Thieves Using Dog Doors To Sneak Into Homes

DENVER (CBS4) – Denver police issued a warning after some people unknowingly made the burglars jobs a little easier.

Denver police say in the last week they've seen at least two cases of burglars getting access to home through dog doors.

Once they get inside it's easy to unlock the door and leave with valuable items.

For Duke, his dog door is a convenient way to get in and out of his home but police say it's also an easy way for burglars to get access.

"We have seen this before and it does happen," said Denver Police Det. Mary McIver.

Police say last Thursday at a home in the 3600 block of Elm Street, burglars crawled in through the dog door and took off with electronics.

The same thing happened on Monday in the 1300 block of Clermont Street.

In that case the homeowner was gone for the entire weekend and noticed several items missing when he got back.

Police say homeowners need to make sure they buy the right sized dog door.

"When you get a dog door for a dog or cat you want to get the smallest one possible that they can go through to make it harder for somebody to actually get in to that house," said McIver.

Burglars will seize any opportunity to get inside.

"If you're going to be out of the house, the best thing to do is secure all the windows and doors and secure it the best you can," said McIver.

Denver police say one way to protect yourself is to make sure your dog door has a way to secure it when you're not home.