Pit bull saves owners and foils robbery attempt in Mpumalanga

The plans of four suspected robbers were drastically altered after a pit bull terrier threatened to chase them down in a bid to protect his owners.

The heroic actions of Danny the pit bull were lauded by his owners, a young man and his mother, after they were almost overpowered by the suspects outside their home in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, they told Middelburg Observer, on condition of anonymity.

“One is so complacent, you never expect something like this would happen right outside your home.”

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He said he was grateful Danny was ready to tackle the thieves, otherwise, things could have turned out very differently for him and his mother, the young man said.

On the afternoon of the attack, last Friday, the man said he went to the shops to buy his mother cigarettes.

“My car was packed to drive to Pretoria, and I met my mom at the gate. I opened the door and climbed out of my car to give her the cigarettes.

“Unfortunately, I left my keys in the ignition – but the gate was so close!”

In the few seconds it took to hand the goods to his mom, he said he heard another car stop behind his. When he turned around, he saw three men hop out of a maroon Opel Corsa and run towards him.

The young man ran to his car and pulled out a broken gun, which looked like a legitimate weapon, that he kept under the seat of his car.

Brandishing a broken gun at his side, he held it in a way to make it look like he was armed.

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The men slowed down when they saw the gun, before the driver shouted; “You don’t think we have one too!”

The man then shouted to his mother to close the gate.

Out of the corner of his eye, he recalls one of the suspects looking for something in their vehicle.

“I wanted to reverse into them, but my car was in first gear, and instead, I rammed into the rocks in our driveway.

“I shouted to my mom to open the gate.”

It was at this point that Danny heard the young man’s frantic cries, and leapt into action, storming towards the thugs.

The suspects scattered in all directions, and hastily climbed back into the car.

Hurling insults at the dog, Danny’s presence prevented them from geting out of the vehicle.

While slowly driving away, the driver shouted: “We will come back!”

When the young man later posted a picture he took of the car as it drove away, a community group reported that the registration number was fake.

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Edited and translated from Afrikaans by Nica Richards.

This article first appeared on Caxton publication Middelburg Observer’s website, by Daleen Naudé. Read the original article here.