A 16-year-old boy says his dog made all the difference when armed intruders busted into his house on Wednesday. It happened just after noon, in the 1400 block of South 234th Street in Des Moines.

Javier Mercado was home alone with his German Shepherd, Rex. He gives his loyal companion all the credit for saving his life.

"I feel like if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today telling you this story," said Mercado.

He says around noon, he heard a noise and looked out a window. He saw a car he did not recognize.

"I heard the sliding door break, and it is made out of just glass so it shattered really loud," said Mercado. "My dog ran downstairs, and it just started barking and barking. I heard one guy scream, 'the dog bit me, get the dog.'"

Javier grabbed his cell phone, hid in a closet, and called 911.

"I could hear my dog, like, really close to me in the bathroom with me, just barking. And the man comes upstairs," said Mercado. "I heard one gunshot and several after that, and my dog just cried after every shot that hit him."