This dog really went above and beyond for its owner, and we’re glad this story has a happy ending!
According to the Daily Mail, 40-year-old Gino Wensel from South Africa was walking his German Shepherd, Duke, when he noticed a man walking up behind him.
Duke began growling at the approaching man, who was carrying a knife and planned to attack Wensel. As the man came closer to the dog and its owner, the robber stabbed his knife in Duke’s head.
However, this surprisingly did not incapacitate the dog as it still ran after the man, scaring him off. Duke then collapsed shortly after that. To Wensel’s surprise, he found that his dog was still breathing and immediately called his friend for help.
Wensel and his friend then rushed Duke to the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWSSA), where it received immediate treatment. According to an AWSSA spokesman, the dog was close to death and in critical condition. Duke was quickly sedated and given painkillers before getting an X-ray to assess how much damage the knife had done. The spokesman told the news portal,
“The X-ray showed however that the blade had gone in three inches but had bent on entry away from the brain missing it by millimetres and turned towards Duke’s right eye socket.”
If the robber stabbed any harder, Duke would have died. What a lucky dog!
Even more miraculously, Duke made an overnight recovery after getting surgery to remove the knife from its skull and is now back with its owner!
Meanwhile, Wensel was not sure if the man who came after him wanted to rob or attack him, but was certain that he wanted to kill his dog. He was quoted as saying,
“What I do know is Duke was never going to allow anyone to cause me any harm. I thought he was dead. It was only the knife moving in his head that showed me he was just alive.”
Well, it’s great that Duke is better now and can continue protecting Wensel. We’re sending all the virtual treats to this good boy! <3
Also read: This Man Organised a Homecoming Party After He Found His Dog That Went Missing For 5 Days