But in fact, it was Sasha's alertness and vigorous barking that protected her owners from the shadowy figures that recently intruded on their property in Island View and also ensured them fleeing on the spot.
Wimpie continues that it was Sasha's sweet nature that immediately attracted him and his wife Liezl.
"All the other dogs at the SPCA were barking madly for attention, but Sasha just stood there, holding a ball in her mouth, wagging her tail slowly."
Liezl comments that although they have never adopted an animal before, her heart went out to Sasha, who was rescued by the SPCA from her previous owners, who primarily used her for breeding.
"She was frail and neglected, terribly thin and patches of bare skin were showing."
With lots of remedial love, Sasha's vibrant and loving energy soon blossomed.
"She has this soft toy, we simply call the 'Ununu'," chuckles Liezl.
"You should see how flabbergasted she becomes when she can't find it," Wimpie adds. "It's like a comforter to her."
But Sasha certainly needed no comfort, nor support, when she was out protecting her owners around two weeks ago. Liezl woke up to Sasha's barking in the early hours of the morning and went to inspect.
Finding nothing out of order in the front yard, she instructed Sasha, who sleeps outside, to return to her kennel, an order immediately obeyed.
Liezl returned to bed, only to hear Sasha charging to the back of the house, barking ferociously.
Both Wimpie and Liezl flew out of bed, drawing back the curtains of their bedroom window, only to see three intruders balancing on the retainer wall, trying to make a run for it, but avoiding Sasha at the same time.
By the time Wimpie ran out of the house with a torch light, the intruders were clambering over the neighbour's wall and disappeared into the night.
"I always thought Sasha more likely to lick someone to death, but she braved herself against the odds and protected her home," says Liezl. "We are so proud of her!"
Sasha was frail en neglected when Wimpie and Liezl Pretorius adopted her almost a year ago, after being rescued by the SPCA. Photo: Facebook
ARTICLE: CORNELLE CARSTENS, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
