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Dogs have such great protective instincts. They have a way of sensing when a human is in danger, and they won’t hesitate to intervene to save the day.
That was the case for one loyal German shepherd who helped his owner during an unsettling encounter with a “strange man” who was following her.
Lorraine Scott, a 40-year-old woman from Wirral, England, was taking her German shepherd Toby for a run on the beach early one morning, according to the Liverpool Echo.
But their morning run took an unsettling turn. Arriving at the beach, she realized she was alone except for a “strange man” who got out of his car and started coming towards her.
She recalls the man was scanning the area while making his way towards her, and she became “spooked.”
“I started to get really panicky and I just froze,” she told the Liverpool Echo. “I couldn’t really do anything, I just froze.”
The man started getting close — but thankfully, Lorraine had her loyal dog with her. Toby, sensing his owner’s fear and sensing that the man could be a threat, started madly barking at the strange man.
It worked: the dog’s barking scared the potential attacker away. “Straight away the man jumped and ran straight back into his car and drove away very quickly.”
“I’m just really happy I had my protector with me. He’s naturally a protective breed and because of our bond he will always protect me.”
The encounter left Lorraine shaken. She says the area usually seems safe, and that she typically goes for her early-morning runs with her husband.
“I’ve been at this beach before and never had anything like this happen and there is always people camping the night there so never usually though anything strange about people being parked up there,” Lorraine said.
She shared the story on Facebook, urging others to be alert for suspicious strangers in the area. She described the man as wearing a black tracksuit, with a shaved head with blonde hair, and being approximately 5 ft 8 in.
“Hopefully this post will make people aware there are some weirdos about and to be extra careful,” she told the Echo.
Despite the scary ordeal, she is just grateful for Toby for being there to save the day: “So glad I have a German shepherd to protect me.”
Thank you to Toby for protecting your owner! You’re a true hero!
