The loss of a Morgan Hill family’s beloved pet dog to a burglary just before Christmas is far more devastating than the theft of a pile of wrapped presents.
Instead of joyfully unwrapping presents Sunday, Chris Lanser and his family spent their Christmas day changing the locks on their doors. About $600 worth of presents were stolen in the home burglary on the 6300 block of Croy Road in west Morgan Hill Thursday, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jose Cardoza.
The gifts were wrapped, sitting on a table in the dining room of the home, according to Chris Lanser, 36, who lives at the home with his wife and daughter. Stolen were a leaf blower, video games, a printer and several hand-made blankets.
Lanser and his wife Kylee Vicha-Lanser, and their daughter Sydney Johnson, 12, had placed the gifts there in preparation to bring them to a family member’s home for a weekend-holiday gathering, said Lanser, who works for a concrete company in Gilroy.
But the biggest loss was Johnson’s dog, a Chihuahua-terrier mix named Sharky. Johnson described how the dog likes to run around the house and slide across the floor – “and it’s cute when he falls.”
“He’s the funniest, sweetest dog ever,” Johnson said. “He’s kind, awesome and warm.”
The family arrived home about 5:30 p.m. Thursday to find both the front and back doors open, Lanser said. The residents had been gone all day, from about 8 a.m.
Police have not determined what time during the residents’ absence the home was burglarized, Cardoza said. While authorities think it’s possible the 3-year-old dog wandered off when the suspect or suspects left the property with the doors open, Lanser said that’s unlikely.
The dog had a vigorous bark, and would vocally “flip out on” any guests he did not know, Lanser said. Plus, he knows his way around the property. Even though Sharky rarely left his owners’ side, the dog has disappeared for short periods of time before but has always found his way back.
Lanser and Johnson said they were “overwhelmed” with the outpouring of support from neighbors, media outlets and Lanser’s fellow volunteers at the South Santa Clara County Fire District since the crime was reported.
Johnson grew increasingly anxious each time her step-father’s phone rang Monday morning – and particularly when the sheriff’s office called to tell him that a Morgan Hill resident found a dog that resembled pictures of Sharky, which have been posted throughout the rural area and on various media websites.
There were no signs of forced entry to either door, though Lanser said he “double checked” to make sure each deadbolt was secure before he left Thursday morning, as he does every time he leaves the home.
Neither the residents nor authorities have any suspects in mind yet. Lanser said a former resident who was evicted from the home, and whose name is posted in several places along the driveway leading up to the home, still owns a large mirror on the property but he didn’t indicate him as a suspect. The former resident’s name is posted with a notice from the sheriff’s office, indicating he is not allowed on the property and may only return to retrieve property by scheduling an appointment with a deputy.
Lanser added that the landlord lives in southern California, and “three or four” of the owner’s relatives in the area have keys to the home. Lanser and his wife changed the locks Sunday.
Sheriff’s deputies were able to pull some fingerprints from the home, which are currently being analyzed by the crime lab, Cardoza said. Black dust used by investigators to see the prints remained stuck to the door jamb and the area of the door surrounding the locks and knob Monday morning.
“The victims are not sure who might have been responsible,” Cardoza said.
The home is difficult to see from the road, as it sits downhill from Croy Road and is hidden by tall trees and thick vegetation growing along the winding driveway.
“These types of incidents are few and far between up there,” Cardoza said. “It’s not like an urban setting where you have more escape routes. People don’t go up there unless they live there or know the area.”
Lanser added he has lived in the area for more than 30 years and has “never had any problems.”
In addition to the wrapped Christmas presents, the thief or thieves also stole a couple of collector’s-item dolls that sat on a shelf high in the kitchen as decorations, Lanser said.
He and Johnson added the contents of the wrapped presents were a total surprise to their respective recipients. Lanser said he told his wife numerous times leading up to the holiday that he didn’t want anything for Christmas.
Friends and neighbors even chipped in to buy some replacement presents for Johnson and her parents, but the family insisted they be saved for next year and given to someone who is more in need.
“We don’t care about the gifts. We just want the dog back,” Lanser said.
