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(NewsNation) — Another week in crime-ridden Los Angeles, another celebrity was burgled, all leading to another high-end trend: The trained guard dog.
Stephen Scott, owner of ScottsK9 in Argyle, Texas, who breeds and trains Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd dogs, says Californians are his biggest customers.
The dogs, which cost between $100,000 – $150,000, are the “ultimate in security” Scott said, adding that “many” top celebrities are his clients.
“The country got a little crazy in the last couple years,” Scott told me. Scott estimates his business is up 25% in the last two years and said: “People started considering a guard dog because by now everyone knows someone who has (been burgled) and security systems are not foolproof. And once your security bubble is popped, it’s gone.”
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson’s home burglary
The latest high-profile couple to be robbed is Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson who announced this week they were the victims of a burglary, with thieves entering a guest house on their Pacific Palisades property by smashing through fortified windows. Thankfully the couple were not home, unlike Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, who suffered two break-ins within four months at their Los Angeles property.
“We were gone maybe two hours and 20 minutes or something,” Hawn told Kelly Ripa on the “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast.
“They had broken in from the balcony to our bedroom, our closets, and they completely knocked down my door, which was a safe door, so they’re very, very sophisticated,” Hawn said. “They got a lot of my goodies, if you know what I mean. So I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my God. Well, the chances are, I guess that’s it.’”
But four months later, Hawn was alone in her bedroom when another break-in attempt happened.
“I’m never without a guard,” she said.
Celebrity homes and crime
Other celebs in ritzy LA homes who have been burgled are Dorit Kemsley (who was also home with her children when the crime happened), Drake, Marlon Wayans and Kim Kardashian.
Scott says while Hawn now has human bodyguards, dogs have an advantage as “You can take your dog with you a 24-hour-a-day bodyguard who is also your best friend.”
One LA businessman, who lives in Beverly Hills and asked to remain anonymous, got a Belgian Malinois named Casper from Gold Coast K9 after his neighbor’s home was broken into six months ago and cleaned out.
“Crime is just so bad in LA,” the man told me. He and his partner spent $100,000 on Casper who is fully trained; the dog can attack, stop attacking or search his property on command.
“All commands are in another language so thieves can’t tell Casper what to do,” The man said.
“It’s just so bad in Los Angeles right now — really not safe.”
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Celebrities that have dogs for protection
Other celebs like the Kardashians and music mogul David Geffen also have protection dogs while Kiefer Sutherland, Zac Efron, Kirsten Dunst, and Jake Gyllenhaal all have owned German Shepherds in the past, Patrick Mahomes had a Cane Corso, The Weeknd has a Doberman Pinscher and Eva Mendes owns a Belgian Malinois (it is not known if they were trained dogs).
The demand surged over COVID-19 and especially after the 2021 murder of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of music executive Clarence Avant, who, despite having an extensive home security system, was shot and killed by an intruder. The man, Aariel Maynor, “laughed and bragged about the killing”, according to court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. Maynor also “allegedly bragged to a friend in a phone call from jail that he would serve only 20 to 25 years because Los Angeles County prosecutors did not file special circumstances murder that could have meant life without parole or the death penalty, a sentencing document filed by prosecutors shows.”
“The guys who do the break ins are back out on the street in a day,” the dog-owning celebrity told me. “If an alarm goes off, it still takes time for the police to come and by then, you’re cleaned out. Not with a dog. They’re not getting by Casper.”
The celeb added: “Yes, I am afraid I’d be (legally) liable if Casper attacked an intruder, but better than being killed.”