earlier. I never would have heard him come in.

[faryan 4]

Wow, its crazy! Im sure glad you are fine I dont know what I would've done.. Probably too shocked to muster a squeak.

[Yoink 7]

Lock that back door and get a gun

[Not Available 0]

glad your ok!

I'm the opposite, I came from a big city in Canada to a small town in the US where people laugh when I say make sure the car doors are locked.

[Kelly&Travis 0]

Adopt a dog. Just the barking should scare people like that away.

I was born in Dawson Creek!

[Sprailenes 47]

Oh wow! So glad you're okay! There are so many times i just don't lock my door when I am home, this is a reality check.

[IgnatiusJ.Reilly 0]

Glad to hear you're O.K.. It could easily happen in Canada as well though.

Intruder killed in foiled home invasion

Jamie Komarnicki, Calgary Herald

Published: Thursday, January 03, 2008

CALGARY - A man and woman lay sleeping in bed when two intruders forced their way into the couple's rented Alberta farmhouse Thursday.

It was around 3:30 a.m. local time when the attackers broke in through a side door in the home about 20 kilometres east of Calgary.

The home's 35-year-old occupant was slightly injured, while his 24-year-old girlfriend was unhurt.

The two parties knew each other - though RCMP aren't saying how.

But investigators say the deadly home invasion leaves many questions unanswered.

"It is an unusual case. It doesn't happen very often. To have a deceased person, a home invasion where an attacker ends up deceased, is pretty rare," said RCMP Const. Patty Neely.

One of the biggest hurdles investigators face is determining what charges to lay - and who will be charged, she said.

"It is a homicide; (the intruder) didn't die accidentally. Whether or not it's murder isn't clear."

Gang and drug ties have been ruled out as motives in the case, said Neely, and no one involved is a "well-known, hardened criminal," she said.

She couldn't say if the intruders brandished any weapons when they entered the couple's bedroom.

The 35-year-old occupant called police around 3:30 a.m. local time to say two men had broken into his house. One was wounded, he said, while the other fled the scene.

By the time RCMP arrived, the 32-year-old intruder had died on scene.

His 27-year-old partner fled the scene with severe stab wounds. He later turned up at Strathmore hospital, about 50 kilometres east of Calgary. He was then taken to Calgary for treatment, Neely said.

An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death of the 32-year-old, who is from the Strathmore area.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...2a4&k=53291

[Sprailenes 47]

We know it happens in Canada... i have been robbed in Canada.

My husbands car got broken into in Canada... boy was that a reality check for him. But the thing about Canada, the thieves at least locked the doors when they left the car, how thoughtful.