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
