A dog is a man’s best friend. That’s an old adage proven true time and again.
Our four-legged friends are loyal to a fault, intuitive to our feelings and brave to the last. Most of the time, if circumstances dictate, they will literally sacrifice their own lives for those of their masters.
Rex, the two-year-old German shepherd, is no exception to this rule. Living with his family in Des Moines, Washington, he proved to be the ultimate guardian angel after burglars broke into his home.
In a bid to protect 16-year-old Javier Mercado, Rex acted in the only way he knew how. What he did cost him dearly, but it immortalised him as a hero …
Rex and 16-year-old owner Javier were home alone one night when a frightening situation unfolded. Armed burglars broke into their Des Moines home with the intention of taking whatever they could find.
Acting on instinct, Javier’s first reaction was to get out of sight. He got Rex and made his way upstairs.
According to Javier’s aunty Susy Cadena, who made a GoFundMe page after the incident in question: “My nephew hid in the bedroom closet as he frightened, held as hard as he could to his barking dog.”
Unfortunately, Javier wasn’t the only one listening to his instincts. Rex, being a dog, had an unyielding impulse to defend his home, so he headed downstairs and confronted the intruders. Being that he’s a fairly large animal, in usual circumstances this might have been enough to scare the assailants off. The attackers were determined though, they fought back and left Rex bloody and beaten.
“Both of the burglars struggled and beat him up with whatever they could,” Susy continued. “Rex stormed back to the upstairs floor all beat up and bloody from the beating to check on his master who was still hiding in the closet.”
To make things worse, the burglars weren’t content remaining on the ground floor. They followed the dog upstairs and began to ransack rooms in search of things to take. Then they came to the bedroom where Javier and Rex were hiding. Rex might have lost a battle, but he certainly wasn’t done yet.
Upon the men entering the room, Rex began a second attack as he sought to protect Javier.
Desperate to fend him off, the robbers shot Rex four times, before fleeing upon hearing sirens approaching.
It was done: Rex had gone above and beyond to keep them at bay. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, though. The dog was now in desperate need of medical attention.
He was rushed to BluePearl Veterinary Partners, where he underwent scans and x-rays. It soon became apparent that he would need surgery if he was going to survive.
This is where Susy’s GoFundMe page came in. Javier’s aunty reached out for help: “Rex’s life depends on a surgery he will need to survive … [Our] family can not let Rex the hero dog go without us fighting as hard as he did, to his very last bit of a strength while protecting my nephew.”
In just three days, the family raised over $58,000 in donations – almost six times their original goal of $10,000. The money will be put towards Rex’s medical expenses and recovery from wounds sustained in his act of defiance.
A statement from the Mercado family reads: “We have exceeded the goal and we just wanted to assure you that all the money will go toward Rex’s medical expenses and his recovery. Anything left will be donated to institutions and organizations whose mission is to protect our loved pets.”
As for Javier, he knows things could have been incredibly different if Rex hadn’t acted the way he did. “I feel like if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today telling you this story,” he told King 5 News.
What a wonderful companion Rex is, and how lucky are the Mercado family to have him? If you were moved by Rex’s bravery, then hit the SHARE button on Facebook to spread the word … help us get him the recognition he deserves!
