Derek Thomas’ wife and three children were sound asleep in their beds when a leering shadow caught his attention. Thomas was still up after watching a late-night football game, and he knew it wasn’t paranoia that drove him to take his gun from the cabinet. Barefoot and armed, he exited his home and found an intruder rummaging through the cab of his truck.
Homeowner holds off robber with gun and 150-pound dog named Tank https://t.co/kUtZXGpIAY pic.twitter.com/wjZtDFcqVr
— WMTW TV (@WMTWTV) November 15, 2017
Thomas confronted the man and let off two warning shots when the stranger started to flee. The gun got the man to freeze and take cover, but it was Thomas’ backup that really made the difference. It seems the trespasser didn’t notice the signs around the Thomas property advertising their special breed of security system. One sign reads, “Never mind the dog, beware of the owner.” The dog in question is Tank, a 150-pound Great Dane.
Once Thomas had the intruder on the ground, he called for his wife to dial 911 and to send out Tank for reinforcement. Thomas told WDRB News,
“He [Tank] started barking and going crazy. I said, ‘You hear that? That’s my 150-pound dog, and I’m not chasing you, but if you run he’s going to catch you.”
The warning was enough to keep the intruder frozen in place until police arrived. The man was arrested, and police reportedly found $3,500, capped needles, heroin, and suspected meth in his pockets. He was identified as 25-year-old Michael Conklin—a man with several other drug convictions under his belt.
Thomas knows it wasn’t only luck that kept his family and property safe that night. Without Tank, there could have been a drastically different ending to the intrusion. The dog and owner worked together, and the Thomas family couldn’t be more proud of their big canine security guard.
Featured Image Source: Twitter/WMTW TV
