'Hero dog' beaten, shot 3 times while protecting teen from burglars, Washington family says

A Washington state family says their German shepard became a hero when burglars violently broke into their home Wednesday afternoon.

According to KIRO, 16-year-old Javier Mercado was home alone when burglars broke into his family's home in Des Moines, Washington. Mercado says he hid in a closet and held on to his dog, Rex.

However, the two-year-old German shepard reportedly ran downstairs to protect the teen. Rex confronted the burglars, who beat him until he was bloody.

The burglars continued ransacking the home as the dog ran back upstairs. The teen was on the phone with 911 when the burglars entered the bedroom where he was hiding in the closet with Rex. That's when the dog used what little strength he had left to throw himself at the burglars.

Rex was shot three times - in the neck, leg and knee.

The burglars ran away when they heard police sirens.

Authorities said Rex looked dead when they arrived at the home. The teen was not hurt. While SWAT began looking for the suspects, Rex was taken to an animal hospital.

Rex the "hero dog," as he has been called on social media, is now in stable condition.

After paying for X-rays and medication, the family began crowdfunding to cover an $8,000 surgery to save the dog's life, according to Q13. They hoped to raise $10,000, but as of Friday morning, the GoFundMe page had raised over $23,000.

"My nephew was protected by his eternal friend until the last bit of strength he had in him to do what his unconditional, loving instinct told him to," Susy Cadena said on the GoFundMe page.

Law enforcement is still looking for the suspects and trying to find out why the house was targeted.