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.
Advert
"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.
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."
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,"