German Shepherd shot three times protecting 16-year-old owner from burglars.

A German Shepherd was shot three times as he desperately tried to protect his 16-year-old owner from violent burglars.

Rex’s instinct to protect Javier kicked in as soon as he heard a window shatter and strange noises at their home in Des Moines, Washington, US, on Wednesday. As Javier hid upstairs in a closet and phoned the police, Rex attacked the armed intruders.

Javier’s aunt, Susy Cadena, said both burglars hit the two-year-old dog as hard as they could when he barked and bit them. Bloody and beaten, Rex returned upstairs to check on Javier, who was still in the closet, she said.

The burglars trashed the house before checking the room where Rex and Javier were holed up. With all the strength left in him, Rex attacked the burglars a second time, Ms Cadena said. She said he only gave up his battle when they shot him several times. Javier was saved from harm when the burglars heard police sirens in the distance and fled.

‘I just want to thank my dog,’ Javier told Q13 FOX. ‘If it wasn’t for him, I feel like I wouldn’t be standing here right now.’ Rex was shot through his neck and legs and will now need urgent surgery to save his life. After Ms Cadena set up a GoFundMe page and shared Rex’s story, she has raised more than $20,000 to cover the cost of his surgery. Surgeons will operate on him this weekend, with his family and everyone else hoping it is a success.

Metro.co.uk