Advice from police that made me smile!
March 16th, 2009 by LeslieHi everyone.
Thinking back about the burglary in my home five years ago, I learned so much from that experience.
My husband survived the bullet wound to his chest because of the Blood Bank and Queen's Medical Center's talented doctors and nurses. Eric is back to riding his motorcycle, taking flying lessons and enjoying life.
HPD caught the burglar after he fled from our house. They tracked him all the way to Nuuanu stream.
Peter Carlisle and his staff sent Miti Maugaotega to jail serving consecutive sentences so he'll be away for a very long time.
We have the utmost respect for paramedics, the Honolulu Police Dept., Queen's Medical Center staff and the Prosecuting Attorney's Office. With their assistance, we have put the bad memories away.
While in the hospital, I asked the police detective: "What can I do to prevent future burglaries?" Our home has been burglarized five times. First it was just jewelry and it escalated to ransacking the entire house. We didn't have a security alarm at that time so that's what I expected hear.
The detective answered without hesitation, "Get a dog, a really large one."
I couldn't stop smiling when I heard that. Here's my chance to get another dog!
My pug Ginger wasn't much of a watchdog. With bad eyes and arthritic joints, she couldn't do much in scaring burglars away.
Visitors at the hospital chimed in on the subject. "Get a Japanese Tosa," a cousin's husband said. "Anyone who sees this dog will run."
"How about a pit bull?" said an aunty.
So what kind of dog did we get?
I waited until Ginger passed away. Because of her age and health issues, I had to think of her first. A new dog would probably upset her.
Ginger. (Photo by E. Kawamoto)
Our Ginger passed away a year later in July 2004.
It took me until the end of the year to start looking for a dog again. What did I end up with? Zoe! She's a Papillon-mix. When I saw her at the HHS, I knew she needed me.
My "big dog plan" is still on my to-do list.
Tags: big dogs, ginger, home burglary, honolulu police department, miti maugaotega, peter carlisle, queen's medical center, zoe
March 16th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Welcome back Leslie!
See, something good comes from something bad.
I've seen Zoe. A truly scary dog! Not.
March 16th, 2009 at 8:40 am
We got the same advice.
However, being a dog owner is a big responsibility, one which we're not willing and able to accept, so we decided not to get one--it wouldn't be fair to the dog or our neighbors. I just wish the police would add that caveat to their advice.
March 16th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Oops, I made my small dog comment on the "Pet IQ" page.
March 16th, 2009 at 10:53 am
hi zzzz.. good point. you're right that no one should get a pet unless they can be responsible owners.
thanks, leslie
March 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Leslie - Get a couple of big poodles like mine!
March 16th, 2009 at 11:26 am
howzit homey!
a black-and-tan poodle? why not! i'm sure the burglar would run away fast. heehee.
leslie
March 16th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Hi Leslie!
I would get a big dog and install a security system too. I have a big dog but she's not a watchdog at all....
March 16th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Hiya Leslie!
Haven't visited in a long while. I see homey stopped in with his poodles.
Just wanted to say that since my wife was attacked by my neighbors 2 pit bull dogs, we have decided against getting a dog. Those dogs had managed to get out of their double gated enclosure, and had been chasing the security guards on the KHS campus next to us. Then, they turned on her.
This happend on the 27th of Jan. 09, and she still hasn't recovered entirely from the puncture wounds, nerve damage, and muscle trauma.
We have always owned dogs. Since moving in to our new house, we've been hesitant about owning another. We know what a heavy committment having one is. This incident has changed our minds about owning a dog again.
March 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Leslie - I would prefer to call them black and rust. Tan is not the desirable brown color...
Like zzzzzz and Kekoa mentioned, if you aren't prepared or ready or don't have the desire then don't get a big dog. They can be a challenge.
Kekoa - Missed you 2 at bowling!
March 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
hi m: maybe her size will be a deterrent to the burglars..
March 16th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
kekoa:
oh no! sorry to hear that she was hurt. what an awful ordeal. i hope she will recover fully.
it's totally understandable that this traumatic experience has changed your mind about getting a dog. sending her (and you too!) healing wishes.
leslie
March 16th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
kekoa:
what an awful ordeal. i heard she was trying to help those school kids and got attacked.
it's totally understandable that this traumatic experience has changed your mind about getting a dog.
sending her (and you too!) healing wishes.
leslie
March 16th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Leslie ~ Hope you recover from your trip and a big Mahalo for your concern. We still care for animals, just a bit more wary of those breeds that can turn!
I hear...Homey can bowl!
March 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Hi Leslie
hope your vacation waz a good one 
We go for quantity not size
with 4 little ones they would drive any burglar away with all the noise they make 
NKHEA...house gets real noisy sometimes
March 16th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
hi homey.. thanks for correcting me. didn't know the rottie color is called rust. it does sound nicer.
you must be good at bowling..when i challenged you to a virtual bowl-off, i didn't know what i was getting myself into.
March 16th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
hi nkhea! good to hear from you.
i got back from orlando yesterday.
i took photos to share with you all from disney's animal kingdom..such a neat place. good educational experience for kids and adults too.
i will get the photos sized and post them this week.
leslie
March 16th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
A golden!!! That's what my aunty has. Remember Cody?
March 17th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Wow! I can't believe that happened to you. How scary.
When I was little we had a cat that scared off a burglar. She was making a sound that sounded like a bark and she looked very scary. She was an all black cat, rather large, and her fur was up and she was jumping from window to window. I guess the burglar didn't want to mess with 12 lbs of fur and claws!
Now we have a 3 lb chihuahua who doesn't bark when someone comes through the door. She does bark at the cats though.
Glad to hear your husband is going okay. Maybe one day you can get a friend for Zoe!
BTW - Our dog, Ginger, passed away three years ago and I still miss her.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Hi Leslie! Your story gave me the goosebumps. Last December, right before X-mas, Carlos and I were working at 2am in our home office. All of a sudden, our usually-mellow 12 year old Chihuahua started barking like crazy! I went to see if he was okay (he sleeps outside on our patio) and he reluctantly quieted down. Two minutes later, he was barking again. This time, Carlos went outside to see what the ruckus was about. Expecting to find a cat, he was startled to see a man hiding in the shadows of our gated backyard. I heard Carlos scream, "GET OUT OF HERE" and ran inside to alert me to call 911. Meanwhile, Buddy (our furry hero) was still barking like mad. I shudder to think; what if I did not have my dog warning us that night? I have 3 little kids sleeping soundly upstairs! Needless to say, he got LOTS of hugs and treats the next day!