A hero pet dog called for its owner when thieves tried to steal metal wires in a warehouse in Thailand.

The brazen burglary attempt happened just before daybreak, in a factory in Pathum Thani province on December 6.

CCTV footage shows the alleged criminals arriving on a pick-up truck and opening the warehouse gates with ease. They then parked inside the garage and set about trying to load the cable reel onto the vehicle.

While they were busy, the hero pooch named Rooney foiled their plans when its incessant barking alerted the owner, Pitsanu Tampinit, to the theft. He rushed to the front of the godown and saw four men hauling the goods onto the truck.

The suspected thieves were startled and scrambled to escape before Pitsanu could chase after them.

Investigations found that the burglars had broken into the warehouse earlier that morning at around 4 am. Pitsanu said he ignored the dog’s barking because garbage collectors usually came around that time. Their second attempt failed thanks to the brave guard dog, named after the Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney.

Pitsanu said: ‘At first I thought my dog was barking at the waste collector like every day, but then I noticed that the bark sounded different this time.

‘They stole metal wires worth 300,000 baht and returned the second time to take the reel too. If it wasn’t for the dog, I wouldn’t have a clue what was happening.’

Police took the footage as evidence and are now tracking down the suspects.