Dog Stops Potential Rape Of Owner

CANTON, Ohio -- A local woman said that she was terrified when an unwelcome intruder attacked her.

But NewsChannel5's Debora Lee reported that, luckily, the woman had just gotten a dog.

The dog's name is Chance, and you're taking a big chance if you bother his best friend.

On Sunday, Micki Stringfield (pictured, below) left Chance chained upstairs while she went to the basement to wash clothes. As soon as she turned on the light, she panicked, because in the corner was an intruder waiting to attack.

"So I turned around and ran toward the steps," she said. "He grabbed me and swung me around and I hit my head on (a) pole. Then, he grabbed me and threw me on this mattress right here."

Upstairs, Chance heard Stringfield's screams, broke loose from his leash and bolted down the steps to the rescue.

"He bit him bad, because the guy had black jeans on, and they were ripped and you could see the blood," Stringfield said.

"He's just an awesome dog," said Tanya Hite, a family friend. "I don't know what would have happened if that dog wouldn't have been here."

It isn't the first time there's been trouble at the home. It was the fourth break-in since January, when Stringfield moved in.

Although that would be enough to unnerve anyone, Stringfield said she's not afraid, as long as her friend is watching out.

"He follows me wherever I go now," she said. "He has to sleep in my room now. If he's outside my door, he'll bark, whine, (and) want (to be inside). I love him."

Stringfield has had Chance for only a little more than a month.

Police said that the intruder is still on the run.