This heroic dog called Kei has been praised after she was shot in the face while saving her owners from burglars during a home invasion in South Africa after their alarm system was struck by lightning.

Kei, who is an SPCA rescue dog, took a bullet to the face while she attempted to protect her family during a home invasion that took place in the town of Benoni, which is located in Ekurhuleni municipality in Gauteng Province in South Africa.

According to the SPCA in South Africa, two armed burglars allegedly entered a home belonging to the Lamont family early on Sunday morning (10th October).

Newsflash spoke to Sarah Lamont in an exclusive telephone interview and she explained that they had a problem with their security system after it was hit by a storm and “struck by lightning”.

The morning of the home invasion, Sarah said that they had fixed the alarm system and that the burglars had been drawn to their house because they could hear that the alarm had gone off after they had been setting it up again.

She said that she was in her bedroom along with her husband, and that their daughter Jordan, 13, was in her bedroom when the incident occurred.

Jordan, who rescued her beloved dog from an SPCA centre and named her, with mum Sarah saying that it was “love at first sight”, was protected by Kei when the burglars struck.

Sarah said they heard a noise downstairs and before they could go and investigate, one of the two home invaders made his way up the stairs.

But they were greeted by Kei, who Sarah said had been lying on top of Jordan on their daughter’s bed in a bid to protect her. Sarah said that she was still not sure why Kei had not gone downstairs when she heard the noise of people entering the home, but speculated that it might have been because of the strong bond between Jordan and the dog.

She added: “Maybe she just wanted to stay with my daughter, because she was afraid that if she left her she would not be able to protect her. But you never know how a dog is thinking, you know? But in any case she is a true hero.”

Sarah said that Kei, who is only two years old, might have been staying put in order to protect Jordan from the intruders.

The brave dog defended its owners from the burglars and was shot in the face as a result, as can be seen from these pictures obtained from the SPCA.

Sarah said that despite being shot in the face, Kei bravely continued to fight the intruders.

One of the men fled downstairs “still shooting all over the place”. Sarah said: “He actually jumped over the back wall and fled.” She added that “Kei chased after him” despite her injuries. She was only found later.

Sarah said that one of her other dogs, that Sarah said was a tiny Biewer Yorkshire Terrier called Holly, was just as brave as Kei despite her small size and that she also tried to fight off the criminals.

Sarah said that Holly was sadly shot dead by one of the suspects in her valiant attempts to protect her owners.

Speaking about Holly, Sarah said: “She fought with all her might, bless her. She was truly heroic. She was the most dedicated, protective dog you could ever have.”

Sarah, who works as a teacher, said the other suspect eventually made his way to their bedroom and opened fire.

She said: “He started to shoot in our room.”

She said that her husband Warren, who works as a security contractor, managed to grab his own handgun despite being fired upon and he returned fire, shooting the criminal dead.

She said: “My husband, who didn’t have his firearm on him at the time, managed to grab his gun while being shot at and then shot at the intruders.”

Sarah said that she could not describe the intruder who was dead on the floor because she made the conscious decision not to look at him as “the trauma would have been too great”.

Sarah said that she and the family are still “traumatised” by the incident, adding that she is very grateful to her two dogs for having been so brave.

She said: “My Holly died being a hero and Kei is a hero because she continued attacking the intruder despite her injuries.”

Sarah, who said that home invasions and burglaries were sadly not all that uncommon in her area, added that the police were very helpful and that they are currently investigating the incident.

She also said that they had a fundraising campaign to pay for Kei’s treatment, which will be long and arduous even though vets think she will make a full recovery eventually.

She said the target has already been reached and that they had even been contacted by a local company who have “been wonderful” and offered to sponsor Kei’s rehabilitation.