When you want a new pet it’s always better to adopt from a shelter. It’s a chance to give a new life to an animal that’s homeless or abandoned. And sometimes when you rescue an animal, they’ll rescue you in return. That’s what one man found out when his adopted dogs stepped up to save the day.

A man named Robert McGowan found two pit bulls in a local shelter. According to The Dodo, the dogs had had a rough life and were abandoned.

That’s not surprising—pit bulls are the most common breed of dogs found in shelters, and their reputation as aggressive dogs scares people away from taking them in.

But Robert opened his heart to the poor dogs, adopted them and named them Ellabelle and Ladybug.

He gave them a loving home, and the pit bulls proved to be kind, friendly dogs.

But in once recent incident, the dogs revealed their true character.

One night Robert was in his garage when suddenly he was assaulted by four strangers. They punched him, giving him a black eye, and were intent on stealing his car.

They demanded the keys, and Robert told him they were inside. Little did they know what else they would find in there.