No one will ever accuse Nash of being a great guard dog.
The golden retriever made headlines this week after security cameras showed the friendly pup responded to a home intruder by grabbing a chew toy and, tail wagging excitedly, trying to make friends with the man.
Dante Rowley was on a trip when he received an alert from his home security system in San Diego that someone had entered his home. As he tapped into the secure feed, he and his fiance watched from Chicago as Nash cautiously observed the intruder ingress through a second-floor window, then decided the man was there to play with him.
The man quickly made himself at home, taking off his shirt and shoes before opening the fridge and helping himself to its contents. He even belched in satisfaction before sitting down to eat another snack, apparently a small carton of yogurt.
Rowley alerted police and San Diego officers arrived within minutes, but the footage shows that even as the intruder began to take nervous glances through the front windows, Nash kept trying to play with him, bringing him a variety of toys.
Nash wasn’t done making friends. When the police entered through the front door, the amicable pooch greeted them enthusiastically as well, and tried to enlist the officers in some fun and games.
“Nash,” Rowley admitted, “is the worst guard dog.”
“Usually, when he sees new people, he runs over and jumps all over them and is just on them 24-7,” he told the New York Times.
Dogs like Nash don’t “do a background check” before deciding to play with people, Cornell veterinary professor Katherine Houpt told the newspaper.
“The dog wanted someone to play with, and the burglar is as good as anyone,” she said. “It’s a breed that’s often friendly and, apparently, the owners made sure he was socialized with people. So he doesn’t think something awful is going to come in the door, but something fun, a playmate.”
Buddy the Cat reviewed the footage after he was asked to share his expert opinion and sniffed derisively as he watched Nash attempting to make friends with the intruder.
“Useless mutt!” the imperious gray tabby said. “Look at him! I’d be like ‘Listen, burglar man, I’m a tiger and I’m gonna, like, maul you and stuff if you don’t get outta my domicile immediately!’ Then obviously he would be really scared and would run because I’m intimidating and meowscular.”
The suspect, John Cline, 57, was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary, a felony. It wasn’t immediately clear if he’d retained an attorney.
Header image credit: Pexels
Hilarious !
Thank you, made my day! 🙂
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Even Buddy has to admit dogs are good boys!
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Hahaha, poor Nash, no one played with him. But I’m glad no one got hurt. I have the opposite problem with my dogs: when they go out for a walk, they’re friendly with everyone, but if someone comes into the house, they act hostile, and I have to hold them back until they get used to the fact that the other person is a friend. Even though they haven’t bitten anyone, they still bark a lot.
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Have you read the research about attachment styles in dogs and cats? They’re separate studies, and both are based on earlier research involving kids with their parents. It’s interesting to see that dogs and cats behave the same way kids do when they encounter unfamiliar people or unfamiliar places. But they might also be useful for understanding why your dogs react differently at home vs on a walk.
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That’s really enlightening. I wasn’t aware of those studies or the similarity in how both children and animals react to strangers or unfamiliar places.
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Attack cat? Actually, I knew one friend who had an attack cat. Had to wear boots over jeans whenever I fed her cat when she was away, but I’d heard he had jumped on the back of a repairman once.
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That’s basically what my friend has to do when she feeds Buddy. It’s ridiculous because he’s incredibly friendly to everyone when I’m here, but when I go away he’s like an evil ninja just waiting to maul anyone who enters.
It’s gotta be territorial for these “attack cats,” yeah? They look to their humans for cues on how to react to people, and when their humans are gone, they go right into territory protection mode.
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Saw this on Inside Edition. Thank God Nash was not hurt.
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Yeah I was a bit worried about that when I saw the video, especially when the cops let him out of the house.
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Another reason I shouldn’t go into a life of crime. I’d be playing with the dog. And sharing snacks with him. MaryOn Sep 22, 2026,
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Exactly. How could anyone not like a super friendly golden retriever?
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Goldens need lots of attention and play. This dog took a chance to get both – with the intruder! 🙂
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I should have mentioned in the story that the guy’s brother was stopping in regularly to feed and walk the dog, but clearly the good boy didn’t want to miss any opportunity to make friends
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