Newly Adopted Dog Saves Family Just Hours After Being Rescued From The Pound

The potential home-invader had already allegedly cut the telephone and cable lines and was preparing to break in before the man's best friend alerted Littler of the danger.

Hercules pulled from his new owner's grip on his collar and chased the burglar down, biting his ankle and dragging him to the ground as he attempted to escape over a six-foot fence.

The heroic capture has cemented his place in the hearts of the Littler family, who rescued him from being put down by the Highland County pound earlier in the day but weren't planning to keep him.

"Originally, we adopted him because we didn't want him to be euthanized. We thought we'd get him back up and going and see if we couldn't get him a new home or some rescue group to take him," said Lee, who has four other dogs.

"But now we don't know what we're going to do. I think he's more or less earned his right to stay."

The brave canine hero is a far cry from the bloody, dehydrated mound of fur who was found on a trail by hikers on October 29 and was brought back to life by local vets, who think he had been attacked by coyotes.