A hero dog has lost her leg after she tried to protect her elderly owners during a terrifying home invasion and was struck in the leg.

Merie was once a street dog but was rescued by the elderly couple and welcomed into their family home in Cape Town.

And when armed intruders entered the house, she tried to repay her owners by standing between them and the danger.

She was struck in her right front leg after she began barking and howling in an attempt to scare the intruders away, eventually causing them to flee.

Sadly, her elderly owners did not survive the incident, but their adult children managed to get to safety.

A police officer, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, called animal welfare workers to rescue Merie.

Belinda Abraham from the Cape of Good Hope animal welfare charity said: ‘She wasn’t the best cared for dog and yet she still had absolute loyalty.

‘The relatives of the deceased owners pleaded with us to save Merie’s life, as she had protected theirs.’

After her life was saved, vets battled to preserve her badly injured leg, but it ultimately had to be amputated.

Merie then spent 10 days in intensive care, where during her stay she left her mark on animal welfare staff with her ‘sweet, gentle nature, courage and enormous spirit.’

Now she is being cared for by the adult children she protected during the home invasion, finally surrounded by the family she bravely stood up for.

Source: Daily Mail