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Callum Jones
A self-confessed former burglar has revealed the one specific thing people have that would put her off targeting a certain house.
The woman, from the US, anonymously took to Reddit to explain how she started burgling houses at the age of 16 - but has since changed her ways at the grand age of 26.
She claims to have spent two years behind bars as a result of her crimes, but now lives a very different life married and with a child.
Taking to Reddit's 'AMA' forum, the former burglar explained: "I made this account for this specific reason. I'm 26 years old (female), from the United States. I'm a former home-burglar, convicted and served 2 years of a three year sentence.
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"I started when I was 18. I was homeless, living in a shelter, and had developed a drug problem beginning at the age of 16. I was burglarizing homes to try and get out of the shelter and into decent housing, but a lot of my money went to fuelling bad habits."
She continued: "I've since gotten sober, got married and have a beautiful little girl. I have a job and we are living a very happy life. It's a struggle still, but I'm in a much better place mentally."
When deciding what house to burgle, the former criminal explained how there was one specific thing that would mean she would avoid breaking into a house.
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See, all you need is a guard dog, apparently.
"I avoided houses with dogs outside out of fear that it would bark and alert someone," she wrote. "Realistically dogs bark at everything though and I know now it wouldn't be an issue. If the house had cameras I would avoid them for obvious reasons.
"The houses I looked at most were the ones that didn't have cars in front during the day and had a backdoor entrance. I used to have a method of entering through doors by removing the door frame, but moved to a more practical approach of just breaking a window. So climbable windows were another big plus."
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The Redditor has very much changed her ways these days, and is now advising home owners on the things they can do to protect their homes.
"Security cameras are a good deterrent. Alarm systems too, though people should educate themselves on how to properly use them. Ring cameras are good too for facial identification," she wrote on Reddit.
"Leaving a TV on can also give the impression that someone is home, and you're more likely to be left alone,"