By Heidi Foo

A dog lived up to its reputation as being man's best friend when it attacked a robber who got into a fight with its owner at Taman Asahan in Gemenceh yesterday morning.

But the dog and its owner may now be in trouble with the law after the robber died of his injuries at the Tampin Hospital several hours after he was attacked.

The dog owner, a 45-year-old security guard, has been detained by police to facilitate investigations, while the 3-year-old German Shepherd has gone missing,

The drama unfolded just after midnight yesterday when the suspected robber, armed with what is believed to be a piece of wood, confronted the guard, who was on duty at a shop selling construction material.

A struggle ensued between the two, and that was when the dog came to the rescue of its owner.

District police chief Superintendent Zull Aznam Haron said that the guard was believed to have been struck on the head in the struggle.

He managed to stop a passing motorist who took him to the Gemenceh police station, where he lodged a report. The dog, meanwhile, was left behind.

"The guard's face was covered in blood when he turned up at the police station," said Zull Aznam.

"He was taken to the Gemenceh health clinic where he received stitches for the wound on his head."

Zull Aznam said a police team went to the scene and found the suspect sprawled in front of the shop with injuries all over his body.

"When we found the suspect, he was still alive. He succumbed to his injuries at the Tampin district hospital an hour later."

He said the suspect's body was later sent to the Seremban Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Initial checks revealed that the 29-year-old suspect was from Tebung in Alor Gajah, Malacca.