Volunteers caught a feisty monitor lizard in a rice warehouse after a pet dog bravely fended it off in Thailand.

Rescuers found the reptile hiding among furniture in a storage area of a house in Chai Nat province on October 26.

It had wounds on its face after battling a loyal pooch that had attacked to defend its owner's property.

Weakened from the encounter, the lizard was easily caught by officers, who placed it inside a sack as it made one last attempt to break free.

The homeowner said: 'My crew and I were packing rice when there was a loud noise. When I went out to look, I saw my dog fighting with the lizard.

'It then quickly ran inside the warehouse, so I decided to call someone to catch it.'

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities in Thailand. They feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans.

The reptiles are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria. The Godzilla-like reptiles are also a protected species in the country so their population thrives.