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I saw a link on facebook today which had a photo of someones fence in the US with a small piece of orange ribbon tyed on to it with the following comment:
"So there is this tag on my fence. This tag apparently notifies certain horrible excuses for human beings that there is a dog here, and either at night or when no body is home, to come and take that dog. Firstly, you lowlife scum are not getting my dog, period. Secondly, if people can share this to raise awareness around town that this is a big issue at the moment. If you see this tag or any similar markings on your own or anyone elses fence, notify them, get rid of the tag and absolutely notify the police as this is a really big problem in this area and these people need to be found. Or need a bullet. Cheers Folks."

This surely can't be true?? What would the point be? Anyone else heard of it?

Posted: 19-08-2013 15:31 Post subject:

Sounds like a derivative of the "dog stickers" hoax.

Snopes has an entry on that...link here

Posted: 19-08-2013 15:37 Post subject:

It is true that thieves, burglars etc. leave tags like this when they intend to hit an area in one go.
Once, where I lived years ago, I found some small coloured stickers on the front window of my house. Walking along the road, I noticed other houses that had these innocuous-looking stickers.
I removed the stickers from my house.
After a spate of burglaries in the area, a local friend of mine told me about this tagging and what had happened.

Edit: Of course, the stickers appearing could have been coincidence, and could just have been kids 'doing stuff' to amuse themselves.

Posted: 19-08-2013 15:57 Post subject:

It sounds like a variant of the chalk marks left by tramps:

Table here from an interesting site on Visual Codes and Informational Graphics.

This occult language features in the opening reel of the Ealing film The Magnet set in the Wirral but the elaborate language on the table seems to belong to the years of the American depression.

A similar table here

Someone threw a curiously ornate plastic lipstick into my back garden last night.

I wonder what that portends! Mad

Posted: 19-08-2013 16:53 Post subject:

'Curiously ornate'? I'm fascinated now.

Posted: 19-08-2013 17:12 Post subject:

Thanks for the responses, it seems a bit odd that you woyuld walk around a town and look for certain places to rob from and mark them out. But then, what do I know - that's not something I've ever done....

I love those tramp signs, brilliant stuff!

Yes, please tell us more about this lipstick Laughing

Posted: 19-08-2013 17:49 Post subject:

Erm Angel of Death and Death of Firstborn? Also Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves? Both stories involve marked houses.

Posted: 19-08-2013 18:16 Post subject:

Posted: 19-08-2013 18:24 Post subject:

I've seen the variation of dog thieves marking houses with a spray painted arrow on the pavement (apparently this is actually marking for pending roadworks) and also there is the 'witch's knot' in a horse's mane marking it for theft.

Posted: 19-08-2013 22:02 Post subject:

Oh dear! At the same spot I found the lipstick - or the ornamental half of it - yesterday, I found a coffee-mug today! It had not shattered and the aroma of instant coffee was recent enough to be detected*.

Maybe I am to be cited in a divorce - but I still claim it was the dog's lipstick! Confused

Posted: 20-08-2013 12:35 Post subject:

There has been a rumour around our town (Goole, in East Yorkshire if you're interested) that thieves are stealing dogs for use in dog fights or as training fodder for fighting dogs. The houses with dogs are identified using different coloured stickers, each colour denoting size of dog, small, medium or large. I always thought it sounded like a UL and have said so (to some derision by work colleagues who were genuinely concerned) the story even popped up in the local press. It was spread largely by FB (surprise surprise)

Posted: 20-08-2013 13:37 Post subject:

Yes, one of the comments of the FB link I took the OP from said "Oh they use them for dog fighting..." It just doesn't ring true to me.

Posted: 20-08-2013 18:24 Post subject:

It is easy enough to get free dogs and cats for baiting from Preloved without having to risk stealing them.

Posted: 05-09-2013 22:13 Post subject:

Burglars' Chalk Marks in Manchester?

Not much serious evidence of this but it is front-page news on tonight's Evening News.

Funny it should come so soon after discussion of Hobo chalk marks on here. Confused

Posted: 08-09-2013 21:24 Post subject:

It may be a sign of the Grauniad-Manchester Evening News tracking my moves but the following article turned up in the links on the Guardian site tonight:

They Know Where I live

Shocked

Would readers be so kind as to visit Guardian Front Page to see if the article - horribly headlined The Da Pinchi Code - shows up for them?

I have a big dog I have!