Family dog chases out attempted Dover invaders

The whole scene was over in seconds because Bently bared his teeth. 

The dog, a Dover family's pet, ended a home invasion early Tuesday morning just as soon as it had begun. Before the invaders got through the doorway, they'd turned tail.  

"I'm very proud of my dog. I'm very thankful for my dog," said one of the Teak Court homeowners, who asked her name be withheld for her safety. 

Dover and state police worked three home invasions between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Monday in which three or four men kicked in the front door of the residences. In two of those cases, the invaders entered successfully and made off with stolen property.

More:Felton, Dover home invasions likely related

Police still are investigating, but the similarities between them are obvious: masked, armed men coming forcefully through the front door of nearby homes.

"They do appear to have the same motive and it is a possibility that all three home invasions are connected," state police spokeswoman Master Cpl. Melissa Jaffe said.

Teak Court was the last of the three. It was over in less than a minute. 

The homeowner said she, another adult, their child and Bently had fallen asleep in the living room watching "Wonder Woman." Then the locked door burst in. 

"I immediately was on full alert," she said. "I said, 'Someone's in the house!' But before I even said 'house,' the dog was running toward the door." 

The homeowner said the men were laughing when one of them called out "Dover police" as the door swung in from a kick that left a brown boot print, still there in the afternoon.

That laughing quickly was replaced by cussing, she said, as Bently's growl turned into a snarl and the invaders vanished into the dark as the screen door slammed behind them.

"I just saw a whole bunch of guys terrified of a big black dog. Just think about the movie 'Sandlot' when they're all running from the big dog and everybody's scrambling all over the place," said the other adult present, whose name was withheld for her safety. "But it was a very traumatizing experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." 

Bently, a Labrador/German Shepherd mix, is good with strangers so long as they've been properly introduced, his owners said.

"He's an awesome dog and very family oriented, as long as I greet you," the homeowner said. "He's a very good judge of character. If you come in and I greet you and he still starts growling, you're not living right. There's something wrong with you, not my dog."

Monday morning's other victims didn't have Bently, but no one was hurt.

The first home invasion state police reported occurred just before 12:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Sandalwood Drive in Felton. Two 22-year-olds and a child were there at the time, according to police.

The invaders took a video game system, a small safe and a wallet before fleeing, police said.

The second happened around 1:40 a.m. the unit block of Kentwood Drive in Dover. In that home were a 58-year-old woman and her 32-year-old daughter, police said.

They took drug paraphernalia and cigarettes before fleeing, police said.

Attempts to contact the victims of the first two home invasions Monday were unsuccessful. Anyone with information may call Dover police at (302)736-7130.

Contact Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@delawareonline.com or (302) 319-1855 or @duvINdelaware.