The couple, however, fell in love with Benny - and his protective nature during the burglary just sealed the deal for them.
Nick Franco and his girlfriend had been fostering Benny for about a month when the dog thwarted a burglary at their Philadelphia home, a move that resulted in a permanent home for the canine.
The 3-year-old pit bull terrier had a speckled past and the couple was trying to train him to be a good dog in the home environment and the plan was for someone to adopt him once he was suitable, Franco said.
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The couple, however, fell in love with the pup — and his protective nature during the burglary just sealed the deal for them.
“Me and my girlfriend, Kari, went out to the grocery store and when we came back Benny was growling and acting weird. We thought he smelled another dog or something,” Franco told InsideEdition.com. “But then we noticed disarray in the house and a few things missing and Benny started going crazy.”
Franco says he and Kari then heard the floorboards on the second floor of their house creak and knew someone was inside.
“It was all happening so fast,” Franco said. “I yell out, ‘you gotta get out of my house right now or my dog’s going to come up and I don’t know what he’s going to do.’ We heard a couple of loud bangs and he opened up the window and took off.”
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The pair lost their dog of 8 years, buddy, in March and weren’t sure if they were ready to get another but they said they knew after the burglary that Benny was going to be a part of their family forever.
“We thought it was too soon to get another right away,” said Franco. “But then we were like he’s here to protect us after that moment. Our buddy sent him to us.”
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