A Staffordshire bull terrier came to his owner’s rescue after she was targeted by a would-be robber in Houghton Regis.
The incident happened at around 10.15am on Wednesday as the 42-year-old woman was walking her pet in Houghton Green.
The dog ran into a wooded area and as the woman went to look for him she was grabbed from behind by the attacker in a ‘bear hug’.
The man demanded money but when the victim said she didn’t have any he let go and started searching her pockets.
The victim began screaming and at this point her Staffie came running out of the wood and chased the mugger across Houghton Green and towards Cemetery Road.
A few minutes later, the dog returned to the victim with what appeared to be blood around his mouth.
Det Con Jo Bosson, who is investigating the attempted robbery, is keen to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident or seen the man being chased by the dog.
She would also like to hear from who may know someone with a recent dog bite injury.
Det Con Bosson said: “This was an extremely upsetting incident for the victim but thankfully her dog was able to prevent the woman from being harmed in any way.
“I’m keen to hear from anyone who witnessed any part of the incident and can help us identify this offender.”
The man, who spoke with an Eastern European accent, is described as being white, in his early 20s, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10ins tall, wearing a black woollen hat, light grey jogging top and bottoms and white Nike Air Max trainers with ‘bubbles’ in the heel.
The dog did not suffer any sort of injury.
If you have information relating to this incident, contact Det Con Bosson, in confidence, on 01582 394441, the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.