Durban - An alert Bullmastiff sent a gang of heavily armed robbers packing after they gained entry into his home and unexpectedly came face to face with the dog in Assagay, in the Upper Highway area of Durban on Thursday.
Blue Security tactical ambassador for the Highway Area, Russel Lawson, said armed response officers had responded to the panic alarm
at the property at around 1 pm.
"Three armed suspects, one of them armed with a rifle, had derailed the driveway gate and entered the property. The suspects then forced open a security gate on the patio before coming face to face with the Bullmastiff which prevented them from entering the house," Lawson said.
"The armed men began to slowly retreat as the dog advanced towards them. The resident then pressed her panic button and the suspects turned and fled the scene with the dog in hot pursuit. The resident chased after her dog as he hounded the suspects, who manage to evade him by jumping into a white sedan that fled the scene," Lawson said.
No injuries were reported.
Hillcrest police station attended the scene of the crime.
According to Wikipedia the Bullmastiff is a large-sized breed of domestic dog, with a solid build and a short muzzle. The Bullmastiff is mastiff type dog, and was originally developed by 19th-century gamekeepers to guard estates. The breed's was bred by crossing the English Mastiff with the now extinct Old English Bulldog. Bullmastiffs are a large working breed originating in Britain in the mid-1800s as estate guardians to ward off poachers.
They were bred by gamekeepers for strength, size and speed using a cross of the tough, heavy and aggressive Bulldog of the 19th century with the large, strong, less aggressive.- Additional information Wikipedia.