[imagesource: Boksburg SPCA]

That above is Kei, a very brave Malinois cross who pretty much went from “zero to hero.”

As an SPCA rescue dog, she became a lionheart after being shot in the face when her adopted family were under threat by armed robbers in the night.

The armed intruders broke into the Lamont home in Lakefield, Benoni, during the early hours of last Sunday (October 3) while the family was asleep, reported TimesLIVE.

Unfortunately, another of the family’s dogs, a Yorkie named Holly, died while also trying to protect the family.

The devastating incident began when intruders entered the main bedroom where a “terrifying shoot-out took place” and one of the intruders was shot dead, according to the SPCA.

Kei, who was sleeping on the bed of the Lamont’s eldest daughter, didn’t think twice to attack the second armed intruders when she sensed danger.

Apparently, Kei attacked with such force that the second intruder made a run for it, which is when Holy was shot dead.

This is the Lamont family with little Holy:

Image: The Benoni City Times

Kei followed the intruder into the kitchen, where she was shot in the face.

The intruder got away, and Kei, amazingly, continued her quest to help:

“Kei knew she had to get help and, despite her injuries, made her way out the gate to alert a neighbour she knew well. Surveillance footage shows her pacing up and down at the gate trying to get help.

“She couldn’t bark because a bullet had shattered her jaw. With no luck, she ran down to the lake, a place she’s familiar with, looking for help.”

The family searched for Kei thereafter, and after 40-minutes managed to locate her and rush her off to the vet:

“Later that morning Kei was X-rayed. It was found the bullet had entered the side of her nose, shattered two top molars, severely injured her tongue and broken her jaw. Surgery was done to repair the tongue and bullet wounds.”

She received reconstructive surgery on her jaw, which is estimated to have cost around R60 000.

Kei is wholly recognised for her incredible efforts:

“The Boksburg SPCA will present Kei with an award for heroism as soon as she’s better. Kei protected her family because she felt loved and was not simply placed in the back yard for ‘security,’ like so many dogs in this country.

When the Lamont family drove through to the Boksburg SPCA to meet a young Kei in 2020, they had no idea that she would later save their lives.

And that is just testament to how an unwanted, crossbreed, SPCA animal can go from “zero to hero”.

[source:timeslive]