A Salina man says his neighbor’s barking dogs aided him in stopping thieves from stealing property from his yard early Thursday morning.

Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney said 54-year-old Charles Kirby heard his neighbor’s dogs barking at about 2:30 a.m. and when he went to check the backyard of his home in the 600 block of W. Grand, he discovered thieves trying to steal his portable generator.

The suspects, described as three teenage males wearing dark hoodies, were attempting to steal a Craftsman 3600 watt portable generator valued at $590. The generator was chained to a fixed object in the yard.

Sweeney said Kirby notified police and before officers arrived, the three teens fled the yard without the generator.

The three would-be thieves fled in a west or south direction, according to Kirby.