Special report: Will furry friends put a ‘paws’ on crime?

Dogs are known as man’s best friend, but is your companion also a protector?

NewsChannel 21 recently put eight pooches of several sizes and breeds to the test using a dog expert wearing a bite suit out of precaution. We sent our “robber” in to steal from three homes in Bend.

Dog owner Nick McCallion has three chihuahuas, a lab-shepherd mix and a pit bull/lab mix.

“The houses are a little bit spaced out here, so you want someone who will kind of keep watch out,” McCallion said.

He said he hopes his dogs will bark a lot and make the intruder feel unwelcome. He doesn’t believe his bigger dogs will bite, but said one of his chihuahuas might.

Buddy’s owner has the opposite prediction. Morgan Schmidt said she thinks her golden retriever mix will welcome a stranger in.

“He’s just going to be so excited to meet anyone who walks through the door,” Schmidt said.

At our last home, Jean Marshall thinks her 110-pound mixed breed will definitely give the robber a scare. Marshall said ‘Pepper’ is very protective of the family, especially her two teen daughters.

“I think he will be pretty intimidating — he barks a lot,” Marshall said. “I’m not quite sure if he’ll go farther than that.”

So what did the dogs do when confronted by a home intruder?

This is a story better seen than read. Check out the video attached above.