Every dog owner’s worst nightmare is that some thief will target their pet and steal it, taking it away forever. This nightmare almost became a reality for one pit bull owner, but thanks to his own quick thinking, he was able to ensure the thief did not get away with it.

A dog owner from Port Elizabeth recently caught a thief red-handed trying to steal his pit bull. The incident was all caught on camera and the video has since gone viral, and it’s now serving as a warning to dog owners everywhere.

It is believed that this wannabe dognapper inspected the dog before trying to steal it by grabbing the canine by the collar. Thankfully, the owner was able to notice what was going on in time to make sure that he was not successful in his devious goal.

The owner surprised everyone afterwards by revealing that this was not the first time this thief had tried to steal his dog. Before the incident in this video, the thief had claimed to the owner that the pit bull was actually his. When the owner asked him to prove this, however, he simply ran away.

Volunteer and rescuer Marizanne Ferreira warned dog owners that thieves frequently target pit bulls because they want to use them as fight dogs. This is why she said it’s crucial that dog owners micro-chip their pets and not leave them unattended at any time. This dog owner was lucky that he was in the right place at the right time, but not everyone will have as much luck as he did.

Check out the video for yourself below.