Hero dog sends suspect running
Khaleesi the German shepherd will have all the goodies she wants in the coming days.
The all-black dog stopped a fleeing suspect from possibly hiding in her family’s home in Brunswick Wednesday, protecting three children and possibly giving the suspect a painful lesson.
“She’s a great dog,” Sherri Harvey said. “We’re so proud of her.”
The suspect in the case is alleged to have fought with a state trooper and fled from a traffic stop on N.C. 130 near Harrelsonville Road. Mrs. Harvey said the first she knew of the incident was when she saw officers with rifles blocking the end of her road.
“They told me to go on back home, that they were hunting for a suspect,” Mrs. Harvey said.
In just the few short minutes she was gone, the unidentified suspect – caught on video – exited a vacant house beside the Harvey home. Video shared by Mrs. Harvey on Facebook shows the man approach the steps, then begin backing away as Khaleesi and Drago greet him.
The dogs weren’t even supposed to be on the porch, Mrs. Harvey said.
“That was just a blessing, I guess,” she said. “We have the gate to keep them off the porch, but they were asleep and I guess I didn’t notice them.”
The video shows the man backing away, then fleeing as Khaleesi clears the gate and takes off in pursuit. The dog stopped at the electric fence surrounding the yard, just as she has been trained, Mrs. Harvey said.
“Khaleesi never slowed down,” Mrs. Harvey said. “Drago just fell in behind her. “He’s only ten months old, but he’s twice as big as she is. Everybody is afraid of Drago, but Khaleesi was the one who went after the guy.”
Mrs. Harvey said her three children were inside when the incident occurred. Her oldest son was watching out the front door, talking to her husband Chris, who was caught at one of the roadblocks.
“He told Chris, ‘Oh my God, he’s coming inside’,” Mrs. Harvey said. “That’s when Khaleesi went for him.”
The worried father then drove into a ditch to get around the roadblock to get home, Mrs. Harvey said.
“They were yelling at him, asking what he was doing, and he told them to follow him – the suspect was trying to break into our house,” Mrs. Harvey said.
The suspect disappeared into a wooded, swampy area before law enforcement and the rest of the Harvey family returned. He left behind his clothes and shoes. Mrs. Harvey said she wasn’t gone for “more than a minute” before the suspect exited the vacant house and approached her home.
“It’s frightening that the world has gone this far,” she said.
She said troopers searched the area for hours, even going into the swamp and ditches, to find the suspect.
“I could tell it was personal,” she said.
Harvey shared her security footage online to help her neighbors know what had happened. The video has helped make Khaleesi something of a celebrity, with some folks asking if she will be bred.
“I don’t want to have a litter to sell,” Mrs. Harvey said. “I want to surround my family with German shepherds. They’re good dogs, and very loyal to the family.
“My kids know about gun safety, and they know what to do if something bad happens,” she said, “but I don’t want it to ever come to that. I don’t want them in danger. I don’t want them scarred by something like that. My dog took care of it.”
Khaleesi is enjoying the fruits of her labors at least for a few days, Mrs. Harvey said.
“She is going to have all the steaks and balls she wants,” Mrs. Harvey laughed. “She’s a good girl, and she deserves it for taking care of her family.”
The Highway Patrol reported that the case is still under investigation.
