I've just heard from a friend whose Leo bravely protected her during an altercation on a petrol forecourt.  A fight broke out and said Leo flew from the car and positioned herself between friend and the numpties fighting.  Her ferocious barking sent everyone running for the hills, she then very calmly got back in the car and went back to sleep!  My GSD has seen off a potential attacker in the past, and I have another friend whose 3 Bishons attacked a man who tried to mug her!  So I just wondered, do you know how yours would react?  Please post your heart-warming stories of your protective furry friends - I shed a tear at Deal or No Deal these days so I've got the tissues ready!!

Im not sure whether my boy would protect me...hes a bit of a wimp and softy!! but my bitch did....
One morning (about 3am) i was driving to a show (im mad i know!!) through a town and my boy was fast asleep in the boot behind the dog guard and my bitch was asleep on the back seat. I noticed i was being followed in a car who kept pulling along side me- to be honest i didnt think anything of it as i was to tired and didnt register what was happening!...anyway i got to a set of traffic light that were on red so waited there and this car pulled up to the left of my car and before i knew it this guy had got out of his car and opened my passenger side door(he obviously hadnt seen the dogs as they were asleep) i dont know whether he was trying to steal a bag or something more sinister but sadie was much quicker reacting than i was(before i even had chance to scream) she had obviously sensed something and she literally launched herself over the front seat onto his arm! i grabbed her as he ran back to his car and drove off. i think she would of done some serious damage to him if i hadnt grabbed her. im just so glad that she did this as if he had had time to pull out a knife or something then there could of been a very different outcome. even the police praised her- although they have not caught him yet. my boy had burst through the dog guard not really knowing what what has happening as he likes his sleep lol! things could have ended very differently if it wasnt for my girl, they are both gsds-one of the most loyal breeds! ever heard that saying that a dog will die for you and a bitch will kill for you, how true!

Many years ago I had a Basset Hound bitch. Not normally known for their guarding instincts, she came to my rescue one evening whilst I was out walking her. I was mugged, and the mugger got away with my gold chain which he ripped from my neck, but he also ran off with a hole in his backside after Hannah caught him nicely.

When I was a youngster our dog got out the house ,not an all toghether uncommon event, she was a bit of an escape artist. It was the 60's door got left unlocked !!
We had  family who lived about a mile away who she would often go and visit. They looked after her when we went on holidays etc. So theirs was her second home. We always said she went visiting.
One day when she had got out as usual we went to their house expecting her to be there being fussed by the family.
Their house was in bedlam as the 3 year old son was missing. After several hours of hunting,some of us returned to my house, both dog and child were sitting together on our front doorstep. When asked where he had been the child said. "I wanted to go fishing but Lucky brought me home to Aunties. why is no one home".
The child would have been in great danger, was Lucky on her way to them and just followed him, or was it some instinct that sent her. Was it just coincidence ?? Who knows....

Mine are so silly over everyone and everything I find it hard to believe they'd protect me, but then we all thought that about my brother's loving, silly, soppy Golden Cocker bitch - until the day when he was playing with my 3 year old daughter and held her upside-down by the ankles "shaking out her money"  she was screaming with laughter :-D  Dog told him off, he ignored dog and after another 'scream' the little Cocker jumped up and bit him on the buttock!  he had a nice tear in his jeans and was black and blue for weeks :-D

Never under-estimate how protective your soppy dog will be, at the end of the day you are their world and they will react like dogs if they think you're in danger ;)

> I shed a tear at Deal or No Deal these days so I've got the tissues ready!!

Aaaw Bless ya :)

I am lucky i have not been in this position and hope i never find out, but i am sure they would if i was ever in immediate danger even though they are very friendly pooches.

throughout the summer months i leave the patio door in my bedroom open which leads to the back garden so they can come and go as they please.
one night i was sat in the front room and heard the fences wobble like someone was climbing over, my dogs heard the same went charging out and i heard aaaaahhhhggghhh then the scramble for the fence.
mr burglar didnt expect 360 kilos of doggles to greet him!! hee hee

My old girl defended me against my ex,  strange really the two lads were fast asleep snoring and didnt even wake up , but think the boys i have now ( all mummys boys ) would  do a good job .

When my ESS was alive (back in the 80's ) we left her with a neighbour so that we could go to my brothers wedding. We were away for a week. When we returned we collected Gyp, took her home and sat down with a cup of coffee. Our lovely neighbour just walked in and was attacked by the very dog he had been looking after! She realised who he was as soon as she jumped up at him and ran off, but at least she defended us ;-)

My M-I-L's dog (Shelti x Papillon) was the most timid dog I have ever known, but on at least one occasion he stood up to a group of yobs who were intimidating my M-I-L.

Don't under estimate your dogs. You are part of their pack and they will do anything for you. Though if you want to be kissed to death I have the perfect pack ;-)

Yes, my boy has ...remember when the foot and mouth scare was on  a few yrs back ,..it was also a rather hot summer..and I had to find alternative places to walk my dogs.... 

On this occasion (it was a extremely hot day) so unusually I let my boy sit on the back seat in the car..... to get some cold air.

My front window was also half way down... for some unknown reason when I pulled up at the lights.... a bloke in a car.. swerved in front of me, slammed  his brakes on, jumped out of his car and ran towards me shouting rather nasty comments..

It all happened so quickly, but before I new it, he stuck his arms ,head and neck in through the window with the intent to grab me........

Unbeknown to him my boy sitting on the back seat.... took great exception to this mans actions.....

Exit one very shocked thug..minus shirt sleeve, with a few bite marks on his arm....last seem running down a main road..back to his car...with the biggest expression of shock on his face.

My boy got the biggest treat when we got home.

My chows came to my rescue once.  It was not long after my 1st husband had left me and I was still at that stage of being anxious alone in the house at night. 

As usual I had turned all the lights out before I put them out to the loo before bed so I could watch them through the crack in the curtains to make sure they really did go. 

I was waiting at the curtain for them to come round to the front garden but they were messing round the back.  As I continued to watch a car came up my very long, quiet, dead end street and it stopped in front of my drive.  It had 2 men in and the passenger got out and came creeping down my drive towards the house, I really felt the blood drain from my face.  Well my boys heard him and flew round the front to see him off and he ran back to the car which sped off back down the road.  I don't know what I would have done without them that night.

> I shed a tear at Deal or No Deal these days so I've got the tissues ready!!

Im as bad as you! I was in tears by the 2nd post! :-)

I have no doubts that my girl would do anything and everything to protect me, she is so intune with what I am feeling all the time, she really doesnt miss a trick!
my boy on the other hand! ha ha, I think he would rather lick everyone! thats his style! :-)

My current dogs probably wouldnt protect me but my first rescue rotty did. I got her when i was about 17 and she was already an adult. I live in a small village and had been at my friends with her till late one night. On the way home i decided to take a short cut that i wouldnt normally take as i felt safe having Bonnie with me. I let her off the lead and started walking down the dark ally behind some houses. I was about half way down when i started feeling creeped out and looked around for the dog only to see her back on the pavement under a streetlight watching me as if i was mad walking down the dark scary ally! I think she had alot more sense than a 17 year old :-D another time i was out walking with her and one of my male friends who she knew very well crept up on me to give me a fright. As soon as he grabbed me Bonnie grabbed his ankle and dragged him away by the leg. She didnt bite hard enough to break the skin but made sure he couldnt hurt me. She was the most gentle dog the rest of the time but if someone even raised thier voice to me she would put her self between me and them and look up at them and me as if to say are you alright. Also another time after i had a little bit to much to drink on a night out and fell asleep on the bathroom floor  i woke up she was curled up around me keeping me warm. She was a one in a million dog :-)

As a child I know our male Rough Collie who was the biggest sop was very protective of us all, the milkman once put his hand on my shoulder whilst chatting to me and our RC growled and made towards him, soon as his hand was removed Jack sat at the side of me as if butter wouldn't melt with one eye firmly on the milkman :-D (He never touched me again)

Our RC's came everywhere with us as children, we would often go strolling in the meadows and woods playing together the dogs always chose to trot along with us, they were like our guardian angels. If anyone came anywhere near us Jack would always growl, he was clever at deciphering the difference between a potential threat and play, we often played with older children some 17-18 aswell and the dogs didn't mind them tackling me and tying me to a tree, for their game of cowboys and indians, they just sat and watched with amusement. :-) Whilst I had to wait to be rescued.

My dog may lick an attacker to death :-)

Not so much a heart warming story of protection but a glimpse into how he would use himself as a deterrant.
Last week I was out in the evening & hubby forgot his keys. Locked out & freezing cold he decided to break in the kitchen window. He was about to climb through and Buster marched into the kitchen, head up, chest out with a look on his face that froze hubby to the spot (half in the window balanced over the sink, LOL). Buster didn't growl or bark he just stood there, hubby started talking to him and the penny dropped who it was so Buster relaxed & hubby climbed in. OH said that there is no way he could imagine anybody being brave enough to have carried on into the kitchen with Buster stood there, he didn't need to make a noise, his sheer presence with the look on his face and his body language said "you are NOT coming in".
I am now confident that Buster would do what a mastiff should do -  use himself as a deterrant, a wall, a barrier against any threat, I think that should be enough for him to never need to growl, bark or attack a threat but it would be a fool who tested that theory!

LOL! What a sight it would have been from the outside ;-)

My two would run in the opposite direction - although they are noisey and would put someone off that way.  But I would be left to my fate :-(

Sibes are not supposed to be any good at guarding but Misty is quite protective and once a friend had borrowed a book from me and she asked another friend of hers, who I didn't know, to return it to me as she was passing by.  But she came by the driveway gates at the back of the house and tried to open them (they have a padlock of the inside), Misty ran to the gates and very obviously tried to block the gates woohooing away.  When I went to open the gates to let the woman in, Misty quite really didn't want the woman to come in and made it very obvious - no growling though, just hackles up. 

No idea what the current gang would really do in a crisis but I came out of the shower this morning to very loud barking, distinct snarling and enthusiastic bouncing off French doors   Cause - an impromptu visit by window cleaner (who appears to have added an apprentice - ashen faced one now).

Oldest was lying eyeing them suspiciously, nose barely mm from the glass, low growl and hackles up.  Middle was barking head off, in a total frenzy and had managed to work up a froth around jaws that was reminiscent of Cujo.  Pupster was bouncing off glass tail wagging and grinning from ear to ear to encourage our 'visitors' to come inside and play.

Anyone's guess then but I'm thinking at best only one would 'do the business', one would be too exhausted by the fracas she'd kicked off (way too early) and monster man would be making a new friend in the shape of the perp :-p

Wonderful stories! I doubt my Cavvies or Yankee would be much good in a real crisis, but you never know. Once when we just had the 2 boys we were on a canal holiday, and when I took them outside in the evening for a last wee there was a dodgy looking bloke loitering around. He was probably just wandering along the canal minding his own business, but you never know, and he looked a bit unsavoury - clearly the boys also thought so as they started barking madly at him, something they'd never done before. :-)

Nope my GR would not protect me or the house, anyone can come in and he wags his tail so hard it would fall off and when we are out he is to busy sniffing etc to take much notice, on the lead he thinks anyone that comes near us is there for his pleasure - If I scream in the house etc when play fighting with the OH he bounds over and pinches my socks off my feet with great excitement LOL so no protecting me.

Not really in the same league, but if we have friends with dogs round, my sweet and meek little Cavalier turns into a ferocious protecting dog if any of my friends dogs dare to come near me - I think it is probably a jealousy thing though!!

However my best friend's mum has a Cocker Spaniel...Rosie...who is fiercely protective of her. My friend and her mum were having an argument one day and there were a few raised voices, Rosie jumped on the bed and flew at my friend's stomach, she still has the scars there today! Rosie is the gentlest, kindest dog you could ever wish to meet with an ever-wagging Cocker tail, but if anyone raises a voice or upsets her mummy, boy there is trouble!!

last weekend one of my neighbours from round the backs came to my door asking if I had seen anyone in the back garden.  He caught someone coming over the fence but the man got away.  I had my back door open so the pup could potter about and I was in the next room although it is almost open plan.  Not a peep from the rott and the staffy was lying on sofa watching casualty.  Oh well, looks like it will be me fighting off the burglars then!

A while ago, I was walking Warro on the local common.  I'd passed this guy going in the opposite direction earlier, but hadn't thought anything of it.  Anyway, I decided to go off the path so I could come out the other end of the pond.  I turned round to call Warro who was a couple of paces behind me and this guy was right behind me!  I was really worried and as I walked faster so did he, absolutely no-one anywhere near, in fact I was pretty scared.  I called Warro to me and turned round to face him - thinking I'd stand a better chance of fighting him off if he jumped on me!  Suddenly Warro went bananas, rearing up (had him on the lead by now) snarling and barking and the guy ran off!!

He's just the softest kipper with people normally, used to lie on his back for the infants to rub his tummy in the playground when I picked my boys up from school. Has never done anything like that before or since.  He got an extra nice tea that night! :D

Mum just phoned me to say her dogs did something really peculiar.  She was taking them to the park, they go fine normally, when they stopped just as she got to the gate and wouldn't go in.  They just refused to go in at all.  Mum decided to go with it so when she turned to go back home the dogs were back to normal and walked fine, but they were not going into the park at all.  The park has a reputation after a certain time of night so something must have not smelt right for the dogs to stop mum from going in.

i dont know for sure how they would behave.
But i wouldnt rate somebodys chances if they were to protect me for any reason.

Some years ago my first husband now ex
Tried to brake in the house through a window and was confronted by his own dog.... she was a very loyal collie cross
she did alert me and bore the scar on her nose for the rest of her life where he struck her! with his fist and his heavy
omega watch caught her nose.
She had been his dog up until the split and he had then turned violent towards us both.
They are'nt fooled they know far more than we imagine.

I always thought my male Ridgeback would probably run in the other direction if something happened but last year I was walking him out on the sand dunes near our house with my younger bitch.  A man seemed to pop up from the bushes in front of us, gave me a bit of a start to be honest.  Anyway my girl froze and stood in front of me but I hadn't noticed my male who had gone off to the left hand side and was stock still looking at this guy through the surrounding bushes with all his hackles up.  If anyone has watched the first Jurassic Park film and the scene with the velociraptors and Bob Peck, you'll know exactly what I mean!  It was a bit of a heart stopping moment.

Years ago when my daughter was younger,I was taking our German Shepherd to a new dog agility club.Having never been in the area beforeI got a bit lost and tried to find someone to ask directions.I saw a gentleman walking along and stopped and wound the window down on my daughters side to ask him.He started telling me and then he knelt down and put his arms through the window near my daughter -well I had never seen my German shepherd get rid of the dog guard before but he knocked the guard out of the  way and he shot into the front of the car after this man and would not stop barking at him even when he backed off.I am sure  he could sense danger that I could not see.

I grew up with a Great Dane named Strider. He was the craziest dog you've met in you life, but fiercley protective of me when I was a toddler. Anyway, one Sunday my Uncle and his family came over for a visit. Apparently I was happily sitting in the lounge (about 9 months old) and my Uncle came in to pick me up for a cuddle... well at least he tried! Strider lept up at him, paws on his shoulder, pinned him to the ground and growled at him with his nose about 1" away from my Uncle's face!!

Strider then proceeded to pick me up by my Dungerees (he did this frequently) and dump me in his bed where he could protect me properly!! Hilarious... well for everyone but my Uncle anyway!!

Needless to say my Uncle never tried to pick me up ever again!!

I'm hoping our new Pup (which we are picking up tomorrow) will be a good protector to my son and I... would be nice to think that as we're on our own at home and it can get a little un-nerving at times.

Some of your stories are wonderful and it just amazes me how in-tune dogs can be with their owners!!

my father was a market gardener who delivered fruit and veg from the cotswolds around the uk, one day he delivered to a large depot that was protected by two large german shepherd, he was corned when he exited the lorry as he was told the dogs had been shut away, He had left a gap in the cab window and my fathers little american cocker spaniel jumped down and protected my dad for a good 5 minutes, hackles raised and growling and snarling, the manager at the depot couldnt belive that JC had held the two dogs at bay, but it does show the love and protectiveness he showed my dad, he was rescued at 3yrs old but his one vice was he didnt like my mum kissing and hugging my dad before she left for work in the morning he used to jump up between them.
A lovely little dog who is well missed but i believe he is with my dad walking the cotswold hills now that they have both passed away, which gives me some comfort when i look at the hills when i return home for  visit. 

One of my GRs would go for someone if she needed to protect me. She protects the house and the car.
She will not allow any play fighting within the family as she thinks its for real.

Many years ago we had a english springer when my son was small. we had a friend come to visit us and came into the garden,he touched my son on the head just saying hello to him,the springer flew at him grabbing his hand and not letting go for a while untill prompted...the poor man had to go to hospital for stitches, 12 in total.
He was a fireman so was out of action  for sometime. I felt very guilty about it, but he said it was his fault for patting my sons head.

Poor mans dead now, nothing to do with the dog by the way.

All these stories are great and have brought back a memory for me regarding my Granny's cat. 

I always thought she was quite a strange cat, she was black and half siamese but really lacking in personality and brains.  She wasn't nasty but just did nothing but sleep and eat, suck peoples hair, and wail.

One time my aunt and uncle were staying with my granny, the cat knew them and wasn't bothered with guests in the house.  Then one morning my uncle came out the bathroom in just a towel, his hair wet from the shower.  The silly cat didn't recognise him and launched herself at his chest.  He was screaming, the cat was screaming but she wouldn't let go.  My poor granny had to prise the claws from his flesh.  She must have thought he was some kind of intruder.  Brought a tear to my eye just thinking about it.

All these stories have reminded me of our Tibetan Terrier :)

One night he woke me up by trying to climb into bed with me, which was unusual as he slept in the kitchen downstairs.  I sat up and he kept getting behind me and looking towards the bedroom door, if he could have pointed he would have, so I got up to investigate.  Looking down the stairs I could see our front door was wide open which I knew my father had locked and bolted before bedtime as I watched him   so woke my parents up and we also discovered the front window was open too   I think whoever it was left when they heard me talking to the dog, not a very brave boy, definately not protective, but he stopped us being burgled all the same :)  new door locks and window locks bought next day and a nice large steak for Brucie boy :-D

Pretty certain, though of course not 100%, that my two would more than likely greet and lick any strange people that came into our house.  They're very very human attention orientated and have never reacted in any other way when strangers come to the door.  (Though I suppose that's very different to someone prowling around).
But, having said that, given they're SBT's, I'm sure they and I would be in the wrong if they did do anything to protect me.  So I hope they never feel that they have to. 

Thanks to Lesleyanne I'm just opening my 2nd box of tissues (and 3rd bottle of wine!!!!).

Some really wonderful stories - it's quite obvious how these furry critters become such a huge part of our lives.

My old Leo girl was very soppy and would rather go behind you and let you protect her.
She grew up having my older Leo protect her so she never really got hang of guarding or keeping an eye on things as she would just follow what the older one did... or so we thought until one day when my mum was walking her late at night!

She would always be off lead and walk hundred meters in the forest, not on the road.
All people who knew them would often ask where is the dog, as she would be minding her own business and not come to the road until the end of the path.
This evening a dodgy looking man who was high on something came towards my mum and started talking in a very unfriendly voice and shouting...
He obviously saw a little lady on her own in the very quiet path and thought easy money!
Only thing my mum was worried about was the silly old dog and what would happen if she came to the road and walked to the man!

She didn't need to worry about anything: Suddenly the man quietens down and goes white!
My girl was SLOWLY walking from behind my mum, all teeth showing and letting out the deepest growl ever.
She stopped in front of my mum and just stood there, little 60kg girl with a black face full of white teeth...

The man actually said Madam sorry for the interruption have a lovely evening and turned and walked off!!
I don't think the man knew what he was faced with, he must have thought some kind of troll from the forest came to my mums rescue!
We now joke that he might have stopped doing drugs after facing the troll of the birchhill!!

Few months after this, the same old girl stopped a man entering our house when my mum was home alone...
Again, slow sure movement and charging the man out of the house and stopping to the door when the man was outside.
Never again was she referred as old soppy thing :)

Cindyloo is to small to protect me but my male cav has a habbit of lunging at people when he is on the lead which can look nasty also a little while after I moved home my sister came into the room to drag him off my bed while I was asleep so he could go out. I woke up to him growling and my sister shouting about him being aggressive.
But many years ago I lived with a friend and I would walk her rottie cross doberman down an abandoned rail track if there were any lads walking the other way she would come back to me so i would take her collar then she would turn to them barking and lunging hurrying them on. I never felt worried with her she was such a good girl very protective.

hubby came back from walking the dogs tonight 3year old gsd 4year old ess and a 15week gsd ....the older dogs are playing and running around when a rotti/bullmast came from nowhere and lunged at the puppy on the lead well our other gsd came running and stopped dead teeth showing and growling at this dog ,well it ran she may of done this thinking her dad was in danger or her new baby sis so im sure she would do the same for me too :)

but our ess stud by the owner looking at her hubby said it was funny our ess looked like she was dog eyeing her lol