There are an estimated 7.8 million property crime offenses in the nation, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which includes burglary, larceny -theft and motor vehicle theft — and I was recently burglarized for the first time. Luckily, I had Furbo, a popular and highly rated dog-cam on Amazon that caught the burglar — and he went to jail. To this day, I still can’t believe it. Here’s my Furbo dog cam review.
First, let’s go back to this burglary. In January, I came home from lunch and immediately noticed my 2018 MacBook Pro was missing. Everything else in my apartment in Manhattan, New York, seemed untouched, and my dog Ruby, a 6-year-old Shihtzu, was OK. My first instinct was to call the police to report theft but, instead, I checked my Furbo.
Furbo Dog Cam Review
I bought a Furbo dog cam to monitor my dog while I was at work. Furbo is a smart dog camera on Amazon that lets you monitor your dog via live cam through an app on your phone. It also allows you to toss your dog a treat (you push a button on the app), talk to your dog through a mic and it has a built-in motion sensor that records any activity or movement (up to 10 seconds).
When I scrolled through the activity recorded through the day on my app, I saw that there was, in fact, a stranger in my apartment. Through several recorded clips, I watched him put on rubber gloves and rifle through my belongings and cabinets. He had a bag on the ground (like a suitcase) that had a hose coming out of it, where he stashed his stolen items. You can see my Tweet below. It was insane.
Because my Furbo is located on the floor, it didn’t capture the thief’s face (only his shoes and legs, up to his chest). After seeing these clips, I was thankful my dog (who approached him happily in the video clips) was OK. Since I knew I was officially burglarized, I called the police.
Attn: NYC! A burglar entered my home and stole my laptop on Friday. While my #furbo dog cam didn't catch his face, it got his shoes and bag/tool kit he carries (likely to pose as a worker). Be safe, and reach out to the police if you see this bag! #eastvillage #burglar #nyc pic.twitter.com/ECaAYq2hoW
— Jimmy Im (@realjimmyim) January 22, 2019
Two cops arrived to investigate, followed by a detective and his team who dusted for fingerprints. I showed them the Furbo clips of the burglar. Even though the burglar’s face was not revealed, the detective said I was lucky to have the Furbo, a popular security cam for dogs on Amazon, since they could use the recorded clips to match the thief’s clothes and bag in surrounding surveillance.
Within two weeks, the detective called to tell me that they matched the thief in my Furbo clips with someone on the street (via a school’s outdoor security camera nearby). He sent me a photo of the thief on the street with the bag that had a hose. Two months later, the detective caught the thief trying to sell my laptop at a local pawnshop. Later, I was called in to the local precinct where the detective returned my laptop.
If I didn’t have Furbo, it would have been a lot harder for the detective to catch the thief. Having the Furbo clips of the thief (and his bag) in my apartment made it easy to identify him in the security cameras on the street. The Furbo clips also came in handy when I went to court to testify against the thief in front of the jurors.
The detective on the case gave me helpful advice on how to prevent burglaries in your home. He said always lock your doors and, if you live in an apartment, ask your landlord to amp up security, like installing video cameras in the hallways and locks on both front and back doors. My landlord hasn’t put up video cameras but he says he is considering it. He did put a lock on the back door.
I also got home rental insurance for $13 a month with Lemonade, a rentals and home insurance provider.
Hippo, a home insurance provider, sends a complimentary smart home monitoring system so customers know when doors have been left open or windows have been popped, according to the company. “Smart home monitoring systems keep the home safer,” CEO and co-founder Assaf Wand tells CNBC Make It.
Fortunately, property crime offenses have been on the decline. The 7.69 million offenses reported in 2017 decreased 21.3 percent when compared to 2008.
Property crimes in 2017 resulted in losses estimated at $15.3 billion, according to the FBI.
To help prevent home burglary (whether you’re out for lunch or traveling), you should also store safes/lock boxes in a hidden area of your house, close curtains or blinds to prevent thieves seeing inside and replace worn keypad entry devices, according to Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
Of course, it helps having a security camera or dog cam inside your space.
Furbo Dog Camera: Treat Tossing, Full HD Wifi Pet Camera and 2-Way Audio, Designed for Dogs, Compatible with Alexa (As Seen On Ellen)
The Furbo sells for $169 on Amazon.
I’ve used Furbo daily since I bought it in July 2018 to check on my dog and, on this day in January, it helped me get back my laptop, saving me $2,200.
Furbo was a No. 1 bestseller in Amazon’s Pet Cameras and Monitors category in 2018.
More Travelbinger stories:
The pros and cons of traveling with your pet
5 best pet-friendly destinations in North America
6 expert tips for flying with your pet
5 reasons you should book a vacation rental over a hotel
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Jimmy Im has traveled to 113 countries, stayed in over 600 hotels and has flown a million airmiles. He lives in New York City.