A dog named Demon is getting global praise on social media after presumably taking a chunk out of a robber who broke into his owners’ Springbrook home.
Nicole Morellato received more than 35,000 Facebook comments from as far as England, Germany and the U.S. — calling her pet Rottweiler a “hero,” after she posted photos of her blood-splattered living room after the Sept. 11 incident.
“Man’s best friend. Awesome,” wrote Darnell Copes of Amityville, N.Y., in a typical comment on the post that was shared 98,000 times.
“It’s amazing … I’d say 99 per cent of the comments were positive,” said Nicole, who believes this indicates how outraged people are about rising property crimes.
On that Monday evening, Nicole and her husband, Paul Morellato, had returned home after going out for coffee with friends, to find Demon and their smaller dog Hemi wagging their tails at the front door, as usual.
“Demon was just acting normal. He … was at the door waiting for us,” recalled Nicole, 42.
But the couple soon smelled a “stink” they couldn’t identify. On entering their living room, they were “completely shocked” to see copious blood splatters within two metres of a broken window.
“I first thought, oh my God, my dogs are cut!” said Nicole. The Morellatos checked them for injuries and were puzzled about whose blood was on Demon’s paws, since neither of the pets were wounded.
The couple soon noticed the jagged pieces of broken glass in the window were not smeared with blood, yet the wooden sill and the house siding below the window were stained red.
They concluded a thief had broken into their home. After encountering Demon’s powerful jaws, they believe the injured suspect fled through the same window he’d broken to get in.
The idea leaves Nicole feeling victimized and afraid to leave the house.
Springbrook neighbours later told the Morellatos they heard a loud bang and strange dog sounds between about 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. that night, but didn’t investigate, or see signs of an intruder.
Although Demon, a three-year-old Rottweiler looks imposing, Nicole described him as a softie who loves children and likes to cuddle. The large dog is very protective of his family, however, often barking at people who get close to their car.
Nicole is a former Costco worker, who suffered two strokes in 2015 and now lives on a disability pension. Her husband Paul works in operations at the Red Deer Airport. The couple, who moved to Central Alberta from Nova Scotia eight years ago, have never before had their home broken into.
But Nicole said property crimes are becoming such a concern in Springbrook that community members held a meeting earlier this week to discuss starting a Neighbourhood Watch and getting self-defence workshops going.
Nicole feels she owes Demon a lot, since the Rottweiler not only scared away the thief, but also helped her rehabilitate after her strokes by allowing her to lean on his back as she negotiated the stairs.
“He’s our boy… he’s amazing.”
No charges have been laid yet, but Blackfalds RCMP are still investigating this incident, said Laurel Scott, an RCMP media relations officer.