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Glock wrote:I locked the gate, The bad thing is out meter is in the back yard so we cant lock it during the day or they cannot come read our meter.. but we lock it at night now. I also have a big barn in the back yard.. (this might have been the BG's target) I am installing 2 exterior lights this weekend. (should be a fun project). My backyard will be light up like high noon if it detects motion moving forward! My fiance and I have discussed what I did wrong and made a game plan for next time if that happens.. worked a few senarios out..

Is it possible to for the meter reader to read the meter by any other means? In my previous house there was a back alley and the reader would use a pair of binoculars to read it over the fence. Could they average your bill for you based on your last 12 months' usage? Otherwise, I wonder if it would be possible for you to be notified when the reader would be coming so you would only have to leave the gate unlocked for those one or two days. If you explain that the neighborhood has had problems with burglars they might cooperate with you.

Returning to the same place more than once, it depends on the brazenness of the BG.

The motion sensitive lights are a good idea as long as it doesn't shine onto a neighbor's bedroom window unless they don't mind the deterrent either. Maybe they would even help pay for some of the cost.

Lock on the gate is the first thing. My older GSD got someone that entered my backyard before I put a lock on the gate. There hadn't been a lock on that gate for over 20 years. So, as much as it might have disappointed my dog to not leave the gate unlocked so he might get another bite, I put a lock on the gate. He still gets to bark at anything that moves and that seems to be good enough.

I also agree that outside is WAY too risky in this situation. Inside, all bets are off.