Yahoo Finance Barking dog halts terrifying break-in
A beloved pet has been hailed as a hero after alerting a household to two machete-wielding intruders inside their home in an exclusive suburb where crime has become a concern.
Brighton resident Annabelle Thomson told 3AW that she woke up about 7.30am on Tuesday to her dog, six-year-old hungarian vizsla Austin, barking at two men who had entered through an unlocked door.
“My sister’s boyfriend came in with me to see what was going on,” Ms Thomson told host Neil Mitchell.
“We both stopped in our tracks when we saw these two men in the lounge room with the dog holding them up.”
Ms Thomson said both men were wearing balaclavas and armed with a “long machete”.
She quickly ran to tell the others inside the home to call police. Five people were inside at the time.
Todd Blasse told 9 News he then confronted the two armed intruders.
“Austin was going crazy barking at the them,” Mr Blasse said.
“I started approaching them and they bolted out the door.
“Austin and I followed them out and they were gone.”
Mr Blasse said it was a frightening experience.
“It‘s crazy at that time,” he told 9 News.
“It’s a strange time to do this, it’s just dramatic and I can’t believe this is happening.”
“They had two machetes in their hands about 50cm in length.”
Ms Thomson was told by her neighbours the duo had been seen “eyeing off” cars across the street.
She said the men had not taken anything in the home and believed they had been looking for car keys.
“It’s scary to think what they would have done if we hadn’t caught them,” Ms Thomson said.
9 News claimed the two men continued on to William St, about 900m away, where they allegedly stole a Range Rover car from a garage.
The Melbourne TV channel reported that the duo might have also targeted two other homes in Malvern East that night.
Crime rates have become a concern among residents in Melbourne’s southeast.
The issue hit the headlines when high-profile resident Bec Judd voiced her concerns that were scoffed at by Premier Dan Andrews.
Brighton topped the list with 954 incidents, including 169 burglaries.
Ms Thomson told Mitchell on Tuesday there had been a lot of crime in the area of late.
“A lot of people are saying they are having people break into their homes in the middle of the day – it doesn’t seem like they (the criminals) care,” she said.
“They’re coming through windows (...) they just push you out of the way grab your keys and go because they know there’s no consequences if they don’t hurt anyone.
“We had a conversation yesterday about what our dog would do if somebody broke in. I made a joke: we’ll have to test it to find out. So, it has been on our minds.”
Ms Thomson said police had come through and analysed the home, but allegedly told her that often the offenders were underage and would be released after being arrested.
Detective Inspector Rob Nazaretian told 9 News the break-ins were “distressing”.
“Our homes should be our sanctuary,” he said.
