A 200-pound bull mastiff was shot in the neck Thursday morning as it tried to protect its master from home invaders.
Surrey RCMP were called to the 13000 block 98A Avenue at 2:35 a.m. Thursday to the upper suite where two or three people had previously burst into the home where a woman was living.
The perpetrators smashed through the sliding glass door.
"Upon doing that, they encountered a large bull mastiff dog," said RCMP Sgt. Drew Grainger, adding the home invaders were armed. They shot the dog in the upper neck, then they took off.
Police are looking for two to three young males driving a newer model silver SUV.
Police say the woman living at that address is not known to police, lending them to believe it was a case of mistaken identity.
"There is no reasonable explanation at this time why this home would have been targeted," Grainger said.
"Boss" was taken to the vet and is expected to make a full recovery.