It is a scary situation and you never know what crazies are out there. Kids safety is paramount. When we lived in the country, we lived about a mile away from our closest neighbour. I had picked the boys up and was heading home when I noticed some odd things going on in our house. We had a large window in the front and I could see people walking across my living room! We were being robbed! I drove to neighbours, called the police (it would take them 45 minutes to get there from the opposite side of the county), left the boys with the neighbour and drove a short way down the road and waited. They had a large box van and they were obviously professional at their work, I managed to get a glimpse of the driver and a good description of the van and plates. The police arrived and we went to check what was taken and any damages.
My dog had been given sleeping medication, thank goodness not poison. The back door had been kicked in and the whole place was a mess. Everything had been tossed about. Kitchen cupboards and dining room side board had been emptied onto the floor. Our electronics had been taken. The bedrooms were tossed too.
They did catch them, It was a gang that had shopping lists for the types items they needed to steal. The fact remains that I felt violated. My personal space had been invaded. It took me a while to get over it...